On Apr 14, 10:09 am, wrote:
I just had an electrician over. I realize that he is an electrician
and I am a no-nothing, so I assume that what he told me was accurate,
but still.... I have a light switch in a central location on the
wall. I want to move that switch further over about a foot closer to
the edge of the wall. He told me that he would have to cut out the
drywall between the two points (possibly more depending on wire pipe
locations), and then we would have to get the drywall repaired and
repainted. Suddenly, moving a light switch turns into a $2,000
project (my exaggerated estimate, not his). How come the wires that
are currently in the wiring pipe up to the switch cannot just be
extended horizontally from point A to point B where the new switch
would be? Then, he would just cap the old hole with a cover and cut
out a single square for the new switch. I understand that I do not
know NEC codes (or anything about electricity for that matter), but is
there no easier way to move a light switch one foot?

Thanks,
Zack

When the drywall cuts are made, make the cuts at a 45 degree angle,
that way all one has to do is slap some mud on it and screw it back
into place.

An alternative, would be to go into the attic, drill a hole in the top
plate at the new switch location, splice into the old switch leg and
drop it down the wall. Depending on how the original wiring was
routed, the wire may reach the new switch location without making a
slice. A cable can be ran from the ceiling box to the new switch if
you don't want a j-box in the attic.

Another possibility, if the box is on the stud that he needs to go
through, since the box is not being moved very far, is to remove the
existing box, drill a hole in the stud, and then cut-in the new switch
box. That should give him 32" to work without removing any drywall.
If the existing box is not on a stud, one can still use a paddle bit
with a 12" extension on it with minimal damage to the drywall.