built-in bookcases and electrical outlets

15 years ago

We are fiddling with designs for trimmed-out bookcases or a bookcase/base cabinet combination for our living room, going floor to ceiling on both sides of the fireplace. Only problem is, they will block access to electrical outlets on that wall. The adjoining wall has only 1 outlet in the center and on the opposite side there is no wall as the living room is open to the dining area. Is there a way to run cable or an electrical cord from the existing receptacles to receptacles set into the base of the bookshelf or cabinet? I don't want to end up with extension cords dangling out of the bookcases or cabinets 12" off the floor. Fishing cable through the wall is out, partly to keep costs in hand and also because with other projects it's been very difficult to fish the cable through the at-best 3/4" space between masonry and drywall.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

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Comments (4)

Jon1270
15 years ago
It's doable. The people at the wiring forum would probably be a better source than I am for exact instructions, but I think it will basically involve removing the existing outlets from their boxes, attaching a few feet of new romex to the old wires inside the outlet boxes, and closing those boxes up to protect the connections. In the electrical section at your big box retailer, you'll find cover plates that have a knockout hole for a cable clamp. The extensions can then be used to wire new outlets, in new boxes that are mounted wherever you want them.

The only hitch I can think of is that it's against code to bury a junction box in some invisible, inaccessible place (like behind a permanent book case), so you'll need to provide an access panel so you can get to the old boxes.

Having written all of that, would fishing new wire really be so difficult? If it's not stapled to something inside the wall, you might be able to use the old wiring to pull the new stuff down through -- no access panel and (maybe) no fish tape required.
2ajsmama
15 years ago
Do you have pictures? If I read your post correctly, the new bookcases will cover the existing outlets and you are just trying to get new outlets within the bookcases (bottom is a cabinet? And you want outlets up higher?). Or are you trying to get more outlets on the adjoining walls for lamps, etc. since you will be blocking the existing ones? I'm assuming no masonry on walls where bookcases are going. Is there a basement or crawl space underneath?
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I'm in the planning stages but have put tons of thought into this. Hopefully I won't have to tweak it too much when I do the framing walkthrough. (You really should walk though the framed house before finalizing the locations.) No Christmas package (don't decorate for holidays) or intercom. Outlets at a few locations specifically for nighlights (in bathrooms and in hallways) so we don't have to flip on the overhead lights in order to use the facilities in the middle of the night. Switch for the bathroom fan between the toilet and the vanity (instead of with the other switches near the door) so that it is accessible from the toilet and standing in front of the vanity. Duplex outlets near the TV area. Duplex outlet mounted higher on the wall than normal for the main phone area which will be a nich in the wall. Duplex outlets to either side of all potential bed headboards. Oulets dedicated for cell phone charging in an elevated nich. Duplex outlet, tv cable (for internet) and phone (for fax) anywhere that I plan to (or even might) have a computer. Outlet immediately beside the loft railing in case we ever want to put lights across the railing we can plug them in without a tripping hazzard. Although we probably won't need them, I am putting one oulet just inside each WIC. In my workshop, I'll put an outlet 5' high so that I can put a shelf under it to hold a small radio and clock but still be able to put tables or work space under it. Outlets closer together than Code requires so that it's more convenient. Switches for a room at EVERY entrance into that room. (Our current house doesn't have switches at every entrance and it's a pain.) We will have a small vestibule (for guest entry) and small mudroom for our entry from the garden that are beside each other. Their lights will be on the same switch so that when we walk from outside, into the mudroom, into the entry (from interior access) and then finially into the main house we don't have to flip lights on and off every few steps. Just once when we enter the mudroom and again when we enter the main house. Don't forget electrical service for any undercabinet lights. There are past threads about outlets that are mounted so that they are accessible from inside cabinet drawers so that clothing irons or hairdryers can be left plugged in all of the time and stored in the drawers. I'm considering that, too. In a similar manner, outlet inside of mixer lifter kitchen cabinet for mixer. Outlets and switch for pendant lights on the kitchen island. Outlet for microwave that will be raised above countertop height. Exterior grade outlets at multiple places outside that are easily accessible from the porch and patio areas (not for Christmas lights). Outlet at attic access incase I need to plug in a light there since we will have minimal lighting there.
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I would go same distance on either side of doors (but adjust for outlets since it looks like you have tape going right over one, so equidistant from the edge of outlets may be better - no one will notice an inch difference from doors, but will notice an inch from one outlet and right against the cover of the other). As far as going to the ceiling, if you plan on these being "traditional" looking with base and crown molding, then yes, go to ceiling, have carpenter case out your door openings and trim windows too. But how would that look with the rest of your house? If you want to keep the house "modern" looking and don't have any trim except baseboard, then I would go with bookcases that don't have a lot of trim, either no trim at all if you end short of the ceiling, or very thin trim, flat or quarter round, where the cases meet the walls and ceilings. Ditto other posts about electrical (think of where you want TV and have drawers under for DVDs, have support for TV unless it's lightweight flat panel, and plan for depth required for TV. Some shallow drawers for DVDs/CDs, deep drawers for board games (if you don't want them to show), and shelves with bins/baskets for small toys would work best. I can't wait to see end result! I want to do the same thing on either side of my bay window, am thinking of shelves/window seat/storage under windows since when they put up sheetrock the corners got built out, my baseboard doesn't fit tight (and they cut 1 piece of baseboard too short anyway). Only thing is, we've already bought a loveseat that's there in the summer (will move in front of slider during winter, put tree in bay). Don't want to hijack the thread, but would like advice - try to fix walls and buy new baseboard, leave bay open, or do built-ins under the window and buy new baseboard to go in front of them (make sure front is flat even though walls are slightly bowed)?
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Back in the 80s my parents had their master bedroom extended 6 feet and did a built in bookcase surrounding the window that was there initially though the end result turned it into a window seat style. In the back of the 3rd shelf on each side was an electrical outlet, one had a lamp plugged in so my mom could read in the Queen Anne style chair that was there. I don’t recall there being anything consistently plugged into the outlet on the other side. Of course, being teachers meant my parents had a lot of books and a need for shelves. Until my brother moved out when he entered the Air Force they weren’t able to turn his bedroom into a home office, plus my mom doesn’t like most freestanding bookcases anyway. My point is, unless you really think you need a built-in, you might want to choose to do something else with the space.
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MongoCT
15 years ago
First rule...as was already mentioned, you can't have any junction boxes buried in a wall or behind a bookcase without providing access to that box. They all need to be accessible.

I've done what you're describing many times. There are a couple of options to think about if I'm reading your situation correctly:

If you can bring the existing outlets forward and incorporate them into the back of the bookcase, on the bottom shelf, that's great. The easiest way to do that is to match the location of the junction box with a hole on the back of the bookcase. Then remove the screws that hold the outlet to the existing box and pull the outlet through the hole in the back of the bookcase so the outlet is now in the bottom shelf area. Then use a box extender to increase the depth of the existing box to bring it flush with the back wall of the bookcase and then remount the outlet to the box extender.

If you need to add more outlets in the bookcase, you can extend the circuit off any one of the existing boxes as long as you don't exceed the fill capacity of that box. That normally won't be a problem, as the box extender will increases the volume of the box.

You can make that extended run out of romex (or conductors in conduit) and run it, properly secured, either through the toe kick of the bookcase, or even up and along the top of the bookcase. You can even run it down through the floor, into your basement, then back up through the floor to where you need it to be.

You can make fishing space between the back of the bookcase and the existing wall by screwing furring strips through your drywall and into the wall studs. Then screw your bookcases to the furring strips.
ttfweb
15 years ago
I suggest you put the outlets horizontally in the baseboard at the foot of the cabinets...

built-in bookcases and electrical outlets

Comments (4)

Jon1270

2ajsmama

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MongoCT

ttfweb

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