Switch On/Switch Off

I got the two switches mounted for the mudroom lights. One switch is for the new back porch light, and the other is for light for the room itself. For a few reasons, I ended up mounting them one-over-one instead of side by side.

First, it was a very tight space. Once the trim is on there would have only been about a half inch on either side of the switch plate. While that wouldn’t be the end of the world, it just seemed a little tight. Also, there are two studs in the wall that are close together right there. I would have needed to chisel out some wood in order to get a double gang box in there. Again, doable, but why go to the trouble. Finally, I would have had to cut one of the runs of beadboard in half. I was concerned the wall might become springy there.

It will look better with paint and switch plates



As a side note, I think I’m getting a little lazy. Four years ago I would have chiseled out the studs to make way for the double gang box. I would have accounted for that when I was putting in the beadboard and put in extra framing just incase I ended up cutting all the way through one of the boards. Secretly I ashamed of myself.

It’s funny how every time I work on electrical in this house I think it’s the last time. I went through the big whole-house rewire about 4 years ago and when I was done I thought I was done for ever. It took me more than 3 months to do the whole thing and I remember thinking at the time that it was all done and I would never again need to touch another wire in the house.

Oh, how wrong I was.

There was still a lot of wiring to do in the kitchen, and of course, the down stairs bathroom was only a gleam in my eye at that point. Oh sure, I put in circuits for those rooms and pulled wire to the general location 4 years ago, but that is the easy part. Cutting holes for boxes and wiring switches, lights, and sockets, that is the real grunt work of residential wiring.

Then today, as I was finishing up the switches in the mudroom, for one brief second I thought to myself, “Finally, I’m completely done with the wiring!”. Then I remembered the laundry room. Sure there’s a circuit for it, and the wire is pulled in to the room, but I still need to do the grunt work.

{Siiiigh!} Will it ever end?