Built A Wall Cupboard To Hide Breaker Panel

[steve swantee]

Hello everyone, just thought I would post a couple pics of a cabinet I just finished building to hide the breaker panel in our 1st floor half bath. We had the wiring replaced after we bought the house, and at the time there was only an old stone basement under the house (that has been replaced with a new foundation), so the new panel was installed adjacent to where the original was in the old laundry room, which is now our half bath. LOML has been after me for a while to build something nice to cover it, so I finally took the hint. I picked up some pine at the local home center, spent a couple of evenings in the shop and here's what I came up with. I have to admit it looks a lot better than the breaker panel sticking out of the wall, and wifey is happy too.
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Steve

[Ralph Okonieski]

I suggest thanking your wife for the motivation. That is one nice looking cabinet. Nicely done.

[glenn bradley]

That looks terrific. An excellent disguise.

[Verne Skagerberg]

Great Cabinet -- and I agree with the aesthetics entirely -- but If I did that, I'd be breaking all the rules. Code here says no electrical panels in bathrooms and they have to be unobstructed. Geez I love the UBC and IBC.

[Bill Huber]

I won't tell the code police if you don't and I think that looks just awesome.

Not only does it do what is needed it really looks great.

[Bill Houghton]

the kind of thing they sell to label your furniture, have it say "electrical panel" in the largest type possible, and mount it attractively on the door.

In an emergency, you want your friend/firefighters to be able to find the panel.

It's VERY nice looking.

[Jason Hanko]

Very nice!
What finish did you use, I love the dark color.

[Rob Russell]

Looks nice, but the inspectors in my area would likely nail you big time for that. Canadian rules are different, though :) .

[Paul Ryan]

I got nailed for that very thing 2 years ago. When I bouth this house the previous owers had bult a cabinet over the panel. In 06 I put an addition on the house. I also updated the electrical with a 200 amp panel. The new panel went in the new addition, and the electrians used the old panel then as a sub panel for the old part of the house. I did all of the wiring for the new addition and afterwards had to have it inspected. When the inspector came he found the old panel, and had a fit about the cabinet over the panel. I had to take it down, then he came and inspected a 2nd time and everything passed. After the 2nd inspection I put the cabinet back up. I will no better the next time, to prepare for the insepctor.

[David G Baker]

A panel in a bathroom and a panel that is covered or in a closet is not accepted by the local code enforcers. Don't know the NEC code number but it is in the book somewhere as well.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I remodeled my basement bathroom a couple of years ago. When the inspector saw the electrical panel in the bathroom.....I had to build a room around the panel to get it out of the bathroom. I also had to install a pocket door in the wall to close the bathroom off from the furnace.

[steve swantee]

Yeah, it probably breaks codes here too, but when we decided to put a new foundation under the old house and moved the laundry room to the basement to make this the half bath, I wasn't about to get into the time and expense of moving electrical panels. BTW, when we had the house rewired this was the laundry room and the panel was about a foot from the water supply pipe and connections for the washing machine. It was installed by a licensed electrician and inspected. So I really don't see how this is any different. At least there is no potential for a busted water pipe just inches from the panel in it's present state. Thanks for the comments, if it has to be where it is, I figure it might as well look good.

Steve

[steve swantee]

Jason, the finish is Minwax Red Mahogany stain, followed by a water based cherry stain made by Saman and topped off with 4 coats of Minwax wipe on poly. The red mahogany stain's too brown for me, and the coat of the water based stain over top gives it a nice rich reddish brown color.

Steve

[Mike Cutler]

Nice looking fix Steve.

Don't everyone assume that it is a code violation. It really comes down to the local inspectors definition of "unobstructed". I can show you new construction homes that have the same installation, not in the bathroom though, and passed.

Now if you put a lock on that cabinet door............

[Curt Harms]

Great job. I like Bill's idea, though. Something attractive that says "main electrical disconnect here".

[steve swantee]

Just found out that it does not break code being in a half bath. My wife just saw this and told me that when we were turning the room into a bathroom there was an electrician in the restaraunt she works in doing some work, and she asked about the electrical panel in the bathroom. She said his eyes got as big as saucers until he realized it was a half bath. He looked it up in his codebook, and said as long as there was just a toilet and sink-no tub or shower-it was allowed. Good to know for sure. As far as having a cabinet covering the panel, not sure about that. It's just hanging on a french cleat, sooooo, if I see any inspectors........ well, you know.

Steve

[Wayne Lovell]

I sure am glad I live out in the boonies where can I do whatever I want. I just try to use common sense. I don't care what the bureaucrats say there will always be some risk to life.

Wayne Lovell

[Mike Cutler]

Steve

I have seen the main service panel in bedrooms, dedicated laundry rooms, hall utility closets, and walk-in bedroom closets. Everyone of those installations was inspected and passed.
Here in New England we have basements, so the main panel is "usually" in the basement. New construction homes may differ though.
Other areas of the country have homes that are single level and sit on a slab, or a crawl space. If they have a garage as part of the initial design, it's an odds on bet that the main service panel will be in the garage. If no garage then the panel will have to be located on an interior living space wall.
No one would want to have an ugly gray panel sticking out on a wall, ergo it can be acceptable to place it behind an access cover, similar to the access covers for shower/tub plumbing.
The one panel I saw in a walk-in closet kinda threw me. I mean it is technically located behind at least two doors. The panel has to go somewhere though, right?

It's a nice install you did. It looks great and hides that ugly panel. Just don't put a lock on it. I think you're fine.

[Stephen Edwards]

I sure am glad I live out in the boonies where can I do whatever I want. I just try to use common sense. I don't care what the bureaucrats say there will always be some risk to life.

Wayne Lovell

What he said!