26 Apr Bed & Bath Renovation: Behind the Walls
Unless you’ve built your own home, chances are you have a power outlet or phone jack in a location that makes you think “what was this builder thinking!?” The house at the center of this master suite remodel was built in 1981 and has plenty of those little frustrations. What better time than when the walls are open to get that fixed?
Sink wall with new outlet and plumbing for two wall-mounted faucets
In the bathroom the biggest complaint was the limitation of the power outlet. Located on the wall to the right of the sink, the location was handy for an electric toothbrush but not for a hair dryer. Electrical wiring was run to a second outlet to the left of the sink which will allow Mrs. to have a hair dryer and curling iron plugged in while Mr.’s electric toothbrush gets an outlet all to itself. No more cords stringing in front of the vanity and no more jump rope over the cords when both Mr. and Mrs. are at the sink at the same time!
The other behind-the-wall activity that was critical in the bathroom was the placement of the valves for the two wall faucets (two!?). This is a small master bath, with a single sink. It was decided that there would be significant value in having a wide sink with two wall-mounted faucets, which will allow Mr. & Mrs. to easily use the sink at the same time.
A quick sketch of the bed wall (the circles denote the lamp placement)
In the bedroom, the wiring situation was a bit more complex. On the wall at the head of the bed there was one single outlet. One outlet to accommodate power for two bedside table lamps, two alarm clocks, and two cell phone chargers. We’re talking a Clark Griswold electric plug situation here. In addition, the plans for the bedroom include two hard-wired wall-mounted reading lamps on both sides of the bed, so those also required wiring updates.
- Blue tape is used to map out the design of the headboard and the placement of the outlets, tables, and lamps on the wall.
- Using a Rotozip, the sheetrock is cut in the necessary locations, taking care to not cut through wire that is already in the wall
- The new wiring is run through the walls
- The sheetrock is replaced and the seams are taped and spackled
A similar exercise was performed on the opposite side of the room to plan out and install wiring that fit the TV and electronic component layout.
What do you think of the renovation so far? Leave your comments, and stay tuned for the next installment of this design & build project!