What is it about builders and their electricians that they cannot get light fixtures in the middle of the ceiling or over where a table is definately supposed to be set.
Everytime I do a vacant property, I seem to have this to deal with. Anyone else having this same issue? Very frustrating.
I am asked to set this space up as a living/dining room but the light fixture is placed in an awkward place. If there is a chain, you can swag it if the builders will allow you to put a hole in the ceiling but this is not always possible. Especially in new condos. The new owners can apply for permission, but as a stager you can't do this unless you have 3 weeks to wait for the permission.
This is just another good reason to have a stager work with builders to avoid awkward installations. Stagers have the forsight to see any problems which will have an affect on selling the property. Door placement, lighting placement, etc. which will affect where furniture can be placed when the property is selling. Staging the property after the build, shows potential buyers where they can place furniture easily. Takes out any guess work for the buyer.
One vacant condo I staged was quite small but the main space had to be set up as living/dining. The furniture rental company had little left for me to choose from at such short notice so I had to make do with what they had. All the furniture was large. I was able to place all of the furniture but the light fixture was a problem. It always amazes me how small a space looks and then you put furniture in that you think will not fit and it does. This is one reason it is more difficult to sell vacant properties. The spaces always appear smaller, contrary to what most people think.
I came up with an idea and it was a little awkward but it got the light over the table without putting a hole in the celing since we weren't allowed to do it. In retrospect, I don't think I would do this again since it was unconventional but I really wanted the light over the table. The agent explained to potential buyers about the condo building rules and that when they purchased the condo they would be allowed to put the hole in the ceiling wherever they wished.
We put a hook in the crown moulding which was filled easily after destaging so nothing was damaged.
Here is a picture of the unconventional method of getting a light fixture over the table. I would not recommend this to any stager out there.
After staging this property, I even filled in the cracks in the crown moulding where two pieces were joined since it looked awful. i also had to try to get big glops of mortar off the main window with the best view of the valley. This was tricky since it was on the outside and on the 7th floor. With the help of my handy man husband we got it off. All in all we got the job done. This was not my favourite.
Karen Hubert
Center Stage Design.ca
Lights either seem to be in the wrong place, or they are hung too high, and the chain too short to lower them! Frustrating! Your solution to the problem worked well!
Karen ~ From the looks of the picture it seems that you may have been able to have moved the table over a little to compensate the position of the light. A trick I have learned when staging a small space with big furniture is only use 4 chairs around the dining table, It will make the space feel bigger. Thanks for sharing your idea.
I know in my own town home the fan/light was in the wrong spot and it bugged me for years until I spend a small fortune to have it moved. In my case the light was centered in the middle of the room however the window was off center so the light was not centered with the window. One would think that a builder would get that right!
Well the builder is only as good as his subs. and if the sparky is of center then this is what you get, they are all in a hurry as the builder is squeezing them more and more every day.
I run into these types of problems all the time. The room is meant for living and dining but the light is in the wrong spot or the room is so small the builder must me dreaming. Another pet peeve of mine in these new homes is the sliders in the kitchens. They always seem to open on the wrong side. Once you put your table and chairs in you can't get to the door. If they're making an eat-in kitchen think about the traffic flow! Janice
The most goofy situation I had like this in staging a home was the odd placement of the electrical wall plugs. They were located about four feet above the floor, instead of running around the room just a few inches up. So, the lamps that I plugged in had the cords running down to the floor, then UP to the plugs! It looked awful. The funny thing is, this home was about 30 years old, and the owners had never been bothered by it.
Have 2 vacants to do soon and the light is off where the table will sit in both.