54 
House 
& Garden 
PLANNING THE WIRING FOR A HOUSE 
The Practical Side of an Important Phase of House Equipment to II hich 
too Little Attention Is Often Paid 
M. LUCKIESH 
O NE of the most discouraging factors 
in the development of residence 
lighting is the paucity of outlets. A num¬ 
ber of interests are responsible for this 
condition. Those central stations which 
continue to penalize the householder for 
the installation of outlets are inhibiting 
progress in lighting. The building or elec¬ 
trical contractor who does not encourage 
the installation of more outlets is not only 
failing to promote the cause of lighting, 
but in many cases is responsible for plac¬ 
ing a blight upon the home. The architect 
should appreciate the possibilities of light¬ 
ing and should give practical suggestions. 
The average householder has about one 
baseboard outlet in his home. This is 
especially true of apartments. Consider¬ 
ing the inadequacy of the other outlets it 
is not surprising that the householder has 
not learned of the possibilities of lighting. 
But this scarcity is not confined to apart¬ 
ments. On investigating houses during 
construction it is common to find only one 
or two cutlets in houses which cost from 
$10,000 to $25,000. 
Sometimes the attitude of an electrical 
contractor-dealer is not only one of in¬ 
difference but is actually reactionary in 
character. For example, let us take a 
case which occurred some time ago. A 
man building a house for his own home 
had come to realize that artificial light 
was really an important factor in making 
a house a home and he had laid out the 
wiring in accordance with his ideas of 
convenience and adequateness. The wir¬ 
ing diagrams were those shown in the ac¬ 
companying illustrations with the excep¬ 
tion of a few minor details. 
Householder and Contractor 
In going over the plans with an elec¬ 
trical contractor-dealer the latter sug¬ 
gested the elimination of an outlet or 
switch here and there until a total of ten 
had been recommended for elimination. 
When the contractor had finished his con¬ 
sideration of the plans, the householder 
asked why a contractor should assume an 
attitude which appeared to operate to his 
disadvantage. He replied to the effect 
that he always had the interests of his 
client in mind. But did he? He was un¬ 
knowingly placing a blight upon that 
home, but then, the electrical contractor 
has not learned what an important link 
he is in the chain which leads to a pleas¬ 
ant home. The householder, who knew 
that the cost of outlets was insignificantly 
small compared Avith their importance, in¬ 
sisted that the elimination of these out¬ 
lets at a saving of a few dollars was not 
to his advantage. He knew that, in a few 
months, the house would be completed and 
the contractor-dealer would then attempt 
to sell the householder various electrical 
devices such as a heater, a toaster, a flat- 
iron, a vacuum cleaner, portable lamps, 
etc., each of which demands a convenient 
baseboard or wall-receptacle. 
Eleven baseboard, outlets are provided on 
the first floor, together with ample pro¬ 
vision for wall lights. Switches at stair and 
front entrance are conveniently placed 
The furniture arrangement was determined 
before the outlets were located. A base¬ 
board outlet in the hall of the second floor 
furnishes connection for a vacuum cleaner 
A switch at the foot of the basement stairs 
controls a ceiling lamp near the heater and 
furnishes enough light to distinguish every¬ 
thing in the basement 
All the efforts of others toward progress 
in residence lighting will be reduced in 
effectiveness as long as electrical con¬ 
tractors do not appreciate the value of 
adequate wiring and recommend it. This 
does not mean that other interests are on 
the side of progress as opposed to the con¬ 
tractor. In fact, none of those who come 
into contact with the householder is plac¬ 
ing sufficient emphasis upon the impor¬ 
tance of lighting effects and the insig¬ 
nificant cost of lighting. The central sta¬ 
tion should show that lighting is not costly 
and should emphasize that it should not 
be viewed with the same attitude as the 
householder maintains toward fuel and 
food. The architect and builder must be 
reached, for they are often in the best 
position to recommend adequate wiring 
and to show the advantages of lighting. 
In fact, they can easily show that a few 
baseboard outlets will bring greater re¬ 
turns in the sale of a house than any in¬ 
vestment of equally small magnitude. 
The fixture dealer is generally consulted 
about fixtures after the wiring is com¬ 
pleted, but if he had a demonstration 
room, the householder would in due time 
acquire the habit of visiting the lighting 
artist for advice concerning the wiring. 
It has been found that this would be true 
if the fixture dealer lets it be known that 
he has experts for that purpose. But there 
are so many interests which come into 
contact with the householder, and some of 
these at an inopportune time in the course 
of the construction of the home, that the 
best plan appears to be for the house¬ 
holder to become familiar with the possi¬ 
bilities and importance of lighting. 
Some companies engaged in lighting or 
in the sale of lighting accessories have 
attempted to inform the householder re¬ 
garding this new era of lighting, but in 
general, they have not taken up the matter 
of lighting effects in the broader manner 
which awakens the householder’s interest. 
The Plans 
Let us take up the wiring of a moderate 
priced home which was built three years 
ago. Sufficient time has elapsed to estab¬ 
lish a justification of the various outlets 
and controls and to make it possible to 
appraise the wiring plans. An inspection 
of the accompanying diagrams will reveal 
an adequacy of outlets and switches sel¬ 
dom approached and rarely equalled in a 
middle-class home of similar size, but it 
may be stated that the existence of each 
outlet and switch has been justified. 
Beginning with the first-floor plan, Fig. 
1, let us analyze the living room. No ceil¬ 
ing fixtures have been installed, but a 
two-circuit outlet was provided for pos¬ 
sible future demands. Switches control 
these two circuits respectively at the main 
entrance and at the stairway as shown by 
the dotted lines. However, not intending 
to install a ceiling fixture, the baseboard 
(Continued on page 60) 
