# Basement shop to be



## siouxdawgs0409 (Dec 5, 2009)

I have an unfinished basement and would like to wire a room in it so that I can use it as a hobby shop. Now I dont want to finish it off completly, such as drywall etc at this time. One wall is cement and I plan on running conduit on that wall since I dont plan to put any drywall on it and just will leave it the way it is. The other side is studded with 2×6 and I want to run outlets on that wall. Does the cable have to be in conduit since I will not be finishing it off right away? Or will NM placed through holes bored into the studs be adequate "protection"? Since this will remain in an unfinished basement I will use GFI protected circuits, which leads to another question. Is it better to GFI the circuit at the CB or just install a GFI outlet at the first outlet and wire it from the load side to protect them all that way?

Any one know how to handle this? I want to get electricity into the shop area and eventully finish it off but with money situation I can do only one right now, and obviously the electricity needs to come first before closing it up. SHould I wait until I got cash for both elec and finishing? But until then I have extension cords everywhere, I think it would be much safer to wire in the outlets now and finish it up later.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

I think you should check your local code for the GFI's and conduit requirements. Where I live, it's OK to run wiring through holes in the studs.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I have always put a GFI outlet in as the first outlet on the circuit.

I think you can probably "get away with" just running the wire through holes in the studs but exposed wire like this always concerns me.

I once ran the wires through holes in the studs in an unfinished part of the basement. Then I put a board between each set of studs that was just above the wiring (creating a shelf) and put a 10 inch wide piece of 1/4 inch plywood along the wall hiding the wire. I ran the plywood just a little bit higher than the top of the "shelves" to prevent stuff from rolling off. The wire was protected and those shelves sure came in handy.

When/if you ever put up dry wall, you can quickly tear off the plywood.


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