Camo Utilities

[Mack]

My wife was not too excited about having ducts and wires running all over the workshop, so the builder promised to come up with a way to camoflage the utilities as much as possible.  It worked out pretty well.  He used 1X6" rough cut lumber underneath a girt at an appropriate level for the outlets; mounting the boxes/cover plates horizontally kept everything out of sight.  For the overhead lighting and 220V wiring for (future) lift, he used 2X2" pieces with a 1X1" groove for the wire.  By and large, it worked out pretty well.  What do you think?

[tarnished]

Mack, Glad you wife won on this one.. Your builder and you did a good job hiding the wire, and it is so much cleaner that way. Did you you use sheathed wire, or in conduit? Looks GOOD!
John

[Mack]

Hey Tarnished, no conduit, just sheathed wire -- yellow, which is 12-gauge, right?  Basically, everything within potential reach of "humans" is covered with wood, somehow.  Above, say, 7 or 8 feet, it might be run just against a girt or purlin.  Still, the builder and electrician tried to keep most wiring out of view.  For the wires going to the lights under the lower/side roofs, the wire was run next to a purlin but on the side towards the "outside" of the barn.  Therefore, you'd have to almost be leaning against a side wall to see the wiring. 

In the "mechanical room", there's more wire in view, but it is still pretty much out of reach. The irony is that you have to go through the mechanical room to get to the loft! Oh well, the best laid plans of mice and men. . . .

We even worked to keep plumbing hidden.  Here are before and after shots where the PVC is covered with wood.  And, we used a split, ductless HVAC system for the loft.  You can see the inside part of the system at the top of the red wall.  There's a large piece of lumber covering the wiring and piping for the HVAC system.  This eliminated any ductwork running through the shop.




Dave didn't include a place for utilities other than electrical, so I guess I kinda cheated by including these comments. . . .

[Dave]

Check the heading.

[Mack]

Thanks, Dave, you "fixed" it for me!!!

[Dave]

Feb 22, 2013 8:23:55 GMT -6 Mack said:

Thanks, Dave, you "fixed" it for me!!!

I hope I made it better for everyone.

We will always try to make this forum a better fit for the members. If anyone sees an area that needs a change, please bring it to our attention. That doesn't mean that we can tailor it to just each one's special needs, but if it will make a better forum for all, we will consider it.

You can always post your suggestions or if you prefer, you can PM us.

If we get a suggestion that requires more thought on which way to go with, it to satisfy the members, we will put it in the poll section and see how everyone feels about it.

Bottom line, is to keep it about barns and to keep everyone pleased.