Renovation Tips - Part Two Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Wire Management and Wardrobes

We wanted to get away from the normal white switches for Reiki Sanctuary.  Legrand was our first choice.  We just love the silvery plate.  However, we had problem to match the silver face plate with its white base.  All base came in white colour.  Matching them together, silver and white, looked not right to us.

Though we managed to get the color code from Legrand for its silver colour and gotten the electrician to spray paint the base, we didn't want to employ too many of it in the house.  With the base, the switches looked awkwardly bulky [just as picture below].

A rather unsightly Sockets at Main Entrance

We had more than fifty switches and sockets, all around the house including for the down lights, and wanted a subtle presence of them [as in picture below] on the walls.  At the same time, we didn't want to have too many wire trunks exposed all around the house.

Subtle Switches

How to achieve minimum exposure of wire trunking
With your floor plan, go through each room and locate the number of socket points/SCV/Telephone line.  Advice the electrician about cornices and/or false ceilings, if you are intending to do them.  Make sure the routing of wires/cables is done before the installation of cornice/false ceiling.

How we hide wires/cables for electrical sockets and rear speaker in living room
To minimise trunkings exposed in living room, the electrician fished the wires and cables from an accessible space through another wall, which in our case from the guest room.

Socket at Side Table in the Living Room

Right Rear Speaker in Living Room

The wires/cables were routed to far end [near window] pulled from electrical distribution box/amplifier from the living room inside and through wall.

Trunks Route in Guest Room

Through the wall, wire out to Living Room for the socket near side table:

Trunk for Side Table Socket in Living Room

Through the wall, cable out to Living Room for the rear speaker:

Trunk for Rear Speaker in Living Room

How we hide wires/cables with wardrobes

You need to tell your carpenter that the sides of the wardrobes/cabinets are to act as a wall for switches/sockets.  He will have to construct additional layer of wood to box-in the wires.

Our switches and sockets at different part of the house:

Dining Cabinet

Legrand Switches at Dining Cabinet

Legrand Sockets at Dining Cabinet

Interior - Box for Wires

An additional wood panel was built to hide the wires

Concealing the wires

Shoe Cabinet

Legrand Switches at Shoe Cabinet

Interior

Concealing the wires

Master Bed Room

A boxed panel to act as wall and to hide the wires:

The Box Wall at MBR Entrance

Ceiling Fan in Study Area

Trunkless Ceiling Fan

This ceiling fan is fixed directly to the ceiling.  A hole had to be made at the false ceiling.

The Switch and Regulator:

Legrand Switches [One is for Ceiling Fan]

Concealing the wires and regulator