A Studio Update: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Y’all, I promise you that I’m working on the studio, and I thought that I had the last big project done. I spent the weekend wiring up the last of the electrical outlets in the room, and this project was a beast. One part took me most of yesterday. And I had such high hopes that by the end of the weekend, I’d be able to finally cross this item off of my “to do” list, only to find out afterwards that something has gone wrong that now requires troubleshooting. Let me explain.
I started off wiring the outlets behind the cabinets in the office corner of my studio. These outlets are all on one circuit, and that circuit starts with the outlet on the wall to the left of the cabinets, and then wraps around to the outlets behind the cabinets. The first outlet on this circuit behind the cabinets is behind those two middle drawers in the left section.
If you take those drawers out, there’s a panel that raises up for easy access to that outlet. That’s where the sconces are plugged in. (I still need to get cover plates for all of these outlets.)
Nothing about this was easy — working at awkward angles, working with 12-gauge wires, trying to fit things where they need to go, working around the bracing that these cabinets are screwed into. But I figured things out. In the lower cabinet section, I ended up having to cut the back panel out of the top portion completely because my printer was literally one inch too deep to fit on the shelf with the back panel. *Sigh* But it’s fine. No one will see on a regular basis but me.
If I bend down low and look, the view is especially messy. I may end up at least painting everything white. Or I may not worry about it. I do need to put cover plates on the outlets, but other than that, who really cares what it looks like? I’m the only one who will ever see it, and at least the printer fits on the shelf now.
So I got all of those outlets wired (five in all) inside the cabinets, and then plugged in my sconces to be sure they worked. They did! For the first time since I finished these cabinets, the sconces actually worked.
Obviously, I don’t want to have to take the drawer out and plug the sconces in every time I want them on, so I plugged them into a remote control outlet (this is the one I got — affiliate link) that is controlled by this cute little remote. I searched and read lots of reviews on different ones to be sure I was getting one that would work through walls (or in this case, through a cabinet).
The remote comes with mounting tape, so I mounted the remote right here. It’s like having a light switch there.
I was feeling pretty accomplished after getting that done, and I was ready to tackle the other section. I knew this section was going to be much more challenging, and I’ve been putting this 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 feeds the entire front wall, including the outlets and the pendant lights.
This circuit has never been completely wired (which means that I’ve never had working pendant lights or working outlets on the front wall) because that circuit also includes two outlets on the exterior of the side wall of the studio. And this just seemed so overwhelming to me.
I tried doing these outlets once, and I couldn’t do it at the time. So I gave up, and never tried again. But this time, I was determined. I had to start by cutting down that ugly trash tree that keeps growing like a weed in this area just so that I could even get back there to work. I should have gotten a picture before I cut it down. It was at least as high as the roof over the breakfast room. So that took a while, but I got most of it down, at least enough so that I could get back there to that side wall of the studio.
And then I got the outlets installed. This was such a challenging and frustrating project. In order to wire these outlets, I had to cut through the concrete siding, the OSB underneath that, and the original solid wood siding that was under that. I used my Dremel Multi-Max to cut through all of those layers, but it struggled to get the job done. But I finally got the holes cut out, and got the outlets wired up.
And for the first time ever, I now have functional lights and outlets on the front wall of the studio. (I forgot to put a bulb in the center wall sconce, but it’s on that same circuit, and on the same switch as the pendants.)
All of that would have felt like a tremendous victory except that yesterday evening, I went to push the button on the little remote to turn on the sconces behind my desk, and nothing happened. No lights came on. I took the drawers out, 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. Nope. The breaker was just fine. I plugged a tool into the first outlet on that circuit (the one on the wall beside my desk), and it worked just fine. So after all of that, and after thinking that I finally had all of the wiring finished in the whole room, the outlets behind my desk aren’t working for some reason.
I am beyond frustrated. I can’t even imagine what has gone wrong. The only thing I can think of is that the first outlet behind the desk area is defective. I’m hoping and praying that’s all it is, and that I can just swap it out with a new one and everything will work properly. Because if that’s not the problem, I have no idea how to troubleshoot this. I’ll have to call a pro to fix it for me. For the time being, I’ve turned off that circuit completely. That seemed like the safest thing to do until I (or someone else) can figure out what’s going on.
So I didn’t get to mark this huge, looming project off of my list quite yet. That was very discouraging. But I’ll continue to press on, and it will get done. As far as the rest of the room, I still have two doors to paint, and then lots of cleanup to do. If I can figure out this electrical issue sooner than later, I could easily have this room done in the next couple of days.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
One step at a time, you’ll figure it out. I often find that it is never just “one” thing that is wrong, but multiple little things that are the cause of this frustration. Trust me on the farm the first couple of years we used walkie-talkies to see if the lights came on from a switch not out in the barns but in the house…No, I would say, and then Nick would throw another switch that had nothing to do with the horse barns and yep, they’re on…and Nick would say that’s not even on the same circuit. Long story short, it took three sets of electricians to figure it all out in the end. You’ll get it. You always do.
Cheers!
Holey moley
I can never understand this type of thing–it should either work, or not, not take a calculus degree to figure out!
I admire your skills and determination. I would never attempt to do the wiring myself. I’m glad you’re getting closer to the finish line!
Oh my gosh, the frustration!! What a tremendous accomplishment! I just love looking at everything in this room so so much!
Good luck with the electric!
As I was reading, I thought you needed a pro to troubleshoot, LOL. As for that tree, cut it as close to the ground as you can, then mix a very strong solution of Epsom Salts and water. Drill some holes in the stump and pour that solution directly into the holes. This works on trees and even plants. If you don’t want to sterilize the ground around it try not to splash it on the soil you can plant something else in that spot. Good luck.
On the other hand, don’t hydrangeas live Epsom salts?
That worked great on some rogue caragena that strayed from my neighbor’s yard into mine. It killed those stumps and left the rest of her hedge standing.
Thank you, Len! I’ll be using this!
That’s a whole lot of work accomplished and I’m really impressed. I admit that this lazy woman would have just called an electrician.
could it be the remote switch that is the issue?
I’m surprised the sconses don’t have a on/off switch either in the cord or the light itself.
I don’t think you need a pro for this it’s just going to take patience and determination.
Looking good!
It’s not the remote switch. I unplugged the remote receiver and plugged a tool into it, and it didn’t work.
How frustrating! Yep, you will figure it out (or possibly you may have to get someone else to do it.)
Even though it was not your purpose to show that wall, I am so glad I have the chance to see that special display, including the large colorful clock. Your whole heart is in that room, Kristi. I know I will imagine you in that space in the future as you continue to make lovely things. It belongs to you and I feel like a privileged visitor.
Thank you.
You are amazing. You will figure out what the problem might be. At least you are working on finishing the Studio. It is indeed beautiful. With a workshop, many of the tool in the Studio can be moved to the workshop. I know you have thought of that.😁😁😁😁
Have a great week. How is Matt?
Matt is actually having an absolutely horrible day — the kind of day that usually ends up with a hospital stay. He’s horrible, I’m stressed, and I doubt I’ll be getting any work done today. 🙁
Thinking of you both. I hope things improve for both Matt and you.
Praying for Matt and for you too Kristi 🙏🏻
Maybe your issue is with the wireless remote. It may have become “unprogrammed” somehow and is affecting the rest of the outlets on that circuit.
It’s the outlet. I tried plugging a tool directly into the outlet to test it, and it didn’t work.
It could very much be a bad outlet! I had added two extra outlets in my laundry room once, and they worked fine for almost a year, and then one stopped working. The drywall was finished and everything was completed. I was so upset. We had an electrician come to do a couple of things that I was definitely not qualified to do, and he said he was going to have to cut in the drywall and everything to fix it. I decided that was not an option. I got a new outlet and replaced the one and everything worked again. Just remember, those outlets are so cheap they can’t be made that well!!! I was ticked, that electrician came to fix 3 things and couldn’t do any of them.
I apologize if this is a dumb question but did you confirm that the batteries in your remote are fresh? I have a very old version of what you have and the battery in their only lasts a few months.
If fresh battery there… Try running an extension cord to the area where your pendant lights are, plugged into an outlet you know is working. Plug your remote into the extension cord. If good, then outlet issue. If problem, then maybe the remote thingy needs to be replaced?
My husband says 12 ga wire is a bear to push back into a single gang box sometimes. Perhaps a loose wire nut or a loose connection to the terminal or if you have the push-in terminals, they loosened when you pushed the outlet in place. Or yes, it could be the outlet. You have one of those voltage tester pens? Good luck, and I do hope Matt will overcome this horrible day quickly without having a trip to the hospital. Hugs!
I know absolutely nothing about electrical, so I don’t know why you installed outlets outside the studio. I was just wondering if you could have done that wiring before you installed the cabinets when there was nothing in your way. Or is wiring something you do last? I guess you could troubleshoot the problem with starting at the beginning where you wired up the first outlet behind your desk and check each outlet to see what is wrong, loose or backwards.
This may seem like a ridiculous question, and I have not read the comments yet, but could the problem be burned out bulbs or a bad switch for the lights? These China products sometimes are defective. At any rate, sorry you had such problems. I never understood why you didn’t run wiring and put in the outlets and switches before the cabinets.
Ignore my comments. I have now read that others have said pretty much the same as I. It probably is a bad outlet. That has happened to us before too. Just irritating, because you don’t expect a new thing to be bad! Hope Matt has rebounded, and is resting comfortably. Will keep you both in my prayers!
Sorry to hear Matt is having a bad day. The problem with the electrical will be resolved sooner or later, but Matt’s wellbeing is top of the list. I hope he feels better soon. I’m amazed at all you do, Kristi.
Get some Tordon for the scrubby tree. Spray the cuts and it will die.
35 year electrician here. I would check the first receptacle on the wall that works and make sure that the connection leaving it to the dead outlet, is intact. Best connection looks like, twist all wire ends together, cut the ends to square them up, place wire nut over splice, twist tightly. Sometimes if wires weren’t twisted, they could pop out of the wire nut.
Hi, I was just curious now that I’ve read your blog about your studio being done were you able to get an electrician to figure out the problem with this Outlet?
I actually didn’t end up needing an electrician. I’m so embarrassed, but the problem was an outdoor GFCE outlet that I didn’t realize was on the same circuit. That outlet has tripped, so none of the outlets after it worked. Of course, I didn’t find that problem until I had spent about two hours trying to fix the indoor outlets by swapping them out, thinking that the problem was a faulty outlet. 😀 As it turns out, all I needed to do was push a button! I’m so glad I didn’t call an electrician! That would have been so embarrassing.