Electrical Rough-In

The electrical I have to add to the basement is minimal. I will add 6 pot lights to the rec room, a fixture to the bedroom (with a 3-way switch), move the hallway light, add four outlets to comply with electrical code, and put a light and GFCI plug in the bathroom. By piddling away at this while the kids play in the basement, and after they go to bed, I've been able to almost finish up this week. When I am done, the SaskPower inspector will come out to check my work complies with code. If he gives it the thumbs up, I can then drywall, put the switches and plugs on, and tie the new circuits into the electrical panel. (The plugs and switches can actually be done before inspection, but I'm only going to do the ones that are complex. It is easier to put the drywall up without working around the plugs.)

I am applying the wisdom of my electrician friend who wired our last basement -- wire is cheap. I have run all of the wires for the rough-in, and used around 100m of wire. Luckily I had some left over from my last basement, and was able to get away with buying only one 75m roll of 12-2 wire. I also ended up using almost 20m or 12-3 wire, between the bedroom switch, and the switch I added into the storage room that controls 2 light fixtures. So far, for switches and boxes, wire and fixtures, I've spent just over $300 on electrical. That will go up about $200 more, when I buy the pot lights from Richardson Lighting. I used Advanced Home Wiring (2nd Edition) (apparently there is now a 3rd edition) to figure out how to wire my circuits. It is a pretty good book, with a bunch of common circuit maps laid out clearly. I could have probably just used the internet, but I like paging through a book like this more. No need to sift out the crap information.

I moved an outlet that was pre-existing so that it wasn't in a closet. The loop of wire below the staple is so that if more wire ever needed to be pulled into the box after drywalling, it is available.

The is the most complex wiring I have to tackle -- 2 light switches, one that is a 3-way switch for the bedroom, and another that is a LED/CFL dimmer that operates the 6 pot lights. The wire from the bottom of the box runs to an electrical outlet below. Every wall over 24" needs an outlet to comply with code.

The dangling wire is the rough-in for the pot lights. The lights won't be added in until the suspended ceiling goes in, so I have left the existing single bulb for now. When I add the pot lights, I will remove the fixture, join the wires, and put a plate on the box. The pile of totes in the background speak to another issue...where will all of our crap go when drywalling?

The inspector from the city came on Wednesday to check the framing. He gave me the go ahead to drywall. So, the drywall and tub/shower combo are being delivered on March 8th. That gives me a week or so to finish the plumbing rough-in, which isn't a big job.