It shouldn't be too hard. Determine where the light has to end up, and mark
the ceiling there. Then cut out the entire piece of ceiling (drywall I
hope), and turn it so the existing hole will be where you need the new one.
Extend (or shorten) the wiring, install a new box, re-hang the fixture.
Patch things up, and you're done.

It's a really good idea to test your measurements out with a piece of paper,
where you can cut out that 'ceiling' panel with scissors to see if you have
the reversal right.

Keith

"BallPeanScrewdriver" wrote in message
oups.com...
I "need" (as defined by wife, not me) to move a 1st floor light fixture
about 56 inches. OF COURSE it's across joists, and OF COURSE it's on
the 1st floor so I don't have access to it from above.

Is this as ugly a procedure as it seems like it must be, or are there
tools and/or techniques to make it less painful (primarily defined as
not messing up the ceiling byond the existing hold and the one I'll
need to make)? I am assuming I have to drill through all the joists
between the old and new locations, so some type of extended drill bit
seems like a bare minimum. But 20+ years of DIY home repair/remodel has
taught me others often know a "slick" way to do a given task, and I'm
hoping that's the case here (although the geometry and physics of the
problem certainly don't seem to leave much wiggle room for such a
solution).

Thanks in advance for your input!

-dave