"Mike Paulsen" wrote in message
...
SteveB wrote:
(snip)

After they left, I noticed that they had sheetrocked over outlet boxes,
and rotozipped around and in boxes, cutting the insulation of wiring in 6
boxes. They cut the tv and phone cable in two inside the boxes.

When I called the owner, he had an attitude and said that was the way its
done today in the State of Utah, and that they go back and find the box
and cut it out.

It's common to use a router to cut the holes around outlet boxes, HVAC
registers, lighting cans, and even door and window openings. It's not
really a matter of going back to "find" the outlets -- the locations are
noted before hanging the wallboard. You hang with just enough screws to
hold the sheet securely and then route the holes.

He also said that it was common practice for the electrician to fix the
wires, and since it was electrical, it was his responsibility to make
sure it was right before heating up the wires.

He's correct. The drywall contractor is not licensed to do that work so
the electrician will have to fix it. The drywall contractor is, however,
responsible for the damage and should pay for at least some percentage of
the repairs. There's no excuse for the hangers having cut that many wires.
Accidentally nicking the occasional wire I could understand, but not the
situation you've described.

It's not that hard to avoid hitting the wires when routing. Very little
(1/4") of the cutting portion of the bit has to penetrate the wallboard
and it's easy to see when wires are too close to the face of the box. If
the hangers didn't check the wires then they're incompetent. If they saw
the wires were vulnerable and routed anyway then they're negligent.


Is this common practice today?

Routing? Yes. Damaging wires? Definitely not.


Thank you. When you hang twelve sheets of rock and **** up eight boxes,
even I can do the math on that one.

Problem is that they won't buy the router bits that go with the RotoZip, but
just buy cheaper by the dozen four inch long drill bits. If you're using
the correct depth of router bit, it is impossible to strip the wire that is
in the BACK of the box, and only an inch or so from where it comes out of
the Romex sheath.

Steve

Steve