Garage Construction Project

2026-05-25 - Rear Wall 16-inch Outlets Installed - Wide View

3 min read

Rear Wall 16-inch Outlets Installed — Wide View

Wide view of the rear (south) garage wall — three blue 2-gang plastic boxes mounted at 16" AFF, one workbench-height box visible higher on the same wall, plywood lower wall protection, stairs and red fire extinguisher at right

Photo Details

  • Date: May 25, 2026
  • Time: 5:19 PM EDT
  • Phase: Phase 1 — 120V rough-in (DIY)
  • Location: Looking south at the rear (back) wall
  • Subject: End-of-day result for the rear wall perimeter outlet circuit

Description

End-of-day status on the rear wall 16” perimeter outlet run — boxes mounted, devices installed, romex chained between boxes, GFCI receptacle in the lead position protecting the downstream chain. This is the first energized circuit on owner-DIY work in the garage — wire was pulled back to the panel and a breaker added in the Eaton panel later this evening (see panel photo).

Status caveat: this is a rough-in — boxes mounted, devices installed and tested, but wire is not yet stapled down the studs. Staples and final wire dressing are a tidying-up pass for another day; the install itself is electrically complete and functional, so it counts as a successful first DIY circuit.

The 12 outlets installed today were exactly the on-hand count from the Home Depot trip (see Home Depot cart). Remaining perimeter circuits (west wall 16” and the north wall workbench-height run) had wire pulled today but are not yet energized — they need more outlets (next Menards trip) and a panel-side wire pull.

Visible Elements

  • 3× blue 2-gang plastic boxes at 16” AFF along the rear wall, mounted to studs — each holds two 20A duplex receptacles wired with WAGO 221 lever-nuts per the bench-assembly technique
  • One 2-gang box at workbench height (visible higher on the wall, far right) — part of the workbench circuit; wire pulled but not yet at panel
  • Plywood lower wall protection behind the outlets — pre-existing impact-resistant lower wall
  • OSB sheathing above the plywood band on all studs
  • Stairwell at right with red ABC fire extinguisher mounted (see Fire Extinguisher Plan) and lumber staged on the treads
  • Rough-in state visible: romex is run through the stud bays but not yet stapled — a deliberate tidying pass remains

Why This Photo

Documents the first completed DIY electrical circuit in the garage. The rear wall perimeter outlet run is one of the four 20A perimeter circuits called out in Electrical Planning § 120V General-Purpose Circuits (Perimeter runs (4× 20A)). With this circuit live, the owner has a functional 120V outlet on the rear wall — useful immediately for power tools while the rest of the perimeter is built out.

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