Sources Of Information

The most important part of this blog, for me, is to encourage everyone to realize that DIY projects, even big ones, are possible.

But the sheer lack of knowledge is what makes a big project seem impossible.  And I can relate:  If I were to imagine taking on the project of, say, framing my own house, the magnitude of both the job and all of the stuff I know that I do not know makes such a project really daunting.

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In order to do a DIY project of any size, one needs to learn.  And, for me, here are the sources of information that have proven to be invaluable.

  1. Books.  I went to Amazon and searched for books about electrical wiring.  They are legion.  I chose one because one commenter stated that it was his reference book he used for wiring his own house.  Your local library would be a good choice too.  Read the book, cover to cover, in order to get the complete picture of how it all goes together.  I like this book quite a bit.
  2. YouTube.  After the books teach you everything you need to know, you will soon learn that there is a lot you don't know.  For this, YouTube is great for answering specific questions.  I like this guy a lot for electrical related stuff.
  3. The Code.  The code book is the list of requirements for what an electrical system should look like.  The code book that governs single family residences in Michigan at this time is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.  If you were going to wire your own house in Michigan, I would suggest that you read the entire electrical section of this book (starting in Chapter 36).  When I did this, I had to keep referring to the glossary, and googling, and watching things on line to understand the code book itself.  Time well spent.
For me, other sources are very useful.  My brother is an electrician.  He is a very good (but not great) source.  The only reason he is not a great source is because he works in industrial situations in Illinois, not in residential situations in Michigan.  In other words, he's specialized in things that are not what I need.

And, as I mentioned before, I contracted with a local electrician who allowed me to pick his brain for over an hour.

As I write about my experience, a lot of what I write may require more knowledge than you have.  But my point with this that I am not special.  I had to struggle to understand the basics, and if you have the desire, you too can learn to do most any DIY project.

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