Pressure treated post in the ground, to support the outlet, vs trying to hang it on the wall surface. That will mean teenching for the conduit runs.
Help mounting electrical box to irregular surface
I'm not sure which forum is best for this topic but here it is in electrical... 
I have a detached 2-1/2 car garage. The facing of the garage is ~3/4" thick deco-stone applique mortared onto mesh lath, and then grouted. The contour of the stonework is quite irregular; below you will see my iPhone perched on a ledge to give you an idea.
I would like to add some supplementary lighting around the garage door openings. Some location options include at the keystones, in between the window and left hand side door, or central (underneath where you see our Christmas wreath currently hung).
My wife favors the central location although I am not 100% sold on this yet. She imagines a wrought iron-looking decorative lantern fixture to match the faux carriage hardware on the overhead doors.
My question here is regarding the best way to mount such a fixture to the irregular stone surface. What's the best/right way to do this? I was thinking about building up an area with some mortar so that it was in fact flat, then mounting an outdoor box to it. i was also thinking that i could simply use NM conduit w/threaded fittings into the box and not securing the box at all to the wall–– the conduit would hold it in place. This would only entail a ~1" hole in the stonework. I'm not convinced of this idea.
Any ideas and/or thoughts on mounting location and attachment method appreciated.
Note:
In just about any mounting location, the interior area directly behind where the box would go is open for access.
Regards,
Wrooster
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ps:
I have used google images and found a couple of photos of this type of application and honestly I think that having such a gap around the mount is a little bit hack-ish...
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I have a detached 2-1/2 car garage. The facing of the garage is ~3/4" thick deco-stone applique mortared onto mesh lath, and then grouted. The contour of the stonework is quite irregular; below you will see my iPhone perched on a ledge to give you an idea.
I would like to add some supplementary lighting around the garage door openings. Some location options include at the keystones, in between the window and left hand side door, or central (underneath where you see our Christmas wreath currently hung).
My wife favors the central location although I am not 100% sold on this yet. She imagines a wrought iron-looking decorative lantern fixture to match the faux carriage hardware on the overhead doors.
My question here is regarding the best way to mount such a fixture to the irregular stone surface. What's the best/right way to do this? I was thinking about building up an area with some mortar so that it was in fact flat, then mounting an outdoor box to it. i was also thinking that i could simply use NM conduit w/threaded fittings into the box and not securing the box at all to the wall–– the conduit would hold it in place. This would only entail a ~1" hole in the stonework. I'm not convinced of this idea.
Any ideas and/or thoughts on mounting location and attachment method appreciated.
Note:
In just about any mounting location, the interior area directly behind where the box would go is open for access.
Regards,
Wrooster
ps:
I have used google images and found a couple of photos of this type of application and honestly I think that having such a gap around the mount is a little bit hack-ish...
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You guys and your "you shoulda done X first!"
No kidding.
The structure was built in 1922 and initially served as a carriage house. It was converted to an actual car garage somewhere circa 1950. The decorative stone facing was evidently added around 2004. My wife and I bought the house in 2009. Now it is 2012 and I would like more light above/around the garage doors. When, exactly, should I set my time machine to in order to "pre-plan" for this work?
A "skilled mason", good grief. Maybe he could lay a proper foundation as well, and I could just build an entire new garage atop it and pre-plan for the lights.
Wrooster
Lmao!You guys and your "you shoulda done X first!"
No kidding.
The structure was built in 1922 and initially served as a carriage house. It was converted to an actual car garage somewhere circa 1950. The decorative stone facing was evidently added around 2004. My wife and I bought the house in 2009. Now it is 2012 and I would like more light above/around the garage doors. When, exactly, should I set my time machine to in order to "pre-plan" for this work?
A "skilled mason", good grief. Maybe he could lay a proper foundation as well, and I could just build an entire new garage atop it and pre-plan for the lights.
Wrooster
Welcome to diy with a pro.
It really isn't has hackish as you might think. In reality, you will probably be the only one that notices. I do get that it might bother you, but it is probably your best option.I have used google images and found a couple of photos of this type of application and honestly I think that having such a gap around the mount is a little bit hack-ish...
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IMHO, 98% of outdoor fixtures are cheap pieces of crap. The mounting of them becomes secondary to their crapiness.
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