I agree- I did the walk through with electrician and GC. I told them I wanted the lighting over the vanities. Of course never did I think that I would then have to indicate that the lights I would probably choose would then have a 10 inch drop. They are not uncommon- your typical bar with 2 or 3 shades extending down. The only way this set up works is bar with the bulbs/shades extending straight out. You are exactly right though..... most subs want in and out. Unfortunately our electrician has some other things to repair also- we have several lights not working/dead switches and some we can't turn off (!). Fortunately our GC is a perfectionist/stickler and a great advocater for the home owner. He's on vacation until Friday. And as much as I would like to take my fair share of the blame I keep coming back to the issue of professionalism. If the electrician brought me a dog to spay he shouldn't have to specify what type or suture I should use, as the expert, I know what is the best choice. He has wired a lot more homes than I have. He should know what a standard distance from the floor these boxes should be. We didn't pick anything different .... be interested to see what he says. In the meantime I have come up with several ideas.... one would be to go ahead and do recessed medicine cabinets. The hole would be incorporated in the new larger hole. Just have to do the boxes above. The other option is good sized mirrors. Then we just cover the lower hole with the mirror. Still have to add the new holes but don't have to go crazy patching the old ones. It will all work out... off to measure away....

I can't imagine a future electrician looking for a failing splice thinking to look there. I realize that I am not an electrician, but when I toned out the circuit, I found a tee at this location. My assumption was that the circuit went down the wall to a switch and outlet, back up to this location, and then across the room to the light and places beyond. Little did I expect to find a flying splice there. In the future, assuming my circuit diagram on the panel has been lost, a "real" electrician toning the circuit will see a tee right at the recessed can. I would expect that he or she would consider the fact that there might be a junction in the box that is required to be there by code for the recessed can, especially if they see only a single wire going to outlet (the switch has been removed). While the circuit will not use the can's box, it will be enough to get someone to look there, where they will see the wiring and the other junction box.

"That is, in fact, almost precisely what the code says at 314.29. Later, I think in relation to metal boxes, it says, at 314.72 (D): "Boxes shall be installed so that the wiring is accessible without removing any part of the building..." There's no mention of "finished surfaces" although, in practice I would assume it's the same thing. I do appreciate your expertise, but I CAN read. If I'm reading out of context, that would be helpful to know. Thanks." The NEC is lik any other legal document when it is adopted. Words have their 'normal' meaning UNLESS they are otherwise defined. The NEC defines what 'accessible' means rather explicitly in Article 100, Definitions.

The problem is that the only legal options for replacing a built-in fixture here are: 1. Tracklighting (to connect to one lighting box) 2. Double-swag on one bell 3. Hire an electrician to put in a second box. Depending on the weight of the fixture, you may find drywall anchors that will meet the requirement. Most anchors however are not rated for any sort of overhead load (they're only designed to support the weight in shear). Toggle bolts however are available that will hold up to around 50 lbs. Swag hooks typically come with both a screw stud and a toggle bolt for your choice of mounting.