Ever since we updated the light fixture in our bathroom back in April, one thing has been bothering us: its proximity to the shower curtain. Okay, two things actually: its proximity to the shower curtain AND the fact that we didn’t have the energy to remedy the situation back in April (when we switched out the old light for a new one and did some slight drywall patching and painting- nothing nearly as involved as relocating the fixture box by a few feet).
So now that we’ve spent three months building up the energy to shift that light into the right spot, once and for all, we were ready to get going. The process began with measuring and marking the ceiling so that we could center the light directly in front of the window (which also would make it centered on the door). This way it would look like it was always supposed to be that way, instead of being centered in the room – which put it only a few inches away from the shower curtain – it was just weird, weird, weird.
Then we turned off the power and disconnected the light from the fixture box.
We had kind of forgotten where our beams were in the ceiling so we started off by drilling a couple of very small holes to see if we hit anything (nothing but drywall and air!) and then took it a step further by cutting a small hole in the drywall big enough to slip my hand into and feel around a bit. I could’ve just used my drywall saw, but my Dremel Multimax was already out, so I grabbed that.
Once our little feel-around mission confirmed that our intended placement for the fixture box wouldn’t be thwarted by any beams, we decided to mark the shape that we’d need to cut out for the metal fixture box. Since we didn’t have any spare boxes around to help us trace the squarish shape onto the ceiling, we made a quick template by pressing a piece of cardstock along the hard edges of the one that was still in the ceiling. It worked surprisingly well – as you can see from the impression below.
Once we cut out that template, we were able to trace it onto the ceiling so I’d know exactly where to cut – that way I’d cut it large enough for the whole box to fix through, but not so large that the fixture’s cover doesn’t hide it all. Oh, and we don’t usually mark in red sharpie but our pencil marks where disappearing on the gray paint so we went for red so we (and you guys) could see it more clearly. It was all going to get cut/covered anyway.
Then I used my drywall saw (which I finally worked up the energy to hunt down, since the Mutlimax wouldn’t cut the rounded corners as well) to put a bigger, fixture-boxed-sized hole in the ceiling.
It’s starting to look beautiful, isn’t it? Okay, not really. But this, my friends, is what progress looks like.
Before going into the attic to move the box, Sherry noticed a couple of screws that we’d need to remove from below, so she took care of that.
Taking those two screws out was all it took for it to hang loose in the existing space.
Now here’s the fun part. Going in the attic. On a 98-degree day. The hot, cramped, un-air-conditioned, distinctly Nick-Lachey-less attic (yes, that was a 98 Degrees pun). The attic that requires crawling on your hands and knees across narrow beams (see big arrow below) through nasty blown insulation. And for this particular assignment, it actually required crawling to just about the furthest nook in said attic (see little arrow below).
In case my efforts to earn sympathy points weren’t obvious enough yet, allow me to lay it on a little thicker. By the time I was done moving the light fixture, it took FOUR trips back and forth to my attic work area (for various reasons – like needing another tool and Clara’s singing being too loud for Sherry to hear my calls for assistance). And since our attic access is located outside of our hall bath (and the only pathway to my destination was not direct), here’s a map of the approximate trip I had to make each of those FOUR times by crawling on my hands and knees, in a sweltering full-of-insulation space that literally felt like a sauna.
In a word: it was miserable.
Now that I’ve sufficiently explained my less-than-ideal-humane conditions (have I not? don’t worry – there’s still more later), let’s get back to the task at hand. Here’s the situation up in the attic.
I’m not an electrician. Nor am I apparently one to spend any more time in a cramped sweatbox than necessary (I was pretty much working in the fetal position it was so tight – which at least made my “I want my mommy” whimpers a bit more appropriate). So I only snapped this “after” photo of having moved the fixture box into it’s new home. It took some unscrewing and rescrewing of the board that spanned between two beams, as well as moving the junction box (in foreground) so I wouldn’t have to add any actual wire. Did I mention I’m not an electrician?
When I was done, I asked Sherry to take a picture of the hot, sweaty, hyper-ventilating mess that was John Petersik. She pointed the camera and said “smile.” This is the best I could do. Yes, that’s sweat on my shirt.
But once I had cooled down, rehydrated, and (most importantly) showered in the hall bathroom – Sherry and I headed back to our bathroom to admire our progress.
Once we screwed the new fixture boxed up into the support boards (just like we had unscrewed it in the original spot), it was time for the light itself to be reinstalled. We still need to patch the old hole (using this method) but Sherry agreed to do that part since, if you couldn’t tell, I really milked how difficult my part of this task was. See how much better our light fixture placement is now that it’s centered on the window/toilet/door. It’s like it was always meant to be this way. Whew.
Honestly, had it not been ten million degrees in our attic, this project wouldn’t have been that bad. The task itself was pretty straightforward, it was just the conditions that made it challenging (crawling into the crammed little corner of the attic multiple times on a freakishly hot day made it a lot more complex than someone with super easy attic-access on a mild day). Perhaps it’s the universe’s way of saying “Yeah, you really should have done this in April.” But for anyone who asked back in April why we didn’t just “quickly reposition the light fixture while we were switching it out” – this is why. All that attic work is a pain – and just to access that part of the ceiling basically requires that you David Blane yourself (aka: assume the fetal position in a space so tight it might as well be a suitcase). So sometimes taking bigger projects and breaking them down into manageable phases that we tackle over time is what works best for us. That and complaining a lot after you’re done with the especially annoying stuff. Haha.
Anyone else have fun in their attic or another similarly cramped & hot space recently? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it… or not. We’ll be back this afternoon with the patched ceiling and a bunch of shots of the whole room along with a budget breakdown because we’re officially calling this little bathroom upgrade done. Woot! And – spoiler alert – we think all the sweat that we’ve put into this tiny rectangle of a room was totally worth it. Just don’t ask me to crawl back into that corner of the attic for at least another week…
Psst- To follow this bathroom sprucing project from the start, check out this planning post, this painting post, this light-swapping post, this art and trim-painting post, this toilet-updating post, this window frosting and shampoo wrangling post, this door trimming post, this border tile demo post, and this border retiling post.
Heather | Vivid Hue Home says
It looks fantstic. all that work but the end result is terrific! Ya’ll are such great designers, decorators, DIY’ers. I’m envious! I’m your newest follower!
Priscilla says
Way to go! It looks awesome – like it was meant to be there. It’s funny how little things like that can really bother you after a while…happens to me all the time! I’m sure it feels great to have it centered!
Katie says
When you have a wife as teeny-tiny as Sherry it surprises me that she isn’t your go to attic gal!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, maybe next time! I have allergies, so the stuff in the attic doesn’t agree with me very much, so John very valiantly stepped in to help. Without complaining at all! Haha.
xo,
s
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
Seriously funny (and educational) post…so sorry it was at your expense. But it looks beautiful now (love that the paint color).
Mamaw says
Ahhh! Looks complete now. Good job, John! You’re the man!
Alicia says
Awwww! You brave man! All I can say is it was totally worth it! Looks great. You deserve a man vacation after that and building the deck.
Pip says
John you are a hero – Sherry get that man of yours some icy lemonade! You have my attic-loving husband’s sympathy – he’s constructed some sort of catwalk system up there to make it easier to get around (fixing exhaust fans / lighting). I’ve only seen parts of it when I’ve stuck my head through the manhole to ask ‘can I get you anything babe?’
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! What a guy!
xo,
s
Callie says
Good job guys!! Our attic looks pretty similar and I did some work up there earlier this summer when I added an outlet to our kitchen (husband and I had the appropriate engineering classes in college to do electrical work). There was definitely some grumpy complaining going on while I did it :D
I noticed that your ceiling is only one layer thick (you had direct access to the box) – that’s cool!! Our 1930’s house has 2 layers of drywall between the ceilings and attic, with a good foot and a half in between. (Is good for insulation, just not access!) When I added the electrical box, it was actually beyond where the eave of the attic met the floor, so I could not reach it from the top, but I cut through the top layer of ceiling as close as possible, laid down plywood so I could stretch out my hands another foot through the in between space, and got my box going in the right spot through the second drywall layer beyond the eave.
And our attic is only accessible from the roof, so yah I was climbing a giant extension ladder to our roof with all my tools…and my drywall saw is from a garage sale and only works if you hold the battery just right onto the saw…hahaaa..it was exciting!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that sounds like so much work!
-John
Shevon says
I totally thought that the end of your post would have a picture of you with fluffy insulation stuck to your sweatiness. I was expecting a sheep-ish ending.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, tarred and feathered!
xo,
s
Priscilla says
Wow, you really have guts, I don’t tackle anything in the attic of our rambler unless it is 60 degrees or less outside. I only go into the attic in the summer for 1 or 2 minutes at a time.
Jules Klimek says
I won’t even go upstairs in this heat, much less in the attic!!!! LOL! It does look a lot better!
Jenny says
This totally makes me think that we (who am I kidding? my husband…) can move our dining room chandelier that’s not centered above our table. I envisioned a long, drawn-out, painful process but it doesn’t look too bad. The worst part will probably be the drywall patch.
Kim W Rily says
Yeah, when we moved our old lady light fixture away from the corner it was on to the over the dining room table where it belonged, my husband had to do the same thing, crawling from one side of the house to the other. He pretty much has refused to go up again unless he absolutely had to. (Not like we hang out there or anything.)BTW, isn’t loose insulation fun?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
-John
Valerie J. says
High five! I would have hired that one out just so I didn’t have to do all that nasty attic crawling…but I’m a girl and would have thought every piece of insulation that touched me MUST be a large spider about to attack. :) It looks much better centered. There is a distinct lack of a picture of “John sitting on the John” taking a picture of the newly centered light. Isn’t it tradition at this point????
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, how could John have forgotten that crucial detail?!
xo,
s
Carla says
You made the task look so simple! I’m going to try it in my kitchen. I hope it turns out as well as yours did! Wish me luck!
Patti says
This is too funny, I couldn’t help but laugh…I’ve been in that situation, but cursing violently and complaining the entire time, especially when I’m sticky and sweaty and going back and forth 4 TIMES! You’re a good man.
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
100x better! I know it was a pain in the rump but there has to be a goodly amount of satisfaction when you see it now even with all the sweaty work. Okay, you might need to give it a little distance to be able to properly look back on it but you know what I mean. :)
When our ceiling flooded, we took the opportunity to have the dining room can light removed and centered for a chandelier. It stunk that’s how it had to happen but we tried to make the best of a bad situation.
Lindsay @ Me, Ed and Pea says
Looks great! Now that I think about it…my bathroom light fixture is positioned exactly where yours was. Why would they put it so close to the curtain? And our attic is similar to yours soooo I’m thinking I won’t be moving the fixture box any time soon :)
Evia says
Beta Delta from NC State here. How cool!
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
I am so feeling your pain John! Just recently I was up in the attic to replace our bathroom exhaust fan, and it was a complete bio hazard. Between the heat and the cellulose, I was certain I had found the appropriate place for murderers to spend their life sentence. Nothing could be worse than that! Thankfully the project turned out great for us, and I still do a little party dance every time I walk into our new bathroom. http://oneprojectatatime.blogspot.com/2012/03/186-replacing-exhaust-fan-again.html
YoungHouseLove says
You did a much better job of documenting how much “fun” an attic can be!
-John
Melody Benschoter says
John- this reminds me of when we replaced the ceiling fan in our living room several years ago. It was July, about a bajillion degrees and our attic was similar to yours- you had to army crawl virtually the entire length of the house and around several corners to reach the point where we were working. My husband is a large man and a bit claustrophobic, and somehow he convinced his BFF to crawl up there and do the job for us. Armed with a flashlight and a screwdriver he went to work. As he was up there doing his thing the battery in his flashlight died! It required D size batteries and we couldn’t fit them through the hole to get them directly to him. He had to crawl all the way back in the dark! When he went back up for a second try it was with every tool he could conceive of needing, extra batteries, and a wet shirt over his head and neck to cool him down.
Now that I think about it, we must still owe him some favors!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man – that is a BFF!
-John
Dee says
Brothers are we forever, Phi Sigma Pi! Aaahh, PSP days :)
karen says
lol! poor john. that pic is funny!
Katie M. says
I understand about it being hot. Work for an HVAC company, and the guys clocked attic jobs at 130 degrees. Of course with the south being in the 100s the last couple of weeks, it’s not surprising.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s crazy! Hope they’re all staying hydrated!
xo,
s
MJB says
On the plus side, the light looks so much better in the new location. Good job!
We put in ceiling fans in our bedrooms when I was 9.25 months pregnant. My husband got the icky attic job, but I stood on a ladder to hold the fan in place with my huge belly throwing me off balance. (Sorry, Mr. Safety.)
I didn’t go into labor, unfortunately. I had to be induced.
Elizabeth says
John,
I totally feel your pain (and so does my husband!) We are in the process of replacing our upstairs lath and plaster with drywall and adding recessed lighting and a bathroom (no small tasks here). It’s been about 98 degrees for the last month, and our A/C is currently on the fritz. With no air, and no insulation upstairs it gets REALLY hot. And even when he comes back down to the main level it’s still about 80 degrees inside. He’s such a trooper and apparently you are too. Just know you are not alone (or crazier than the rest of us)!
Beth W. says
Hey, sorry to be off topic, but do you guys know when your Joss & Main event is starting today? It didn’t go up with all the other ones at 11:00. I am really interested in one of the rugs you had, but I’m sure it’s going to sell out super fast. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Forgot all about that! I think it’s a night one (starting at 9 or so pm?). It’s a compilation of us and other DIY bloggers stuff, so that should be fun! Can’t wait to see what makes the collection!
xo,
s
Becky says
So, this has absolutely nothing to do with lighting, but I was wondering if you guys experienced any mold/smelling issues with your washing machine? I just scored a great deal on a HE front loader, but now everyone is telling me about these mold problems they have had. Do you guys have any problems with yours or take any steps to prevent it? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We haven’t had much issue with this, though every couple of weeks we do try to wipe down the rubber lip at the opening because it can collect water, hair and other cast offs from the wash cycle. We also sometimes leave it open overnight just to let it air out a bit.
-John
braelin says
For what it is worth, I had fear of this happening for mine too (and almost didn’t get a front loader for this reason). 3 years later I’m happy to report that we have absolutely no issues with the mold/smell/ickky anything else. We just leave our washer door ever so slightly ajar in between loads so that it has a chance to dry out (maybe an inch or so and that does the trick). I also live in a dry climate, so that may help (?).
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! So glad!
xo,
s
LeCheech says
I’m having tons of fun in my attic, I moved to live up here! Yes really! They built a ‘spare room’ up here, and for the sake of my privacy and how much I like quiet, it’s nice. However, it does get HORRENDOUSLY hot, and it’s only aided by a 5000 BTU AC. The ceiling is so low that my 4’3″ self can -touch- the ceiling without even standing on tiptoe… and I have extra arm-length. Worse yet, the ceiling is tilted on the sides, so I can only walk standing straight down the very center. I have big plans for this room though, I’ll keep you posted because it’s all DIY!
Candis says
My husband ut in a new light fixture over our sink last summer and he got so hot in the attic that he nearly had a heat stroke. He layed on our kitchenfloor in the fetal position for an hour trying to get cooled down!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! So glad he’s ok!
xo,
s
Jeremy says
I like to save all attic work for the middle of winter on a nice rainy and cool day (So Cal).
Samm Spangler says
Way to hang in their John!
We bought our house in Dallas last summer and decided to save some money and blow in new insulation ourselves (aka. I’ll feed it into the machine while my husband is in the attic on a 104-degree day). After all was said and done he was DRENCHED in sweat and stood in front of our freezer for about 15 minutes….it seriously almost killed him … … oh a positive note, the insulation looks great!
Kristine says
Hmm, still looks a bit off-centered maybe by 2 inches…. J/K Haha! John, you definitely earned your man-card for this one. That picture of you as a sweaty mess should be framed and put in your hall gallery of frames. Love it! Great job and hope you were able to get some rest after that.
Allison says
Oh, John. Your attic sauna affirms my husband’s decision to declare our guest bathroom out of commission until the fall when he can get into the attic to replace the exhaust fan (which he took down before realizing it isn’t a quick fix project).
Here’s hoping you’re working indoors today!
Brandi says
It looks awesome! The light in our foyer isn’t centered at all and I’m dying to move it, but there isn’t a crawl space above it…. looks like it will be a job for an electrician to figure out. Fingers crossed there isn’t a beam in the way.
Nicholas says
Looks great! While you might have thought of this….my father in law gave us a pair of walkie talkies for a birthday gift two years ago. I opened them and thought they would never be used. Now they are all the time for house things such as two little boys wildly playing while we are trying to figure out the fuse box two floors apart. Of course, half the time we get into a project we don’t remember them, but when we do, they have come in very handy!
Great job, thanks for the inspiration to keep going in summer heat. We both want to sit with iced tea in the shade.
emilymarion says
Reminds me of the scene from Breakfast Club, when Judd Nelson crawls across the school’s ceiling telling the joke.
Ericka says
I really feel for you, John. My husband has spent time up in our cramped attic, many times in the sweltering heat of the summer. Our furnace is up in the attic. (I know, WHY??!!) He goes up in his underwear because it’s so hot! Good thing he doesn’t read this blog or he’d kill me for revealing that! :)
Jackie says
My boyfriend and I tore down a completely unnecessary wall(except that it housed the air return vent, AC control, light switches, and power outlet that all had to be moved!). While he was in the attic (in August in Florida!) I was down below handing him tools through the rather large hole in our ceiling. Suddenly, I thought it was raining inside, until I realized that my boyfriend was dripping – sweat – on me through the ceiling. Yuck. But – mission accomplished!
YoungHouseLove says
Grooooossss. But sounds familiar.
xo,
s
Jackie says
You can check out how we moved all of that stuff here: http://www.pardonoursawdust.com/2012/07/20/demo-yay-controlled-demo-with-the-boy-yawn/
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!
xo,
s
Mairi says
I was in the attic on a similarly sweltering day last week! I had to install little booties of insulation around our air conditioning ducts because the hot, humid attic air was condensing on the cold ducts and causing water to bubble under the ceiling paint near the vents. I came out looking about as drenched as you did. Between the hot attic and the fiberglass insulation, it was one of my less-favorite tasks (but the ceiling looks way better so it’s worth it!). The new light location looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Yuck – that doesn’t sound like much fun either!
-John
Jen@The Decor Scene says
Awesome job John!!! YAY!!! It looks gorgeous in the center of the area of the room. Makes perfect sense now. Sorry you had to do this on one of the hottest days of the summer. Yeah, we don’t go in our attic in the summer unless we have too 100% for a really really good reason. ;)
renee says
What a terrific improvement! It’s the little things (that were actually big hassles, poor Mr Petersik). Well done :)
Unrelated: I was hoping to hear an anniversary recap post; did you decide to stop doing those? We all love hearing about your special celebrations!
xox
renee in minneapolis
YoungHouseLove says
It’s coming up tomorrow!
-John
Andree Caron says
It is SO cool that it was just a simple move! No electricity rewiring required! I wish all electric jobs could be that easy :D Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
I love the light and it looks so much better centered in the room. Can’t wait to see the pics with the room “done.”
I have a couple lights in my new place that are off center that I’d love to get fixed. Unfortunately, they’re all on the first floor of a 3 floor townhouse. I don’t have the bravery to attempt that one and I’m afraid it’ll be super expensive to have a professional do it.
But I have to get rid of the boob lights soon!
Diana says
The light is so beautiful, and John you are a super hero!
My husband’s cramped space task was not in the attic, but in the crawl space of the house. We had just moved into our home, and we had a big earthquake in California. We couldn’t afford to hire someone to bolt the house to the foundation at that time, so my dear husband did it himself. He crawled around in that tight space, and afterwards he said he felt like he had bonded with the house.
Alisa D says
At his own decision my husband took upon it himself to install 4 new ceiling fans. (We live in Phoenix, don’t judge!) Three of which involved adding new fixture boxes. Not fun in 110+ weather with humidity thanks to all our recent rain. Nothing like a baby coming on Aug 31st to get you motivated.
stace says
FURNISH ME – my fav piece of furniture is a granite dinning table that my father got from a client in exchange for his tie! It is a light color grayish brown granite, and it is solid granite including the legs and top. I have had it for almost 10 years now and it makes a great neutral table for any color scheme I have done
Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats says
Hahah omg I can’t believe those attic photos. It looks awful!! Way to be a trooper and crawl through all that insulation in the heat. GO JOHN!!
Anne G. says
Good work, John! Next time you have to go into the attic, PLEASE wait until it is not so hot! I grew up in Southern Arizona where it can frequently get above 110 degrees outside in the summer. I know lots of people who suffered heat stroke. I myself fainted once from the heat after walking around an outdoor street fair on a 100 degree day. The paramedics had to cover me in ice packs to get my core body temp to cool down. So, anyway, just be careful!
Micha says
You are a hero!
Would you believe that we bought our house 1.5 years ago and I have yet to set foot into the attic? Heh …