Suggestions for running wire through existing walls?

[X_Digger]

4. First step, figure out which way your ceiling joists run and what are they..

Is this a one-story house, or is this the top story with an attic above? Can you get to the location of the ceiling box from the attic?

Do you have engineered trusses for ceilings? If so, that provides a lot of open space for running wires.



If not, are the joists parallel or perpendicular along the run you plan? If perpendicular, can you pick another starting destination that's parallel? I'd want to minimize the number of drywall holes you have to patch, and getting a straight shot up the wall and to the ceiling would be my goal.

I've done something similar, running new outlets above cabinets to accommodate LED rope light, and I've done something similar to run network cables. Luckily for me, I have ceiling trusses, which means plenty of room to run cables and whatnot.

At a minimum, sounds like you're going to have to cut a hole in the wall to drill the hole in the top plate. The wire goes up from an existing switch or outlet, through the top plate into the ceiling cavity, and over to the new box.

For the ceiling fixture, you've got a few choices. If you can get to the area of the box from above (attic), you can nail in a new box, or put in a brace and a new box if the location is between joists. If the place where you want the fixture is between joists and you can't get to it from above (no attic), you can get a fan bracket that expands to grip the joists, and you can bolt the new box to the bracket.

You might be tempted to get one of those ceiling boxes that have little wings that grip the drywall- I recommend against it. *You* might always remember to never put a ceiling fan or heavy fixture in that spot, but the next homeowner certainly would have no idea about it.