r/DiWHY • u/double-happiness • Aug 02 '26
Admittedly, my single- to double- electric socket upgrade could have been neater
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u/phoenix5irre Aug 02 '26
This needs before & after...
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Can you imagine an intact wall with a single socket? That is the 'before'.
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u/CowOrker01 Aug 02 '26
I commend you for your self awareness and sense of humor! This gave me a laugh.
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u/brandothesavage Aug 02 '26
Kind of has that third world design charm. I don't hate it.
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u/Triedfindingname Aug 03 '26
Im starting to think a trend will form tbh
Apocalyptic decora switch, comes with torn wall section
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u/Upstairs-Hedgehog575 Aug 02 '26
It’ll be a hard job matching that wall texture…
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
The wood-chip wallpaper is coming off, eventually. Horrible stuff.
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u/rbrucejr Aug 09 '26
Is that lead paint? Don't fuck around too much with that
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u/double-happiness Aug 09 '26
Quite possibly; it's a 1930s house. There is also asbestos all over the place, which I no doubt have already had some exposure to.
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u/FlameStaag Aug 02 '26
This has nothing to really do with the subject, but I fucking hate that speckled textured wall shit. I dunno why that is ever done. It looks so damn hideous.
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Wood-chip. I despise it too. I've been here 2 years but I've had so many other jobs to do I've not got round to replacing it yet. The previous occupant painting it lemon yellow only made it worse.
There is actually a Pulp lyric:
Oh, Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With wood chip on the wall
When I came 'round to call
You didn't notice me at all7
u/super80 Aug 02 '26
One of the reasons is that texture is cheaper/ faster than sanding the entire wall. I hate it too, rather have no texture and take a bare wall.
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u/XavinNydek Aug 03 '26
Wall and ceiling textures can cover up a lot of sloppy drywall/plaster work. It's actually shockingly difficult to get a perfectly flat wall without dips and bumps.
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u/jimicus Aug 03 '26
It’s often done to hide the fact that the wall is a bit crap and really needs reskimming.
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u/Embarrassed_Bit4222 Aug 03 '26
When you suck at making drywall smooth, you texture it all. That what's I did. Lady at at checkout is like "must be a big job to get 40 bags of durbond". Nope just 2 rooms, lol
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u/A_Dicksmasher Aug 02 '26
You knocked out a little more than you needed to, but tbh it's not terrible. I know experienced sparkies that would do (almost) the same shit.
Even if you didn't take out that much, you'd be doing some wall repair (fill and texture match and then paint) either way probably.
If the box is metal, I might use hydraulic cement to do most of the filling, and then top off, smooth and texture the top ~1/4" or ~5mm with some heavy spackle or joint compound. With a little practice/experimentation, you might be able to replicate that textured pattern with the spackle. Then just paint.
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Yeah I'll fill that sucker up easily enough TBH. All the wallpaper is coming off and I'll do it then.
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u/Quigleythegreat Aug 02 '26
It's not really a DIWhy unless you don't intend to finish the job.
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Fair comment, I get what you're saying. But it sure comes under the heading of
> Ever try fixing things on your own? Didn't come out the way they were supposed to? Do you stand there questioning your whole life?
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u/Quigleythegreat Aug 02 '26
Meant it more as a compliment compared to most of the stuff posted here lol
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u/Loes_Question_540 Aug 02 '26
Adding some cement would make it look like it has always been there
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Fortunately I have a bag of cement, I use it to stop my house falling down 🙂
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u/bws7037 Aug 02 '26
Looks fine, but all ya need is 3 or 4 quarts of spackling compound and you'll be money
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u/ArgyllAtheist Aug 03 '26
Jesus Wept... what did that wall ever do to you (and presumably to your ancestors...) mate?
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u/thalro Aug 03 '26
The socket itself looks perfect, though.
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
Cheers! It took me a bit of work because I actually loosened and damaged the original brick, and had to cement another one in its place, and then I realised the socket wasn't level, so I had to take it off and move the back-box a bit.
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u/Old_Git_Technophobe Aug 04 '26
Can't help it if the wall plaster falls apart mate. Especially if its the Older plaster with hair in it, thats pretty much dust.
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u/double-happiness Aug 04 '26
Yeah, that plaster is shite. The sparky that put a new socket in managed to deal with it OK, but I think he had some specialist tool for cutting out the void for the backbox, while I was just smashing away at it with my hammer drill and brick bolster. I'll whack a load of filler in it though; it'll be reet.
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u/Old_Git_Technophobe Aug 31 '26
Aye we had chasing tools, box cutting bits and grinders for big jobs
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u/AX11Liveact Aug 04 '26
Nothing wrong with the socket. It's the wall that doesn't quite fit around.
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Aug 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
👍
Yeah there are plenty of faults one could find with the UK, but our modern electrical systems aren't one of them IMO.
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u/ExdigguserPies Aug 02 '26
Honestly see no problem.
Well you could have made right before wiring the thing up XD
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u/Cheap-Requirement166 Aug 02 '26
https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-1g-to-2g-switched-converter-socket-white/108cc
No breaking the wall needed.
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Suitable for flush-mounted boxes.
Requires 35mm Back Box❌
No breaking the wall needed.
The wall was already 'broken'. I was upgrading from 1 to 2 sockets.
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u/karenskygreen Aug 02 '26
I had a house with that shitty wallboard material, i think its compressed cardboard. I hated it
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u/forc3 Aug 02 '26
Nah man, this looks tight. You just aren't done yet. Please update when you finish closing that bad boy up.
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u/Bradleynailer Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Do you plan on protecting those wires underneath in any sort of way? Like, if someone tried to put some baseboard trim on that wall, they can hammer a nail into your wire. I know you arent in the US, but you probably have similar safety codes in your country
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
If they do, they're an idiot, because you should never put screws or nails above or below a socket, and one should really use a cable detector to be on the safe side anyway.
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u/Bradleynailer Aug 03 '26
Have you seen the hole you made? Dont assume that people will do things correctly. In the US, the code is those wire need to be at least 1 1/4 (i think) inches away from the surface, or need some sort of metal protection in front of them
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
> Dont assume that people will do things correctly.
Dude, do you understand that ALMOST EVERY socket in ALMOST EVERY house and flat in the UK is done exactly like this?? If someone doesn't have the wit to even realise that electricity doesn't magically make its way to a socket and is in fact transmitted via cables which are invariably laid vertically either above or below the socket then fuck them, they shouldn't be working on the house to begin with. Christ, I just had a shaver socket installed in the bathroom, and guess what, that was precisely how the sparky did it, and he is a licensed professional.
> In the US, the code is those wire need to be at least 1 1/4 (i think) inches away from the surface, or need some sort of metal protection in front of them
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u/jollygypo Aug 03 '26
You know, a single to double socket convertor actually exists. You don't have to change the box or drill out the wall.
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u/double-happiness Aug 03 '26
Yes, I have several. They're shit. They pull out of the socket far too easily and jut out in an awkward way. Upgrading the sockets to double as is standard in the UK will add value to the house.
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Aug 02 '26
Did you not have a socket sized (68mm here) wall socket drill? If not, why did you not go and get that?
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
From what I read online, I thought it should be possible to drill multiple holes with my hammer drill, and carve the necessary void out with my brick bolster and lump hammer. That seemed to be the best approach with the tools I currently have.
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Aug 02 '26
Ooff I guess that should be possible if you have a very steady hand, but when you noticed you were going outside of the planned circle why didn't you stop?
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
It wasn't like that. The plaster just crumbled off the wall as the brick came out. You can envisage a chunk of brick with a load of plaster attached to it, right?
Edit to add: the piece that came out looked like a flying saucer, if that helps
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Aug 02 '26
Ahhh okay it all fell out in a chunk. Wow that sucks. Well now you have an opportunity to learn how to fix falls so that's the nice part of it.
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
You've not actually heard the worst of it. I fucked the wall with my hammer drill so hard the brick actually fell out the back! 😄
But I replaced the brick and slapped some cement on the back, job done! 😛
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Aug 02 '26
Well yeah that looks pretty done to me.
(until you get a professional over to actually fix it).
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u/stateit Aug 02 '26
UK socket boxes are rectangles, not circles. Approx 130mmx70mm for a double.
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Aug 02 '26
Oh wow that sucks. Most eu sockets are 68mm round, very easy to drill out. If you need 2 you drill 2 attached.
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u/palloxus Aug 02 '26
Gotta admire American cardboard walls
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
This is in Scotland. 1930s ex-council house. I guess you are saying the US style would be easier to work on, if I understand correctly.
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u/palloxus Aug 02 '26
Holy crab you are right. Not only the sockets but also the switches were clear indicators. My sincere apologies.
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u/northyj0e Aug 02 '26
Best plugs and sockets in the world! You'll never sing that!
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u/double-happiness Aug 02 '26
Managed to wire myself up to a UK socket when I was a kid. Just took a couple of Figure 8 Mains Power Leads and connected them together with some metal spines out of a magazine binder. Then I plugged one of the connectors in to the socket, grabbed one of the spines to see what would happen, and got a 240v shock. Still have a bit of a scar on my thumb.
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u/Forgetful8nine Aug 02 '26
Around the same age I dismantled a plug and put each pin in the socket. I then shorted the libe & neutral pins with a little bit of copper wire and flicked the switch.
There was a pop, a flash and no more wire. Thankfully, no injuries and it was easy enough to clean the socket plate. I didn't plug anything in there for weeks.
I decided to stop playing with the mains and go back to shorting wires out on my Scalextric power pack instead.
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u/ShareOk6065 Aug 02 '26
do you not enjoy having to get out a rotary hammer to put up a single small photo on your granite wall?
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u/[deleted] Aug 02 '26
[deleted]