Investigating the breezeway wall

The latest plan calls for deleting the west wall of the breezeway (behind the Kallax bookcase). So, I went investigating.

Opened up the wall at what will be the top of the steps

All wires, including the one that ends in wire nuts, are live

So, we learn that there is no curb on the vault roof/breezeway floor (that's good), and we have what looks like 1x6 sheathing (likely foundation form boards) behind the T&G vertical wood on the other side. The fact that it is an ordinary stud wall is also helpful.

The wires are not unexpected--there is a 5-gang switch plate on this wall. But it's still sad to see fire hazards like the wire terminated in the wall, surrounded by insulation, with the wire still hot.

The wires are slop-over from the old panel, now a huge junction box.

The top of the huge junction box is a mess, but the ceiling break will help.

The breezeway tile is +262' 11" (1" down from the main house finished floor). The wood ceiling in the breezeway is +270' 6" (7' 7" high). The gyp bd in the BR3 vestibule is +269' 11-3/4". We'll probably fashion a box beam for the wires. (The wiremold supplying the workshop runs along the wall/ceiling at that point, as well.)

Wiremold needs to be worked into the design. The breezeway ceiling on the other side of the wall is 6" higher.

2' x 3' investigation

The 5-gang switch panel is:

• 3-way switch for breezeway light
• BR3 Vestibule ceiling light
• Found a loose landscape light over by the west property line in the backyard that this controls
• Unknown
• Separate switch with indicator light for BR3 heater

Basically, the original house was wired to the panel on the south side and every wire was extended to run over the vestibule roof to the new panel.

Another thing that is interesting is that the siding bumps out 2" or so to the west of the sliding glass door in the breezeway.

This is how the house looked in 1947, as far as I can figure

Correction: On the 1947 drawing, "Elec. Meter" should be "Elec. Panel." The meter was likely out in front, where the reader could see it, and the mains from the meter to the panel ran in the unfinished garage, which was likely illegal when they converted it to habitable space, or when they enclosed the walls, or something.