Reddit reviews Wiring a House: 5th Edition (For Pros By Pros)

Electrical : Wiring a House: 5th Edition (For Pros By Pros) https://www.amazon.com/dp/162710674X

+1 “for pros.”

I am taking on a diy rewriting project and found this book to be quite helpful.

https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-5th-Pros/dp/162710674X/

That said, I have a degree in electrical engineering, have taken a hands on electrical wiring class at the local community college, and I am still nervous about rewriting our house. It’s not the principles, but a knowledge of electrical codes and “how to do it right” that you might miss as a diy-er.

Right now I’m thinking of hiring someone to check over my work and to rely on the inspector as well. If others have any tips on how to do this safely, it would be much appreciated!

"Wiring a House" by Caldwell is incredibly useful for any electrical work at all. He goes over everything you need to know from 'This is how electricity works' to 'here is how to rewire your entire house to be above code and pass inspection'. Massive amounts of pictures, circuit diagrams with explanations etc. Just a great book and the standard for electrical DIY.


I rewired my entire 4 bedroom house with this as a reference and that included adding 8 or so circuits and rerouting all electrical for our major kitchen remodel.

Rex Cauldwell's book is quite thorough:

https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-5th-Pros/dp/162710674X

There are cheaper and simpler ones out there, but if you want an all inclusive, this one is very good.

This book

Don't let the "For Pros by Pros" tagline scare you. This is super accessible to DIYer's as long as they have the basic know-how.

For what subjects please?

For electrical "Wiring a Home" by Rex Cauldwell is pretty good.

For Drywall repair this guy is amazing.

For basic carpentry I can't really recommend much, since I've been doing it most of my life, starting with instruction from my dad.

I don't do much plumbing, but mostly it's looking up code, and running pipes. Replacing a toilet/wax ring is all about draining the water, and removing the seal. Almost everything else is about tightening the nuts. If it leaks tighten until it stops.

For roofs, generally if you keep in mind that water is going to run down, then everything else follows from that basic principal. A shingled roof is a PITA to install, but you can do it without too much help.

Your insurance company didn't come to inspect either after you bought the house? Maybe my insurance company is weird that it did come and inspect.

Anyways, it's going to be quite expensive. I haven't paid someone to do it, but I have gotten rid of old knob and tube (not being use) and replaced it with proper modern stuff.

What is the power coming into your house like? You have a breaker panel, fuse panel, or what?

If you are the DIY'er type, I would hire someone to install a breaker panel and move all your current circuits to that (I'm assuming you've got fuses). Make sure he installs a breaker panel with enough spaces you can fit all your proposed circuits in. Form there, just pick a room/circuit and re-wire it and then add that to the panel. It's not all that hard, just time consuming. Also, as long as you have half a brain about how electricity works, test wires to make sure they aren't hot (you flipped the breaker already, right?) it's kinda hard to hurt yourself.

Here is a great book.
http://smile.amazon.com/Wiring-House-5th-Pros/dp/162710674X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463502073&sr=1-1&keywords=wiring+a+house+rex+cauldwell

These are good:

https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/162710674X

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Installations-Step-Step/dp/1580117872

https://www.amazon.com/Homeowners-DIY-Guide-Electrical-Wiring/dp/0071844759

THIS.

OP will learn enough in the first few pages of this book to make him feel silly for ever having asked such a broad question in the first place.

If you're doing residential, Wiring a House by Rex Cauldwell is a good non technical supplement to your textbooks

This Old House on Youtube.
Also, if you like books check out the "For Pros by Pros" book series. I'm learning basic electrical wiring and this book has been indispensable.

Just a couple of days ago I received my copy of "Wiring a House" by Rex Cauldwell (http://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-5th-Pros/dp/162710674X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412972971&sr=1-1&keywords=wiring+a+house). Though I haven't read it in-depth, I already feel like I can highly recommend it, especially for your situation. He has an approach he calls "Above Code" where he makes recommendations that go a step beyond the code requirements and he points out areas which might vary from location to location. He also specifically addresses many situations that arise when you are doing retrofitting and renovation. The 5th edition was just released and is up-to-date for 2014 code and should be good until 2017.