Remodeling and Home Repairs With Peter Bales: Hide the Ugly Electrical Panel Part 2

Client Testimonials

"Peter did an incredible job on our latest renovation. We are so excited about how he opened up our kitchen/dining room area! Its exactly what we wanted. His quote for price and time of completion was spot on. We will definitely call Peter for future projects and highly recommend him to any one looking to update their home." -Ryan & Daniela, Nashville

"We couldn't be happier with the work Peter has done for us! We had delayed a home improvement project because some past experiences with people we hired left us feeling anxious, and we just didn't want the hassle. However, Peter really put us at ease right from the start! Not only is he creative and skilled at his craft, but he is also extremely professional, courteous and trustworthy. He always took the time to answer our questions and really paid attention to the details that were important to us. We will definitely call Peter again, and we would recommend him to anyone." -Kassie & Andy, Mt. Juliet

"Peter recently converted my attached garage to a beautiful new office space. I was recovering from a major car accident and really didn't have the ability to oversee the work. Peter completely took charge, coordinating and ensuring quality of his own work and that of subcontractors. He even selected all the fixtures, doors, and windows completely to my taste since I couldn't shop. He worked creatively and efficiently and was on time and budget. Peter has a great attitude and is very communicative in person and on his blog. Living in a 1930's home by myself, it gives me great comfort to know I can call Peter, whose skills and character I can trust." - Aynsley, East Nashville

“Recently, Peter put in a new tile floor in our kitchen and dining room. I couldn’t be more pleased with his workmanship. The floors look great and the work is as professional as any I’ve seen. My wife and I are so pleased with his work ethic that we’ve asked him to take on some other projects for us. He definitely gets a thumbs-up from me.” -Gary Phillips, Nashville

"Peter does excellent work and I would hire him again without reservation. His assessment and quote of the project was accurate and competitive. The job was started and completed on time. While he was working, he was always very professional and neat. The finished product exceeded our expectations. All in all, it was a great experience and I would recommend him to anyone.” -Justin, Inglewood

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Hide the Ugly Electrical Panel Part 2

It's taken a few days to mud the drywall, but today I got to finish up the project I started the other day where I was building a wall to hide some ugly electrical panels. After a couple days of intense roof repairs at another project, it was nice to be working with wood and nail guns again!

After sanding and clean up, I started laying baseboard. Old homes like this Inglewood house from the 1920's often just have simple wide boards as a base. The existing ones were 7" tall so I had to buy a 1x8 and rip it to the right width to match.

It was a little tricky to match the old baseboard and make the corners fit right even though the corners weren't all exactly 90 degrees. This is not an unusual issue, especially in older homes. The main thing is that the corner seam is tight with no gap if possible. To make the happen it's usually best to glue the corner with wood glue and nail it together with some brads before actually nailing it to the wall.

To give the homeowners access to the electrical panels I built a couple cabinet doors to cover the large hole. With doors the key is level and square. If your jambs are right, then the doors are much easier to fit. Since I built this wall from scratch I had to consider the doors from the beginning so that the opening that was left after adding door jambs and stops still provided adequate space to get to the electrical panel.

Most of the trim was ripped to 3 1/8" to match the casing around the back door. I know it's not standard, but it matches. (You could say it's custom, I suppose...)

The doors were made from 1/2" higher-grade plywood that I built up with some pieces that I ripped so that the door ended up being around 3/4" thick. I needed them to be this thick so that I'd have a solid place to mount the hinges.

In the end, it all worked together beautifully. I got everything caulked and ready for the homeowners to paint. They were thrilled with the new wall and glad to have a finished back hallway.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com