Appreciation post: that one conversation with an old electrician about outlet spacing

I was helping a buddy wire his basement last weekend and his grandpa came down to watch. He asked why we were putting outlets every 6 feet instead of the code minimum 12. I told him it was just how I always did it. He laughed and said 'son, you're building for a lazy man's future, not a code inspector's present.' That hit me because he was right. I've had to crawl over furniture or use extension cords in my own house for years because I followed minimum code. Now I'm spacing outlets every 6 feet in my own living room just to avoid that problem. Has anyone else changed how they build after a talk with an older tradesman?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthonyhunt10d ago

Good point, but I'll take a few extra holes over dragging an extension cord across the room any day. Smarter placement helps but that extra outlet near the recliner beats moving furniture.

troy_palmer7610d ago

I get where that old guy was coming from and I respect the mindset but I actually see it a little different. Overloading a room with outlets every 6 feet means you're stuck with holes in your drywall everywhere and if you ever want to rearrange furniture you're staring at a blank wall plate behind the couch anyway. I did my last living room with outlets spaced 8 feet apart and a couple extra in strategic spots like behind where the TV goes and one in the floor for a lamp. That way I avoided the extension cord problem without turning my walls into swiss cheese. Old timers have good instincts but sometimes their solution is just "more" when the real answer is smarter placement.