We hang ceiling fans, swap light fixtures, put up chandeliers, add recessed lights and change bulbs on ceilings you can't reach, in houses around Cedar Mill, Bethany, Beaverton and the streets near them. A ceiling fan install in the Portland area usually costs $198-$408, labor only, and $288 is the common middle (market data, November 2026) . See every job on our price list.
Behind the work is Slava's 7 years of hands-on experience .
What lighting and ceiling fan work is covered here?
Five kinds of work fall under this page:
- Fixture swaps. An old dome light or a dated vanity bar is unscrewed, and its replacement mounts to the existing box.
- Ceiling fans. Replacing a worn-out fan, or putting a fan where a light hangs now.
- Chandeliers and heavy pendants. These need the box checked for weight first.
- Recessed lights. New cans or slim LED wafers cut into an existing ceiling. This means new wiring.
- High ceilings. Bulbs and old ballasts in stairwells, two-story entries and vaulted great rooms.
A few things live elsewhere. New circuits from the panel, panel work and garage-door openers aren't something we do; our not-offered page names who handles them. Dimmers and fan-speed wall controls belong with outlets and switches, and bathroom exhaust fans are a separate job too.
How much does ceiling fan or light fixture installation cost around Portland?
The numbers below are market estimates for the Portland area from November 2026, and Slava hasn't signed off on them as our quotes yet. The ceiling fan line comes from Angi's Portland data; the others are worked out from local hourly rates.
| Job | Typical | Range | Basis | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light fixture on an existing box | $250 | $150-$400 per job | labor only | 2 h |
| Ceiling fan, new or replacement | $288 | $198-$408 per job | labor only | 3 h |
| Chandelier or heavy fixture | $450 | $250-$900 per job | labor only | 3.5 h |
| Recessed lights, about 6 | $2,000 | $800-$4,000 per set | with materials | 12 labor h |
| Bulbs and ballasts, high ceilings | $200 | $120-$350 per job | labor only | 1.5 h |
Ceiling fan installation cost goes up for a few plain reasons. The box may need replacing and bracing, a tall ceiling may need a bigger ladder or scaffold, and a fan with a light kit takes a while to assemble. Swapping a box sometimes leaves a ragged hole, and patching the ceiling around it is its own small line on the bill. The fan or fixture itself is usually the homeowner's purchase .
Does swapping a light fixture or adding a fan need a permit?
Oregon's Building Codes Division says no permit is required when a broken or damaged light fixture is swapped for a like one, or when bulbs and fluorescent tubes are changed. Added wiring calls for a permit, and so does a fixture that is new or upgraded. Portland's permit page names "adding a light fixture" as a reason to get an electrical permit.
In practice, a straight swap on an existing box usually doesn't need a permit, while recessed cans or a light in a new spot do. The state page doesn't say whether turning a light into a fan counts as an upgrade, so ask your building department before you count on it. Portland, Beaverton or Washington County issues it, going by the address .
Can a ceiling fan go where a light fixture is now?
In most houses it can, provided the box is fan-rated and tied to a joist or a brace. An ordinary light box is made to hold a few pounds of glass that never moves. A fan weighs more and shakes a little every time it spins, and over months that loosens a box that was never meant for it. This is the most common reason a "quick swap" turns into a longer visit .
House age changes the plan. Many 1960s and 1970s ranches in Cedar Mill and Beaverton have 8-foot ceilings, which often call for a low-profile hugger fan so nobody's hand meets a blade. Bethany houses from the nineties and early 2000s often have vaulted great rooms that need a long downrod and an angled mount. Attic access matters too: a single-story ranch usually has some, but the first-floor ceiling of a two-story house has bedrooms above it .
A heavy chandelier gets the same box check, plus a look at its weight .
How long does a ceiling fan install take?
Plan on about three hours for a typical fan, going by market estimates. A plain fixture swap runs closer to two, a chandelier about three and a half, and a set of around six recessed lights about twelve labor hours. Time grows when the box has to be changed and braced, when the fan comes with a light kit to assemble, or when the ceiling is well over head height .
Can you reach bulbs and fixtures on high or vaulted ceilings?
Yes, and these are often the fixtures that wait longest. Stairwell pendants, two-story entry lights and fixtures at the peak of a vaulted living room tend to sit dark for months because nobody wants to stand on a stepladder on the stairs. Changing the bulbs or an old ballast up there typically runs $120-$350, labor only, per November 2026 market data . If an old fluorescent fixture keeps failing, replacing it with an LED one is often the better fix .
Are ceiling fans still worth adding in a Portland-area house?
For a lot of rooms, yes. A fan doesn't cool the air, it moves it across your skin, and on a warm summer night that's enough in a bedroom without central air. In a vaulted room, flipping the fan to run the other way in winter pushes the warm air pooled up high back down toward the couch. Rental owners ask for them between tenants too; see our work for rental properties .