Hide the Circuit Breakers

Very nice. It is really a big improvement.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

NIce work that is a great way to hide something that does to belong there.

-- Jeff B.

Great idea!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Great job and a fantastic improvement.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

nice job…i love it…and welcome to the community of LJ’s….

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Really cool, Shaun, and welcome to LumberJocks!

-- Robb

Thanks for the compliments and the welcomes. I’m looking forward to participating in the community. I’m still learning my way around the site but I’ve gotten a truckload of ideas from looking at everyone’s work. I’m in the middle of a patio table (and a hundred other thing) right now. I”ll be posting that one when it’s finished.

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

Shaunj, it is a good idea and you can probably get away with it in your residence and you plan on living there a long time.

I tried to do the same in our office as the panel stuck out like a sore thumb.
The fire department made us remove it because in case of a fire the circuit breaker box is the first place the firemen go. If it is covered up it’s a no-no.

But our office is open to the public, sort of, so we have different rules.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

oh MUCH better!
well thought out and it looks great.

Great posting! Thanks for sharing.

Enjoy the tour around LJ.com—it’s an awesome “work shop” :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Great idea!Nice finish.

-- Krisztian VA My website: www.vacarpentry.com

Very nice… I have the same thing in Maple at my house but your little box is much nicer than mine… mine is just a 4 board frame shot to the wall with my finish nail gun… the door is nice though…

Drew

-- Drew, Pleasant Grove, Utah

great solution!

-- Paul, Texas

Very cool idea.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

That is a great design and solution for hiding a hideous panel. Nicely done.

I love the Kreg jig too!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Great looking solution…but is it legal? I know it’s a code violation to build a cabinet of any type around an electric panel. Emergency response people need to be able to find the panel as quickly as possible.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

I like the panel. I hope, for your sake, that it isn’t a code violation.

It is a violation of OSHA standards to block access to electrical panels however OSHA standards are not applicable in residential applications. According to the National Electrical Code Requirements for One and Two Family Dwellings (NFPA 70A) Chapter 1 Section II (600 volts nominal or less) subsection 110.26 says “Sufficient access and working space shall be provided and maintained about all electrical equipment to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of such equipment. Enclosures housing electrical appartus that are controlled by a lock shall be considered accessible to qualified persons.”

So I think it complies with the requirements of this section of the code. I haven’t found anything in NEC for 1 and 2 family dwellings that would prohibit this cabinet. The section I referenced above suggests that it is acceptable to house electrical apparatus within an enclosure that is controlled by a lock.

I think I’m good. But in case it turns out that I’m wrong, the cabinet comes off the wall with 4 screws.

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

At my last house, my electrical panel was inside the house, hidden inside a cabinet. When I was building my shop, my electrical contractor told me that if the electrical inspector saw the panel was in the cabinet he would probably tell me I had to remove the cabinet from around the panel. He said it was a code violation. Fortunately, the inspector never came in the house.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

Hi Shaun,

This is an innovative solution to your problem. This obviously looks much better than the exposed panel.

Nice job.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Im impressed, and I hate to say it but immitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
I have the same problem in my basement and now because of you I don.t anymore,

Thank You very much,

NeoDon