Big, Giant, Gaping Hole in the Garage

There was a big, giant, gaping hole in the garage wall. The contractors (Kevin), cut out seven wall panels to get to the wiring for the doorbells and releases for the gate.

Harry connected the electrical for the gate release to both of the buttons inside the units. It took him about 20 minutes. Once he finished, I started figuring out which pieces went where, lined them up, and drilled them in. To make sure we could get to the electrical box whenever we needed to, I cut a corner out of the panel where the box was placed, and put a blank electrical cover over it.



I have to remember to take pictures of things before I work on them, so I can get before and after photos...

Moving the Coaxial Cable

For some reason, the coaxial cables for the cable are all coming out of the floor boards.


I had this bright idea to cut a hole in the wall, drill a hole in the floor, then move the cable into the wall, so it's got a socket! Great idea, right!? Well while cutting the hole in the wall, I cut a power cord. Time to call Harry!

lights, Lights, LIGHTS!

I guess there's pretty much a something out there for everything and everyone, huh? It's so hard to decide on light fixtures.

I have to get lights for the backyard, since right now it's just dark at night. I can't believe there were never any lights installed back there! The decision, as seems to be normal, includes a menagerie of factors seemingly unrelated to just having a light there.

Factors:

1. Color or the fixture
2. Wattage of the lights
3. Height of the fixture
4. Motion Sensor or not
5. Where to place the switch? (Kitchen or back room)
   
6. What brand of light to get?
7. What do the reviews say on the light?
8. If it's a motion sensor light, should the motion sensor override the "Off" position of the switch?
9. If it's a motion sensor light, should the "On" position of the switch override the timer?
10. How much are replacement bulbs?
11. How often do the bulbs blow out?
12. What's the coverage area of the motion sensor? (150, 180, 220, or 270 degrees)
13. How accurately can you set the sensitivity of the motion sensor?
    

A trip to Universal Lighting was all kinds of no help. They have no prices listed on their products, and it's impossible to get someone to help you. Apparently, you have to be a contractor to get taken care of . We finally took some items to the front desk and got a price check. We thought one of the lights was cheaper at Home Depot, so we decided to go check it out over there. It turned out not to be cheaper, so we're making another trip to Universal Lighting today. Harry from Hai Lin Electric is supposed to meet us there, so we can get his advise on things.

We want to get a motion sensor light for the from foyer, between the gate and the doors. We found one at Universal Lighting that they're selling for $50.
Amazon has the same light for $35. We're going to order from Amazon.

The front of the house is also really dark at night. We considered placing one flood light above the garage, but we decided that it would look really ugly. Two smaller lights on the sides of the garage would be more aesthetically pleasing, so we're also looking for lights to put there.

I found these two on Amazon:

I like this one better

This one would serve its function, and it's $7 cheaper.

As with everything else, we'll go back to Universal Electric to check out what they have and price check. If we can get something that doesn't need to be shipped, then that's better.

What A Difference!

The recessed lights got installed yesterday. They look awesome! The Post-It room diagram, along with post-its on the ceiling really helped. Thanks to Yelp and Harry Lin with Hai Lin Electric. These guys did a great job! They kept the mess to a minimum, and made as few and small holes in the walls as possible. I'll be able to patch up the holes without much trouble!

From the Hallway:

Before:

After:

This one really shows how well the spacing of the lights illuminates the room since it was dark out.


From the Dining Room:

This one shows the pattern we decided on. It really matches the drawing!