My brother-in-law wants to help me rewire his garage, but he has zero experience. Should I let him?

3 comments

3 Comments

Seriously, the speed it can happen is what gets me. One spark in that dry garage environment and you've got a fully involved structure fire before the smoke alarm even finishes its first beep.

emery_knight1d ago

Remember that news segment about garage fires from faulty wiring? I read a whole article on how amateur electrical work causes thousands of fires yearly. Your brother-in-law means well, but this is serious. One mistake can torch the whole structure. Let him help with cleanup or material hauling instead. Actual wiring needs a licensed electrician, period.

tara_robinson7221h ago

Last fall, a coworker's husband attempted to wire his new garage workshop himself, skipping GFCI outlets near the sink as required by code. After a burst hose caused a minor flood, the faulty wiring sparked and ignited some oily rags stored nearby. Firefighters had to extinguish a fully involved corner of the structure, just feet from his classic car collection. He's still dealing with insurance headaches over the unpermitted work. What's the closest call you've heard about from DIY electrical?