Electrical House of Horrors, Part I

In one of our recent projects, we came across several serious electrical issues that serve as a cautionary tale of what can potentially happen when you attempt a DIY project that is not properly inspected.

In this instance, we discovered buried junction boxes in both the walls and floors; pot lights installed directly inside batts of insulation (a major fire hazard); a regular pot light inside the shower (where there should be shower-approved pot lights); and several wires that had burnt the wiring insulation at the light, fixture or receptacle.

As a public service, we've documented some of these instances, and will present our Electrical House of Horrors in a series of before and after shots as a lesson of what NOT to do!

First up, we've got a buried junction box on the left, above. The Building Code strictly prohibits this as they must be accessible, because it's a fire hazard otherwise. On the right, you can see that the situation has been amended.

The safety lesson here is simple: Never, ever, engage in electrical work unless you are fully licensed to do so.