Project book · an hour

Swap a light switch for a dimmer

Same box, same wires, a dimmer where the switch was. Check the bulbs can dim first.

How many switches?

switches

Shut it off first

Turn off the breaker and check every wire with a non-contact voltage tester before you touch anything. Call a licensed electrician if you find aluminum wiring, no ground wire, scorched wires, or anything that is not a like-for-like swap. Some Arkansas cities require a permit for electrical work, so check with your city if unsure.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Electrical

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about an hour · some experience

  1. Check the bulbs on that light say dimmable. A dimmer on non-dimmable LEDs flickers and buzzes.
  2. Turn off the breaker, take the plate off, and check every wire in the box with the voltage tester.
  3. Pull the old switch out and photograph how it is connected. If there are more wires than you expected, or anything looks scorched, stop.
  4. Connect the dimmer the same way the old switch was, following the instructions in its box, and fold the wires back neatly.
  5. Screw it in, fit the new plate, turn the breaker back on and test it through its full range.

Something else

Build a raised garden bedMulch a flower bedPaint a roomPut up garage shelvingFix a patchy lawnBuild a fire pitMount a TV on the wallCookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.

Swap a light switch for a dimmer — everything for it, in one tap · DriverRuns