And So I Said: Let There Be Light

It really is amazing how a little bit of light can really transform a space. I was holding off installing these lights until I did some proper rewiring, but stumbling around in the dank was really not pleasing me, so I decided to do a semi-temporary installation.

The two upper lights are in their final location, but the lower ones will later be rotated 90 degrees once I get some extra outlet boxes installed for them on either end of the beam they're currently hanging from.

The electrical box in the middle of the beam (which is currently missing a faceplate because I forgot to buy one) replaces an original bakelite round box and porcelain bulb socket, into which was installed a plug-to-bulb adapter, into which was inserted a pair of 2-3 prong adapters that powered the garage door opener and the single-bulb fluorescent fixture (which, to its credit, had a LED replacement tube installed).

The amusing part of all this is that there was a perfectly good ground wire tucked away inside the box, so it was really simple to swap in a pair of modern grounded outlets.

Also in the photo: the thick layer of dog hair, mouse poop, and various forms of dust on the shelf in the background. Still need to finish ripping those down.

I'm also planning to paint the underside of the roof white to help with the light even more, once the shelves are ripped down and I find the time for it. Also on the improvement list: installing a 50ft retractable extension cord.

Anyway, it's really amazing how much proper lighting can change a space.