Walls and Ceilings - Removing walls.... with electrical components?

Hi all,

Been lurking about lately, mostly on the painting topics, but this is my first post. Love this place, love DIY. :)

Long story short, I'd like to remove some non-load bearing walls in my apartment, but unfortunately I have no reasonable idea whether there's electrical wiring running through.

Now I've been able to get a blueprint of my property, and it does indicate where the sockets are, but it doesn't say where the wires are running.

So I'm wonderin, how in the world would you proceed in my place? Do I turn off the electricity and start hammering, and then add new wiring to replace anything I destroyed? Or is there some way of figuring out exactly how the wiring runs.

I feel silly asking, but I'm not seeing many other options! Right about now I wish I had an X-ray machine. :p

Thanks for any feedback!

Cammy

if it a apartment you better check with the landlord before you start removing walls

as to your question , observation and slow careful demo will let you know whats in the walls

Ya, forget what you see on those remodeling tv shows. :p :D
Carefully removing the wall covering [drywall, plaster, etc] will expose the wires and anything else that might be in the wall. It would be a wise precaution to kick off the breakers for the elec on that wall.

BTW - welcome to the forums!

Wow, thanks for the quick replies! Luckily, I don't have to worry about the landlord, since I own rather than rent.

Well, looks like I'm going to go at it nice and slow then. :o I don't mind at all, since it's fun and I'm in no rush.

I forgot to add that most wires either run up or down next to the nearest stud..... or they may run horizontally to the next outlet. Once you start removing the wall covering on 1 side you'll get a feel for how your house was constructed. It is also possible that there may be plumbing in the wall.

Thanks for that tip. Thankfully, I know where all the waterworks are, so no worries there.

As it stands, I've worked my way through a few square feet of wall, but am taking a break until I can borrow a camera, cos I want a few memories of this little project. At any rate, the slow approach makes it a lot less messy than I thought it would be, which is great.

I think I can see some cables dangling in the darkness between the bricks (it's a hollow wall), but I don't quite know what they are yet... A mystery is before me! :eek: