In a 1960's home I replaced a circuit that had old, ungrounded wire with 12/2 NM cable, and phished it up through the wood floors into the existing handyboxes. All went well so far.
Unfortunately the old handy boxes aren't big enough to hold both the incoming 12/2, and outgoing 12/2, not to mention the grounds that are going to be connected.
So now I need to remove the older, smaller handyboxes and while I managed the wiring part without damaging anything, I don't know how to remove the existing handy-boxes to be able to install remodel boxes without creating a mess. Is there a method that will allow the least breakage of the drywall so that I can patch it up easily?
Probably not. I'd cut out rectangles of drywall beam to beam, giving you plenty of room to remove and install the boxes, then tape in new pieces of drywall
I posted this response a few weeks ago to a similiar situation. In that case the homeowner had a plastic box to change. Based on the age of your house you probably have 2 1/2" deep metal outlet boxes with side brackets. The good news is that they are most likely nailed in and may be a little loose. The bad news is that the metal side brackets extend past the hole in the drywall. It may be more difficult to pry out the brackets without damaging the drywall. Just take your time, don't rush. Use plastic boxes as a replacement as they are bigger. You'll need to use oversized wall plates when you finish.
"It is a little tricky, but it is possible to remove the existing one gang plastic box and install a two gang plastic box without making a mess out of the drywall. That dryer receptacle should fit nicely on a two gang box.
Get a two gang plastic old work box. Put it up to the existing box and mark out the additional opening needed in the drywall to accommodate the two gang box. Cut out the opening in the drywall.
Next get a big flat head screw driver and a nice pair of diagonal pliers. Gingerly wedge the screwdriver between the existing box and the wooden stud that it is nailed to. Move the screwdriver from the upper part of the box to the lower part of the box and back again each time firmly applying some force to separate the box from the stud. When you get enough space between the box and the wall stud (Approximately 1") use the diagonal pliers to cut the nails close to the box. The box should now be swinging freely in the wall. Use pliers to remove the remaining nails from the wall stud. Straighten out the wires and remove them from the box. You can try and remove the box from the wall or just let it fall inside to be buried inside the wall forever.
You may need to remove a cable staple or two near the existing box to gain some slack and flexibility with the existing cable. Use a long thin screwdriver for this and a pair of pliers.
Check to make sure that the new two gang old work box fits in the new hole. If not then cut out some more for a good fit.
Next straighten out the wires as much as possible. The larger the wires, the more difficult they will be to get into the new box. Push the wires part way into the box as you insert the box into the wall. Little by little push and pull the wires into the box as you continue to push the box into the wall. Your hands will get tired quickly so take your time.
When the box is fully inside the wall and the wires are completely in the box you can straighten the box out and set the securing wings to fasten the box to the drywall. For extra strength I like to shoot one drywall or #8 x
1-1/4" sheet metal screw through the middle of the side of the plastic box into the wall stud.
Wire up the outlet and use a two gang cover for a dryer outlet to finish it off. I'm not sure if Home depot sells these, but they are readily available at an electrical supply house. If a standard size cover doesn't completely cover the opening in the drywall, you can order a midsize or a king size from the supply house."
I dont know the depth of your boxes but if they are the standard variety of older box, I can connect 4 wires plus grounds in them. Connect the grounds first and cram them tight against the rear of thr box. Use the smallest wirenuts you can buy (and fit). Then install the outlets and carefully bend the wires along side of them.
You could also buy wiremold extension boxes. Your outlets will stick out of the wall about an inch, but that sure beats ripping walls apart. They provide lots of extra room since the outlet itself will be in the extension box, leaving the original box for the wires.
Do you reacll or HAVE another handybox similar to what you installed ? The metal ones have a flange that can be adjusted backward intil the box can be pulled out w/o any damage. Some of the blue plastic ones have two corner tabs that flip up/out within the wall to secure the box. If you can figure out where the "tabs" are, you can cut thru the drywall with something like a sharp screwdriver so the tabs can be eased thru and out of the wall. You can use some "mud" and f'glass drywall tape to fix the cuts once you get the box out and then slide the new (deep) ones in.
Those nails going through the box are probably the only means of support. They may be #8's or 16's. The screwdriver prying method may work. If you use the reciprocating saw, use it on low speed and get a long (10" or 12") hacksaw blade made for it. You don't want that saw banging into the drywall.
Excellent info - I did, in fact, find your earlier post by Googling. The older boxes aren't 2 1/2" deep actually - they're pretty shallow. It's a metal box, approx 12 cu in.
[To Mark: local inspector has already said the boxes are too shallow and must be replaced if I want to use 12/2]
After some careful use of a drywall saw around the existing box in the wall, I found that it's held to stud by long nails that go right through the metal box, with the nails partly visible on the inside. I didn't see (feel) any brackets holding it to the stud.
So now I'm thinking of getting a Reciprocating saw to cut the nails on the stud-side and hopefully the box will just come right out of the wall.
Yes, I found rushing it even a little bit causes drywall damage! I do plan on using the plastic boxes, but didn't think about oversize cover plates. Will keep that in mind.
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