I’ve always been super intimidated by doing any electrical work. But let me tell you, changing out these switches was one of the easiest home improvements I’ve ever done! Let’s back up a little so I can tell you why I’m upgrading my outlets.
Backstory
My son has slept in his own bed since he was about 4 months old. Over the last few months he has started coming down stairs and crawling into bed at the crack of dawn. Everyday that he makes his way down the hall and the stairs in the dark, I worry that he will fall and get hurt.
Solution: New Outlets!
So, I’ve been researching different options for him to see where he’s going. I’ve seen options from having stair and hall lights professionally installed to putting plug-in nightlights to the outlets along his path. Spending so much money on installing stair lights definitely isn’t in the budget and I’m not a fan of cheap plug-in nightlights so when I had the opportunity to partner with Legrand to try out their outlets, I knew that’s how I wanted to upgrade my home next. I chose my upgraded outlets from their Radiant Collection.
I started adding their outlet-nightlight combo throughout the house and it was honestly one of the quickest and most affordable upgrades to my house to-date. It took about 5 minutes per outlet to switch the old outlets for the new ones. Legrand has multiple how-to videos on their website: CLICK HERE. Check out the video below showing how quick and easy it was, even for me, to switch out the outlet in my son’s room.
The switch
The easiest way to switch outlets, that was described to me, is to mimic the wires from the one you take out of the wall, to the one you’re are installing. If the white wire is attached by the top screw and the black wire is attached by the bottom screw, then that’s where you should put the wires on the new outlet. Always turn off power to the outlet before you start working on it. An ordinary household has 120 volts AC electricity that is dangerous and can kill if you’re not cautious. That is easily avoided by going to your breaker and turning off electricity to the room you’re working in.
See the dark video above? The electricity is off in my son’s room while I’m working. To ensure I turned off the right breaker, I plugged in my son’s baby monitor to the outlet I was planning to work on. It has a light that is on when connected to power so if that light was off, then the outlet had no power going to it and I was safe to proceed.
TOP 3 REASONS TO UPGRADE YOUR OUTLETS:
1. Easy and Inexpensive — Big, beautiful upgrades to your home are so much fun but what’s really exhilarating for me is to be able to make such a big impact in my home, with function and beauty, without spending a ton of time or money doing so.
2. Options for Ease-– I love having options and Legrand offers so many options to make your life easier, you can choose a nightlight on the outlet or on the light switch, a wireless charger right on your wall, or an outlet with added ultra-fast charging USB outlets.
3. Modernize Your Home — On multiple levels you’re upgrading your home. You’ll go from builder-basic outlet covers to modern sleek covers that have a completely screw-less appearance. This will make your home look and feel custom for you and for future buyers.
Come along with me as we walk along the path from my son’s bedroom to mine. After less than an hour of instillation, is now illuminated with Legrand nightlight outlets.
This all reminds me that I have never shown you my son’s room design. It was actually the first room in my home to be completely decorated. Come back again next week to see the full layout and design of my son’s geometric toddler room!
Thank you for taking the time to read. I love sharing about my journey to creating my dream home with all of you. Comment below with a project or room you would like to see next!
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