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Electrical rough-in |
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| Finally, it was time for the electrical
rough-in. My electrician, Dave showed up on time (which seems
to be rare these days!) with two apprentices to help. It took
a few minutes for them to bring in all the equipment and wiring
they would need, then they were ready to get started.
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Electrical
walk-through
The first step of the electrical rough-in required me to be there.
Using my original basement
plan, and the electrical diagram Dave created, we walked through
the basement. Dave marked the location of every switch, outlet,
and light fixture.
![Rough-in wiring completed by a certified Master Electrician. [Click to enlarge]](images/rough_in_complete_120x160.jpg) He
confirmed details such as which way a door would open (which dictates
location of the wall switch), where the main bank of switches
would be, and how they would function. I also explained which
lights should be on three-way switches and the location of those
as well.
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![Basement support poles are a great place to run wiring. [Click to enlarge]](images/support_pole_wiring_120x160.jpg)
I was impressed by Dave's willingness to explain and confirm
everything. When we couldn't decide (still!) whether or not we
wanted wall sconces, Dave took the time to explain our options,
and the advantages/disadvantages or each. He also took the time
to explain the importance of pulling permits for the work. This
will certainly avoid any problems later.
With everything marked off, I got out of the way and let Dave
and his team get to work!
Pulling the wire, and installing the electrical
boxes
It took about six hours to drill all the holes, pull the wire,
and add all the boxes. He taped off the four new breakers to make
sure I didn't turn them on accidentally. (Once the breakers are
on, the circuits are live.) Although they did a pretty good job
of cleaning up, they did leave quite a bit of sawdust around the
basement from all the holes they drilled. I mentioned this to
Dave, and he offered to stop by with a shop vac. Since it wasn't
a big deal, I went ahead and vacuumed up myself. |
![A wired 4-gang box. This will house the Lutron master conroller and three additional switches. [Click to enlarge]](images/wired_4-gang_box_160x120.jpg) ![Wall sconce wiring- Note the track to allow movement for centering of the wall sconces. [Click to enlarge]](images/wall_sconce_wiring_160x120.jpg) |
The basement looks pretty strange now
with wires coming from everywhere, but the electrical rough-in
is complete!
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Additional electrical
resources
How much does an electrician
charge?
Check out this simple electrician's estimator to get an idea of
how much you'll spend to wire your basement. |
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