Wwgjd?

[jegg]

Hello!
I need your advise...
What would you guys do?(See attached Pics)
I have these electrical lines sticking out of the drywall, done by one of the previous owners. I was painting this wall this past weekend and after staring at the lines for a few minutes...I thought it looked hideous.

Should I hire someone to properly "tuck" this setup into the drywall? If so, how much am I lookin' at here in labor?

Or...

Do it myself? My electrical knowledge is pretty basic; I know enough not to kill myself =).

J

 

[jegg]

ugh...I don't know why the pics decided to rotate their selves.
Sorry

 

[pattenp]

I imagine the wire is on the outside of the wall for a reason and that is it was too much of a pain and expense to get it in the wall. You can put it in the wall but it's going to mean pulling the drywall and hoping there is nothing in the wall to cause headaches pulling wire. You just don't know what you're getting into until you pull off the drywall.

 

[jegg]

Thanks, patten. Good point.
I can't imagine anything besides studs and drywall. This is a wall that, if the original owner wanted to, could have not existed and would be a three car garage instead of a two car. Behind the wall is the guest bedroom.

I think the person who did the job chose to take the easy way rather than spending the time to make it look good.

 

[Plump]

Aesthetics aside, conduit sure makes it easier to make upgrades and changes to the electric. Just want to throw it out there so you consider everything.

 

[jegg]

Plump, thanks. Another good point. All the other walls do not have any conduit. I could just use this wall for all my electrical needs. This is where my bench is going.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Previous owner took the smart route and did what looks to be a decent electrical installation using conduit. The alternative is to rip down the sheetrock, run wires in the wall and re-sheetrock, which in a garage (unless its for show) is certainly not worth it.

Consider yourself the PO did not just run romex nailed down to the wall.

Charles

 

[larry_g]

To me there is nothing wrong with a properly done conduit installation. If you really hate the look then you will have to spend the time and/or money to hide the facilities.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[jegg]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll keep it the way it is. My main concern was that if the outlets were flush and the conduit was gone I can mount stuff on the wall without the conduit being in the way.

 

[Greatbear]

Remember that by code the sheetrock will be at least 5/8" thick, making teardown and replacement a bit more expensive, as well as the device boxes need to accommodate that thickness. Also, surface-mounting the stuff on a wall separating a living space is a good idea, it can keep fumes from migrating through the devices, into the wall cavity and into the house. Some places have code preventing openings in the barrier, especially into bedrooms. The work looks acceptable, though not the prettiest using mud rings and wall plates versus 4" exposed device covers, and no offset bends where the conduit enters the boxes. But I am fussy in that respect.

I say leave it be, or make it look a bit better with different covers.

 

[bczygan]

Fishing wires in a wall is not a big deal unless heavily insulated or obstructed. Check what is in the wall. Check code as mentioned above. Electrical openings in a fire wall may govern. Also check and see if you can furr out the wall and cover it. You could also reroute it down in a corner to the floor and feed up from there and then install a plug strip at bench top height. This would clear the main part of the wall and make it mostly disappear. There is also a rectangular conduit that is more dressy that hugs the wall and looks less industrial than this round stuff. It's used in offices and more finished areas.

 

[buzz4041]

Thanks, patten. Good point.
I can't imagine anything besides studs and drywall. This is a wall that, if the original owner wanted to, could have not existed and would be a three car garage instead of a two car. Behind the wall is the guest bedroom.

I think the person who did the job chose to take the easy way rather than spending the time to make it look good.

If the guest bedroom is behind this location then the wall is full of insulation I would suspect and that is why he ran exterior conduit due to possibly not being able to fish wire in the wall. I like conduit when done correctly.