Everyone, I promise you, I’m working in the studio and I thought I had already finished the last big project. I spent the weekend wiring the last electrical outlets in the room and this project was a beast. One part took me almost everything yesterday. And I was so hoping that at the end of the weekend I would finally be able to cross this item off my “to do” list, only to find out later that something went wrong and now requires troubleshooting. Let me explain to you.
I started by wiring the outlets behind the cabinets in the corner of my studio office. These outlets are all on a circuit, and that circuit starts with the outlet on the wall to the left of the cabinets and then runs to the outlets behind the cabinets. The first outlet on this circuit behind the cabinets is behind the middle two drawers in the left section.
If you take those drawers out, there is a panel that lifts up for easy access to that exit. That’s where the sconces plug in (I still need cover plates for all of these outlets).
None of this was easy: working at awkward angles, working with 12 gauge wire, trying to put things where they need to go, working with the bracing these cabinets screw into. But I realized things. On the bottom section of the cabinet, I ended up having to completely cut the back panel off the top because my printer was literally an inch too deep to fit on the shelf with the back panel. *Sigh* But it’s okay. No one will see it regularly except me.
If I crouch down and look, the view is especially confusing. I might at least end up painting everything white. Or maybe I don’t worry about it. I need to put cover plates on the sockets, but other than that, who really cares what it looks like? I’m the only one who will ever see it, and at least now the printer fits on the shelf.
So I plugged all of those outlets (five total) into the cabinets and then plugged in my sconces to make sure they worked. They did it! For the first time since finishing these cabinets, the sconces actually worked.
Obviously, I don’t want to have to pull out the drawer and plug in the sconces every time I want to turn them on, so I plugged them into a remote control outlet (this is the one I have, affiliate link) that is controlled by this cute little control remote. I searched and read a lot of reviews on different ones to make sure I got one that would work through walls (or in this case, through a cabinet).
The remote comes with mounting tape, so I mounted it right here. It’s like having a light switch there.
I felt pretty accomplished after finishing that and was ready to tackle the other section. I knew this section was going to be much more challenging and I’ve been putting it off for an embarrassingly long time. This circuit starts with the outlet below the framed landscape plan and then goes to the left, feeding two more interior outlets on that wall (including the one directly behind the TV)…
And then it wraps around and powers the entire front wall, including outlets and pendant lights.
This circuit has never been fully wired (meaning I have never had any hanging lights or working outlets on the front wall) because that circuit also includes two outlets on the outside of the side wall of the studio. And this seemed so overwhelming to me.
I tried to make these media once and couldn’t do it at that time. So I gave up and never tried again. But this time it was decided. I had to start by cutting down that ugly trash tree that keeps growing for a week in this area just so I can get back to work. I should have taken a photo before cutting it. It was at least as high as the ceiling of the breakfast room. That took a while, but I got most of it done, at least enough to get back to that side wall of the studio.
And then I installed the plugs. This was a project that was both challenging and frustrating. To connect these plugs, I had to cut through the concrete siding, the OSB underneath, and the original solid wood siding that was underneath. I used my Dremel Multi-Max to cut all those layers, but I had a hard time getting the job done. But I finally cut the holes and connected the plugs.
And for the first time, I now have functional lights and outlets on the front wall of the studio. (I forgot to put a light bulb in the center wall sconce, but it’s on the same circuit and switch as the pendants.)
All of that would have felt like a tremendous victory, except that yesterday afternoon I went to press the button on the little remote control to turn on the wall lights behind my desk and nothing happened. No lights came on. I took out the drawers, unplugged the sconces from the remote receiver, and plugged them directly into the outlet, and nothing happened.
I went to the breaker box to see if the breaker had tripped for some reason. No. The switch was fine. I plugged a tool into the first outlet on that circuit (the one on the wall next to my desk) and it worked fine. So after all that, and after thinking I had finally finished all the wiring in the entire room, the outlets behind my desk don’t work for some reason.
I am beyond frustrated. I can’t even imagine what went wrong. The only thing I can think of is that the first outlet behind the desk area is defective. I hope and pray that that’s all, and that I can swap it in for a new one and everything works properly. Because if that’s not the problem, I have no idea how to fix it. I’ll have to call a professional to fix it. For the moment, I have turned off that circuit completely. It seemed like the safest thing to do until I (or someone else) can figure out what’s going on.
So I still couldn’t cross this huge upcoming project off my list. That was very discouraging. But I will keep pushing and I will achieve it. As for the rest of the room, I still have two doors to paint and then a lot of cleaning to do. If I can solve this electrical problem as soon as possible, I could easily finish this room in the next few days.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 upper that my husband Matt and I purchased in 2013. Matt has MS and can’t do physical labor, so I do most of the work in the house alone. You can learn more about me here.
