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That 'Quick' Rewire at a House in Portland Took Me 3 Days Instead of 3 Hours
I am still frustrated about this job I did last March. A homeowner in Portland asked me to just swap out a few old knob-and-tube lines in their attic, which they said was 'an easy afternoon project.' So I quoted them for a single day of work. But when I got up there, I found this mess of bird nests, crumbling insulation, and wires that had been spliced together with electrical tape like 40 years ago. Every time I pulled one wire, another connection would snap somewhere else in the wall. I ended up having to open up three more sections of drywall than I expected. By the end of day two, I had to call my buddy to bring me a longer fish tape and more boxes. What started as a simple swap turned into a full rewire of the second floor because one bad connection was hiding behind a wall. Has anyone else had a 'quick' job balloon into something way bigger because the previous work was so hacked together?
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jennifer_jones174mo ago
Bird nests AND electrical tape? Nightmare fuel.
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theas284mo ago
Rolled my eyes so hard reading this I almost pulled a muscle. That classic "quick swap" turned into a whole attic archaeology project with bonus bird poop surprises. I swear every old house has that one wire that's been held together with hopes and prayers since the 80s. You basically became a drywall repair specialist by accident.
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