Progress Report: 5302 is up and lit up!
The 5302 is my second major PM set after the modern house, which was quite easy to build. The 5302 was not easy to build as a novice, but it is up, and the bottom 3 floors are lit now. Using the US nomenclature with the ground floor called the first floor, the 7484 lighting kits added a small wall in the middle of the mansion to hide the batteries, attach a very cool looking blue sconce and hold a manual light switch.
All four of the individual ceiling light fixture wires run out of the top of this wall. I ran two to the right of the wall and two to the left on each floor. The wires attach to clips hanging from the ceiling, and it is easier to run the wires through the clips before you attach the clips to the ceiling. Turn the wires sidewise so they are thinner to thread them through the small slits in the clips.
You can select the light fixtures from those supplied with each kit; there is a choice of colors, and I chose two fixtures of matching colors for each room. There is a lot of room here to customize the fixtures with any design you prefer, so this kit opens the door to whatever type of lighting your heart desires! Wooooohooooooo!!!!
Note: Those with arthritic necks should take Ibuprofen first!
It is hard bending your neck to see in each floor and run the wires under the ceiling to their hanging positions. You may need a flashlight to see what is going on if your room is dark, which it should be to avoid damaging the PM with sunlight. And if your close vision is not good (you wear or need reading glasses), GOOD LUCK!
I cussed the darn lights until they hung just right. It takes a lot of adjusting because the fixtures don't weigh enough to hand down on their own, so you have to twist and pull on them until the gods smile on all four fixtures...and that is just for one floor!
Note: Stop and take a few drinks of your favorite beverage or you will be in a really foul mood by the time you finish this lighting project. An ice cream sundae or a mango smoothie may put you in a better mood, too.
I repeated the wiring and fixture hanging process on all 3 floors, including the extension floor, because there is never enough space to decorate a house without an extension floor, and who wants a dark mansion? Not I, said Little Miss Peep.
That brings us to lighting the attic...that gives me a headache just thinking about it. I played with the fourth lighting kit in several locations and did not find one I liked. Then I decided that natural/room lights would be better up there than breaking up the room with an interior wall for the lighting kit. So I have one kit left over to use somewhere else, which is fine with me.
Once we get used to the lights and fixtures, I will decide how to decorate the interior walls if at all. The lights change the look of the walls, floors, windows and furnishings, so that is why they come first. Hubby lightly primed the plastic curtains white, and you can see them in some of the photos. The white reflects the light better than pink, and matches more furniture colors as well.
And the painted window inserts are installed for the first two floors. I used a Valspar satin spray paint in a cappuccino color, 65047, from Lowe's here in the US. May spray the flower boxes next, but will wait a few days to let things settle in. Will have to stare at the lights a bit and see what the house looks like in daytime light levels.
Summary:
The lighting kits for 5302 are an outstanding product and a good value at $27.00 each for the regular floors. The attic may not be the best spot for the lighting kit.
Be prepared to spend some time and effort installing them if you are not a PM genius...yet!
If you can, hold off decorating the place until your lighting is in. Lighting will change the look of your 5302 and make it come much more alive.
Have fun, Pgal
