"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

Lots of good info already. You might check into doing an end around with
your wire. Sometimes you can run the cable through the joist space to some
place where it is easier to cross the joists, such as in a closet,
downstairs or upstairs.

Check your wire directions carefully. It might be pretty difficult to
prevent having a junction box at the old location, and it cannot be made
inaccessible.

Don Young