ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues the Plank house

Once again I am doing old work, this time on a 'plank' house. The exterior walls are made up upright planks, 3" thick , some up to 20" widebark included...

There is simply clapboard on the exterior, plaster/lath on the interior. I could just about sign my name with a sawzall by now,,,

The interior walls are mostly the same plank design, the exception being they are thinner, approx 1-1/2", maybe 2".

This allows for 1-1/2" dp 4 or 4 11/16 sq. with a mud plate. So comes the Q....how to maintain proper burial depth of wires???

Anyone else been there???

Wow, that takes me back..I remodeled a plank house in '78, and it had even more wood. It had two layers of planking..don't know why! Maybe they ran two layers to compensate for warping? I kept expecting to find a hollow pocket..only to find that there was none!
But the wiring was easier because the receptacles were at the base of the baseboard. The switches were all located in voids behind molding at doorways. Sounds like you have a lot more work to do. I think the way to go is to route wire behind molding. I'll never forget the house we did 'cause it took two of us over two weeks to rewire that place..and I had been used to new wiring that takes only one or two days!

hi,
this is a case where wiremold looks wonderful!

i really feel sorry for you...i have been there and it is a terrible place to be, but not near as bad as trying to get paid for the additional labor and sometimes material to pull off the job...

i would just stay away from the unknown...its too hard to bid..now time and material is a different story..

good luck let us know what you do so that it may save me or someone else next time

regards

frodo

Thanks Guys.
One look, and T&M it was.

Sparky,

You have a true gift for verbal imagery.
LOL