Adding An Outlet

We decide to get started on adding an outlet in my bedroom before getting to demolition. This is the first real project of the weekend. In order to do this we estimate the desired location of the outlet. Then we have to access the attic in order to find the desired location. I only have a step stool so we move the refrigerator under the attic access and use the step ladder to get on to the fridge. Attics are quite uncomfortable and require knees on wood beams the entire time to avoid falling through the drywall. Soccer shin guards are a huge comfort increase for this project. Ben is the first in the attic for this project.


 
We use landmarks that exist above and below the ceiling to measure distances to the new outlet location. A good example is a ceiling light fixture. We used a sealed access panel in the bedroom closet since it was close to the wall. The measurements give us an agreed upon location to begin cutting. One cut is in the drywall where the Romex power line will be dropped. The tool for this is called a drywall saw and is a pretty cheap and useful tool. The other cut is with a 1" drill bit to go through the cross beam two-by-four over the wall studs. In this case we had to go through two separate two-by-fours to get into the wall.

We were very lucky with these cuts. Usually studs are place every 16" but in these older houses there is sometimes inconsistencies. The cuts we made were between two studs that were only 5" apart. Luckily when we dropped the Romex from the attic it showed up in our drywall hole and we were able to pull it out.





The next step on both ends of the Romex is to do the wiring. We had to find the correct breaker since the electrical box did not have labels. Guess and check presented the correct breaker, which we promptly labeled. The wiring to the new outlet is fairly simple. Black goes into the colored screw side of the outlet and white goes into the other side. In the attic we need to connect off of existing power. We choose a light from the family room and add the wires to the existing fixture.

Now there is power to the outlet. The white Romex is the new one coming from the wall. The yellow ones are the existing power to the outlet. While up here we take an interest in the technique to get the large rounded wall to ceiling connections in the family room. As expected the house is mostly plaster, which involves wood slats across the studs and then applying the plaster by hand with a trowel. This technique has mostly been replaced by drywall or sheetrock.