Easily Install a New Lamp Post

Want to add some light to your yard and character as well? How about a lamp post?

Some clients of mine in Inglewood wanted me to install a lamp post that they had purchased to illuminate some stairs leading to a parking area at the side of their home. The light will help them not fall down the stairs, and look great in the daytime as well.

Installing a lamp post is actually fairly simple. The most complicated part is probably the wiring. It's much like wiring any other light fixture. If that's above your head, of course, call an electrician.

Here are the basic steps:

1. Find the perfect location for your new lamp post and dig a hole. Follow the recommended depth in the pole's instructions, but mine was around 18".

2. Put the post in the hole and fasten it to something so it will remain plumb while you do the concrete.

3. Figure out where you want the wire to go. In our case, we could go nearby into the home's basement. I dug a small ditch and buried a 14-2 waterproof wire. (It's the grey stuff). (If you're lost, call an electrician...) Think before you dig so you don't bust a water pipe or something.

4. Connect the wiring. In this case, the lamp actually has a sensor that will turn it on when it gets dark. I guess you wouldn't have to even have a switch for this. Even still, I installed a switch near the front door so the homeowners could turn it off if they wanted to.

5. With the electrical done, let's add some cement to that hole. Go get a bag or two of fast setting concrete that you can use to set posts without mixing. It's great. You just pour the bag into into the hole, then slowly pour around a gallon of water on top and let it seep into the mix. Within approximately 40 minutes, the concrete will set up and you can remove the supports.

That's about it. Expect to pay $100-150 for the post and fixture, and maybe another $25 if you don't have a post-hole-digger.. :)

-Peter

Add Some Recessed Lights Over the Bar

As I started rebuilding the wall between the kitchen and dining room that would transform into a half-wall topped with a wood counter, I had to consider the lighting that would illuminate the custom maple counter. This is especially important at this stage because the homeowner wanted me to install small recessed lighting.

This wall is completely non-load bearing and consists of studs placed 24" apart. Since it's not load bearing I won't need to install a large header across the opening. Instead, I'm thinking of it like a large soffit that will mainly hold drywall and contain the recessed lighting.

By the way, the kitchen side of this wall is covered in wallpaper. This means that I'll do all my work to the wall from the other side in the dining room and try to preserve the wallpaper as much as possible. I'd prefer to not hang wallpaper, and my client's would agree I'm sure.. :)

The fixtures that I'm installing are 3" recessed cans that are widely available. They can be used in new construction and hung with joist hangers or installed as part of a remodel where you only need to make a hole and then mount the fixture with the drywall clips.

To start, I measured my opening and marked the location for the lights so they would be spread evenly across the opening. I cut these holes out of the 2x4 bottom plate before I even installed it. Then, I went ahead and ripped a long piece of poplar 1x6 to the width of the wall (4.5") and cut openings out of that for the lights. This would go along the bottom of the opening and finish it off well.

The electrical connections are fairly basic if you know how to wire any light fixture. Thankfully, I had easy access to the attic to run a wire across the room to the switch, which was to be a dimmer switch, giving the homeowners more control of how bright the lights are.

By the way, recessed lighting is also much less expensive the most fixtures. For example, these 3" fixtures are around $10-15 each, while pendant lights would likely run $40-50 or more.

At 50 watts each, these lights will really help to show off the new Maple countertop that's coming soon.

Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

The Mystery of the Flickering Porch Lights

After installing the patio door (see this post) I got to add a couple porch lights to this East Nashville home. Adding wiring in an older home like this has a tendency to be a nightmare at times, because the wires are inaccessible and the walls are plaster. I didn't run into these problems on this project, but I did have a mystery to unravel at the end.

THE SETTING

The homeowner wanted me to add a couple wall mounted porch lights to add more light to his porch. He had showed me a light switch at the front door that he wanted me to use because it didn't seem to do anything.

After a little research I figured that there must have been a ceiling fan in the front room at one time, and the switch controlled the fan. This was a great find, because I could use the switch and junction the wires in the attic without running any new wires to the switch.

I ran new wires from the attic down to the location of the new wall-mounted porch lights. Thankfully, there weren't any studs in my way and this process went smoothly. Whenever mounting exterior lights on clapboard siding I like to first cut out a place to add some kind of mounting board, usually some sort of 1x8. Otherwise, the fixture won't sit flat against the wall and instead lean in or out at an angle.

THE MYSTERY

After running the wires and installing the fixtures it was time to turn on the breaker and give it a try.

Yea! The lights came on and the switch worked.

Wait... the lights went off... one came back on... now they're both on...

What!???

This continued for several minutes. The lights were coming on and off independently of the switch. Sometimes together, sometimes not.

Usually, there's a logical explanation for these types of things. In this case, I retraced my steps in my mind. My first thought was to check the switch. It was the same old switch that had previously not been used. Perhaps it was faulty. I replaced it with a new one.

Same problems.

Hmmm... all the wires from the switch and the attic come together in a junction box in the attic. Perhaps one of the wires is not making a good connection. So, off to the attic I went to check the junction box. I took it apart and put it back together. Let's check it again.

Lights still flickering! Oh my!

At this point, I was starting to feel quite befuddled. I checked the connections at the fixtures. Thinking that a wire might be broken or had a nail in it, I went into the attic and wiggled wires while the homeowner watched below to see if that changed anything. No luck.

At this point, it was time to pull out the box and find the instructions.

I started looking over the first page and read the words "Motion-Activated..."

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Mystery solved.

It turns out that the lights were a gift to the homeowner and he didn't realize they were motion-activated. I installed them without looking much at the box or instructions. The sensors were very small and matched the finish of the fixture and the adjustment knobs were hidden at the bottom where I didn't see them.

I was so glad to find the answer to this one. You know the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try reading the instructions." I'll take that to heart.

I guess it at least makes for a good story...

:)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Adding Pendant Lights to the Bar

As I was widening the doorway (these posts) between this kitchen and dining room I had to keep in mind that the homeowner's wanted some pendant lights installed above the new countertop. This isn't very difficult, as long as I plan ahead.

I did the rough wiring before I even put the header in. This included adding a switch on the adjacent wall where I moved the other switches to. Then, I left a couple gaps in between the filler pieces of 1/2" plywood in the center of the header where the wires would go.

Under the header, I would install a very thin 'pancake' electrical box. I put these in place next and then marked the locations on a poplar board that I would be using to trim across the top of the opening.

With the locations marked I traced around one of the pancake boxes and cut out the hole with my jigsaw. Now the board fit perfectly and those thin boxes were nearly flush with the face.

Installing the lights and determining the best height was all that was left. We decided on a height that was around 22" off of the countertop, but they can be easily raised if the homeowner decides that they are too low. It's a matter of personal taste, I suppose.

The finished lights really helped to show off that heart pine countertop.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Adding a Simple Recessed Light

Whenever I'm doing a renovation I like to consider adding more outlets and more lights. It's so much easier when the walls are open and you can run wiring, but you don't always have that luxury. Recessed lights, one of my favorite fixtures, can actually be quite simple to install, even if the ceiling isn't opened up. For our current project, I wanted to add a couple recessed lights to the kitchen.

I like to use a 5" recessed fixture. They sell one at Home Depot for under $10 and that includes the trim, can, and everything you need to install it. Plus, it will work with an ordinary 60-watt bulb. They're very compact and can be installed in a drywall ceiling without tearing out extra drywall that will need to be patched.

Sometimes the hardest part is deciding where to put them. It's always good to try for symmetrical placement centered along doorways or windows, etc. Aside from that, you want to figure out where the ceiling joists are and try to center the light between them.

With that decided, mark the locations. The manufacturer provides a template to trace around so that you can cut a hole that is the exact size needed. Try not to make it any larger than the paper template. I usually start the hole with a spade bit and then finish it with a jig saw. Try not to cut very deep to stay away from any hidden wires or pipes. (Think before you cut... :)

One way or another you'll need to get a wire through the ceiling and to the hole. This is simple if you have an attic. In our case, we were only two joists from a larger hole so we bought a long drill bit with an extension that made it around 20" long. We drilled the hole and were able to fish the wire to where the lights would be.


All the wiring happens in a small box on top of the light can. First, punch out the metal tab and put in a 3/8" Romex connector. (This is a metal clamp that will keep the wire from moving from it's position.) The wire goes through this connector then you can tighten it down.

The connections are just like any basic light fixture. The wires all fit in the small metal box which is screwed down and attached to the top.

Now, you can put the metal "feet" on the can that will slide out once it's in the ceiling and press against the drywall. Small metal tabs attach the the front lip of the can. These will keep the edge flush with the drywall and form a "sandwhich" with the feet making it stay in place. The trim is attached by hooking the springs in the can.

Add a bulb and you're done. It's cheap and easy and very effective when you want to add some light to a room.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com