"/Bob" wrote in message
oups.com...
We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
Thanks for your suggestions.

I'm not sure how building inspectors are where you live, but where I live
(in Westchester County, NY), they do everything by the book. Around here,
something like this would be evidence of unlicensed electrical work -
possibly done by a previous owner with no electrical training. Even if you
are not worried about the effects of improperly done electrical work (fire,
shock), you still need to be worried about what will happen when you try to
sell the house. Banks are constantly getting more and more picky. Whereas a
few years ago, a bank might only have been concerned about the buyer's
credit rating and whether the house was in a flood zone, they now
investigate whether there is any evidence of work done without a permit -
even decades ago. If they see something like this, they'll refuse to approve
a mortgage until everything is approved by the building/electrical
inspector. The inspector is likely to tell you to remove all the sheetrock
in suspect areas so he/she can do a full inspection. Sometimes, if it looks
like a reasonably professional job, you might be able to get a local
electrician to certify it and then the building inspector will approve. But
if there are no boxes, this is a sign that there was work done by someone
who was unqualified. In addition to the headaches you might have when you
try to sell the house, you might also run into problems if you decide to
have some renovations done (with proper permits) and in the course of that
work, this old work is discovered.

I would recommend trying to find an electrician who is a friend (or friend
of a friend, etc.) or someone reasonably qualified with electrical work,
have them take a look at it in an unofficial capacity, and see what they
have to say about it. No one here has seen the work, nor do they know how
code enforcement is done in your town - and you don't really know anything
about their qualifications.