Working Incremental System Updates into Zoned Remodeling

From Guest Author on January 20th, 2012 in General Remodel, Tools and Tips

…aka I need more places to plug my iGizmo!

Almost every old house has experienced its share of retrofits.  And take for a moment that some of the oldest homes around actually did not originally incorporate something as basic as indoor working plumbing.  Integrated plumbing, still somewhat young in terms of the history of house design, was simply not an option for most homes built before 1920.

OK, and I know — your home isn’t quite that old, you could stop reading here, but it is good to note that even the oldest of our residences today now come equipped with this modern (and expected) convenience.  The reality is – plumbing, as we know it, was “added” to your house at some point in the last 100 years.

Now take double pane window replacements and/or duct work — updates too, for many of the houses built in the last century.  Required retrofits, in most cases, are also done to make a home more modern and/or livable.  These upgrades, unlike some, are more or less “one and done.”

Unfortunately, not all system updates are so straightforward.  Take closet space and/or insulation.  While they too are comforts of a modern house, a state of complete satisfaction with them is sometimes, well, elusive.  They seem to be more in line with the task of retrofitting (or updating) plumbing.  “A little here, a little there.”   And they are often addressed only over time as the functions of our houses’ rooms are shaped and reshaped.

Remodeling Bit by Bit?

Some systems are just not so easy to update all at once and/or completely.   Take electrical now.  It falls more squarely into that second category of updates — of things we tend to update only incrementally.  We are often unwilling to tear into walls with the expressed purpose of upgrading a system that, in this case, performs so invisibly . . .  and despite whatever components might be in place.

In any case, if your home was built in any part of the last century, its electrical system has likely undergone some modifications.  Either in updating a portion of the system – the cable which runs back to a panel or simply an update in convenience – say in the number of available outlets you’d find in a room.

Upgrade Whole Systems When it Makes Sense

By today’s code, electrical outlets (in new buildings) are required no more than every six feet of uninterrupted wall space, and must appear no more than twelve feet apart.  What that means — and if you figure the smallest designed livable room (say 8×8), you’d have an electrical plug on every wall.   (That there is part of what’s called the 6ft and 12ft Rule.)

As an old house owner, I know I ain’t got that.  And maybe you are with me, but what do we do?  Well, we go with it.  Because updates to the electrical system are typically performed when convenient or as needed, we look for opportunities to do so.  And when exactly is that?

We as homeowners often work in a room by room, or “zoned,” method, we do, but we must consider adjoining rooms when we have heads deep in cabinet layouts and/or fixture selections.

When it comes time for that next room remodel . . .  be it kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling (with plumbing), or whatever – try to think “old house” and ask yourself, “Hey – Am I gonna want a plug (for my iGizmo) in the next room?”  If you think you might, and then yes – even if you might, have your electrician put an additional outlet in.  It’s simple economy of scale or something like the path of least resistance.

Happy day and thanks for reading.

Jb Bartkowiak is a writer and one part of the blogging team at BuildingMoxie.com.  A blog dedicated to variety in home improvement with a focus on Pro & DIY Remodeling.