At 7:50 AM the power crew pulled in, cut our power, cut out the old lines, officially moved our meters to the new junction boxes on the side of the building and drove away within 30 minutes. The electricians then went at warp speed pulling out old conduits and wires and boxes. All of my sucking up, shmoozing, offers of baked goods (which they denied) and generally making myself interested in their work seemed to pay off. I was first on the list once the old crap was gone and within about 4 hours I had power restored to everything but my stove. There’s a reason (that I don’t know right now) but they can’t tie that circuit in until they finish something else.

I took a walk about 10 AM and stopped for a brief chat with the greyhound lady (Teresa) who has a new dog! Do you remember her? She’s the nice woman who adopts ex-racing greyhounds. She was fostering a new male for some time and couldn’t bring herself to let him go so now Andy has joined Danny and Baby and Kari. Anyway by the time I got back my panel was almost complete until the electrician realized he’d forgotten to hook up part of the kitchen…the part that runs the appliances sans the stove.

All in all a pretty painless change over and everything functions. I was fortunate that they had time yesterday to cut the hole in the wall for the box. If you remember the introductory post I mentioned that I wasn’t sure where the box was going to go. Well…remember the photo of the old set up in the laundry room? I mentioned that my apartment was just behind that wall. That wall is probably 18-20 feet long. I know… this living area is way out of proportion to the rest of the apartment and I’ve never understood why. So the gallery of canvases I had on the wall had to come down…

…and are now sitting in a corner of my bedroom. Anyone want to guess where they cut the hole? A hint: the old conduits, boxes and meters were sitting directly in the middle of that really long wall. Here’s my new panel…

…sitting not in the middle of the wall on my side but at about 6 feet in from the outside wall. Once I move the couch back the panel will look exactly like an odd extension to the couch just above the pillow. None of the canvases that I had on the wall will cover the front of the box and even if one of them was the right size there is no symmetry anymore. The electricians didn’t find it funny when I asked if they had a cover with a mural already painted on it instead of the classic “electric gray” we’re all familiar with. I totally understand the mountains of work that would have been involved to move it farther so their choice of location was really made for them but still I am not afraid to use the word eyesore.

One suggestion so far is to move that tall shelf in front of the panel. Great idea, but then the couch can’t be centered on the wall and right now, without a lot of other adjustments, I would like the couch centered on the wall. Any interesting thoughts are welcome for sure, but for now the gray door is starting to grow on me right where it is so I think I’m going to make my life simple and just shove the couch back and live with things while I ponder options.

It’s sort of fun to think of this new addition as a magic little door to another realm. Who knows where it may lead, or who/what may pop out through it one day. I feel a story brewing about little zappy energized beings (think fire flies perhaps) knocking gently and then filling my apartment with sparkling soft lights. It could happen right?

52 thoughts on “The Power Company Doesn’t Dilly Dally”

    1. That isn’t really a bad idea at all, although I suspect that most panels are either in garages, or basements are in the apartment communities hidden away in closets. This oddity should have been in place when the building was built and there’s no way to know why it wasn’t done correctly. It’s now covered mostly by that tall bookshelf so I can live with it 🙂

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  3. [FYI, and please don’t shoot the messenger, but your blog feed is no longer coming through in my Feedly account. It says you’re “Unreachable” and when I click on your blog I see this: Feed not found Wrong feed URL or dead feed. I don’t know or why you’re suddenly gone from there, but thought you might want to know.]

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    1. Sorry Ally Bean, and thanks for the info. I would suspect from searching around on Google for Feedly info and issues (which I know nothing about at all) that it may have something to do with JavaScript and Cookies being enabled (or not) in places on my browser. I use a Google Chromebook and just did a major clean up and out of stuff including blocking a lot of extraneous cookies. That is just one of many ideas that popped up and one of just a few that would make sense. Google is slowly phasing in the doing away with 3rd party cookies anyway so I think issues are inevitable down the line as I prefer not to have every click on an open tab fill my storage with ways to “personalize” my experience. I didn’t mess with WP specifically but probably blocked something connected in a random way. I am “reachable” but perhaps not for you using Feedly and I know that is your preference. At this point I don’t have any idea what to unblock so I don’t have a great answer for you. You know I don’t write very often anyway so perhaps you won’t miss out on much if that’s any consolation.

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      1. Your theoretical explanation of what might have happened sounds plausible to a tech-avoidant person like me. It was so odd, one day your blog was available and then *bam* no links to you. I only told you so you’d be aware if your readership dropped and you wondered if it was you. It isn’t you, it’s them. Not reading you isn’t a consideration, I’ll find a way to keep up.

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        1. I appreciate that Ally! It will be interesting to see who or if anyone shows up when I post again. Maybe the blog gods are trying to tell me something 😉

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  4. perhaps you could get someone to paint a mini-mural on the box, and include a frame around it, and it’s a piece of art! It’s amazing what visual illusions can do… (commercial-example below from Honda…)

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    1. Many folks have suggested something like this so you’re in good company EW, thanks! I’m wondering if it’s really the tacky door itself or more the actually height of the placement that’s bothering me? If it was 6-10 inches higher it would be perfectly acceptable to hang a picture over it and be done. The height is just not correct for a picture IMHO so I think even if the door itself was covered with something eye catching or unique the weird height of the “new art piece” would still detract. Since I got to see in the hole prior to the box going in I can attest to there being a 2×4 smack in the middle of where I would have placed the box so they really didn’t have a choice and explains why it is aesthetically unnerving to me 🙂

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  5. Welp, ain’t that a sight! Yay about safer electrical wiring, boo about the lack of artistic forethought of placement. In interior design there’s a principle along the lines of if it’s an eyesore you can’t change, then turn it into a feature. Do a gallery wall, make it look like it’s meant to be part of it!

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    1. I used the term “industrial chic” in another reply to this post. I think I’m going to try to embrace an idea of loft living like one might find in NYC: metal, pipes, vents, oddball things sticking out of walls… it all really goes with my brick exterior but I don’t have to have the city noise 🙂

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        1. …and I have to say also the loft concept adds to the imaginative factor given that we are only 4 units all sitting on the ground. It’s a stretch to conjure long flights of stairs but maybe if I just step up and down my one front porch step for say 10 minutes or so before going in that will suffice? 😉

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  6. Ahhh…you know how I love to ponder! I’m glad the work is done and you’re back in business, electricity-wise! I know you’ll come up with a great camouflage option. Look at all the input you’ve received here! 🥰

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    1. Sometimes just the pondering is enough I think Vicki 😉 Imagining what might be if there were no considerations or limitations… and then simply letting reality guide me. That concept is starting to seem less stressful and smarter. Acceptance may be the best route in this case until I move on 😉

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  7. Of course it was men that put it like that. They don’t think about the aesthetics of design. Mine is in the hall and just as obnoxious looking so I hung a large photo of my mother as a child over it. I could see a large quilt/wall hanging behind the sofa to cover it but soft enough so you can access it when needed. Wish I had time to make you one. Mine are still waiting too. Sigh. I’m with you on looking at the bright spot of the whole thing. At least you HAVE electricity. Glass in hand. Full or half full. 😉

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    1. I can’t blame sex on this one Marlene- even though I normally would consider that! 😉

      This really was the only place that made sense actually given where existing wiring was located. It would have been a mess to have to have to locate the box anywhere else. They just had to work within limitations. I do have the quilt that my daughter made for me and I thought about something like that as being the most sensible but I use it often so no on that one. I really find as the hours go by I just don’t care that much since I don’t expect to live here forever

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  8. From reading replies to comments I can see you’re getting used to it already, and the fact you’re renting – I’m with you on that.

    Did you ever read a series called something like The Borrowers? I’d be imagining them living in there, or a portal to their home 🙂

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    1. Yes Annie, I have a vague memory of that book series from chldhood- maybe even reading it with my kids or grands which seems more likely! All 4 units here have these boxes inside their apartments in weird places though. They are used to theirs. Mine is just a novelty since it’s new. 🙂

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    1. You know Jane, I’m already getting used to it and it’s just not that huge of a deal given that I’m a renter not an owner. Believe me if I was paying a mortgage here my opinion of their placement would have been met with a great deal of discussion. I’m just taking the attitude that at some point in the future it will be someone else’s problem, or maybe a nifty and unique addition depending on how they want to look at it 🙂

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  11. Is there anything that prevents you from painting the panel the color of the wall? I don’t think there’s a darn thing that says you can’t cover electrical panels, but you do want to have easy access to them.

    Painting it would help hide it from the eye. Then, you could perhaps do a collage of artwork instead of relying on one piece to cover it. I was going to suggest a tapestry as well. It’s easy to run a tunnel at the top of a blanket or tapestry and find a curtain rod on sale. I have one here but it would probably be a little silly to send it cross country. Likewise, you could do a faux window with curtains and a vintage window with led lights lining it. I’ve seen people use wallpaper and piece in a section to cover electrical panels that could give you a new foundation for that wall.

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    1. All great ideas, but the whole thing really revolves around the fact that this is not MY home. As a renter I am limited to what I can do, and I know the landlords have no intention of or would even consider paying to repaint just because that door is in the wall. I could hang something over it, but then again that means tossing out my own money and I don’t think I find it offensive enough to do that, being as frugal as I am 🙂 Besides, it makes an interesting talking point for new visitors!

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      1. Oops! I thought you wanted ideas for how to cover it up. As far as I’m concerned, you do you. I wonder if you could find some peel and stick removable stickers to liven it up. But a plain gray mystery door to Narnia is cool, too.

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  12. “The electricians didn’t find it funny when I asked if they had a cover with a mural already painted on it instead of the classic “electric gray” we’re all familiar with.” Well, I laughed. So I was trying to think of a living arrangement “agreement” I had to make with an eyesore but none of them really compare to the great “deal” you got. I will say some folks around here do have the unfortunate circumstances of giant electrical boxes on their front lawns. It’s just the way the development was developed. Off the top of my head for your instance, I’m thinking of an artsy piece or cute decoration that has enough size and depth to cover the box, but can also be easily removed for any electrical access that is needed. The goal would be to box in the box so to speak…with a cuter box that hides the classic electric gray box. I shall ponder this. 🤔

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    1. Well I appreciate the pondering Bruce! I’m sure it could be covered but just that it’s really off center and mid wall where I wouldn’t normally hang a picture is what is so odd to deal with. It’s really hard to get the perspective from a picture. I think everyone would just do what I did once it was in: stand and stare in wonder and laugh. Really what else can you do! 🙂

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  13. Oh, OF COURSE that’s where they put it. *eye roll* I like your attitude though. You could decorate it a bit or find a tapestry to cover it. Or just get in touch with your gray side. It could be a piece of modern art; some of the artwork I saw in the MOMA in NYC makes the gray box look delightful.

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    1. It really isn’t worth my time or anxiety to get all bent out of shape over it. You know me well enough…I won’t invest money to cover it and since my pictures don’t work there now it will simply be the next person’s issue. I am thinking of calling it “industrial chic” though! Makes it sort of sound like a loft in NYC 😉

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    1. Oh Mary, our landlords probably won’t care. They are so not happy about this to begin with and would not have done anything except their insurance would have been cancelled. They don’t have to live here so visually it will likely be nothing to them. Also, to put the box anywhere else would have probably cost them much more with all the extra work and lines. In this case it’s just easier to say “oh well” and let whoever moves in here after me deal with it.

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  15. I guess putting a painting over it might not be to code? 😆 I’m glad it’s done though, Deb and hope you can find a solution that minimizes the eyesore for you. I do love the thought of the panel door being a magical gateway to another realm!

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    1. You are likely correct Ab- you probably aren’t supposed to cover up electric panels…technically. I guess it’s not like trying to hide a safe built into the wall!

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        1. Oh Doug, my chickadees! You made me cry for knowing and remembering and finding something that means so much 🙂 You are so correct as well. I can’t do anything permanent since this place isn’t really mine to make decisions about.

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  19. Can’t wait to hear mystery stories about creatures popping in and out! But really, I am glad all went well for you, Deb. May your good fortune continue!

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Love to hear from you!