Ever since we updated the light fixture in our bathroom back in April, one thing has been nagging us: how close it sat to the shower curtain. Okay, two things: that, and the fact that we didn’t have the energy back then to move the fixture box a few feet to the right (we swapped the light, did a little drywall patching and painting, but relocating the box felt like a bigger job).
After three months of gathering motivation, we finally decided to relocate the light for good. We started by measuring and marking the ceiling so the fixture would be centered in front of the window and aligned with the door. Centering it this way makes the placement look intentional; the old location had it awkwardly centered in the room and just inches from the shower curtain.
We shut off the power and disconnected the light from the fixture box.
Not remembering exactly where the ceiling joists were, we began by drilling a couple of small holes to check for beams. After confirming there was only drywall and air, we cut a small opening large enough to slip a hand through and feel around. My Dremel Multimax was already out, so I used it to make the initial cut.
With the area checked for obstructions, we traced the shape for the new metal fixture box. Lacking a spare box to trace, we made a template by pressing cardstock along the edges of the existing box in the ceiling. The indentation provided a clear guide for cutting.
After cutting the cardstock template, we traced it onto the ceiling so the opening would be the right size: large enough for the box to fit through but not so large that the fixture cover wouldn’t hide it. Our pencil marks were disappearing on the gray paint, so we used red sharpie to make the layout more visible; it would all be covered later anyway.
I switched to a drywall saw to cut the final opening—my Multimax didn’t handle the rounded corners as cleanly.
It’s not glamorous yet, but this is progress.
Before heading into the attic to move the box, Sherry removed a couple of screws from beneath the fixture.
Removing those screws freed the assembly so it could hang loose in the original location.
Then came the attic work—on a 98-degree day. The attic is a hot, tight crawl space with blown insulation and narrow beams to navigate. For this job I had to crawl almost to the farthest corner of the attic to access the new location.
It took four trips back and forth for tools and coordination, and each trip meant crawling across insulation in sweltering heat. In short: miserable.
Once in position, I adjusted the support board that spans between two joists, moved the junction box forward so no extra wiring would be needed, and reattached the fixture box in its new location. I’m not an electrician, so I kept the changes simple to avoid complications.
After finishing the attic work I emerged hot and exhausted—Sherry snapped a photo of me looking every bit the sweaty mess I felt like.
Once I cooled down, rehydrated, and showered, we returned to the bathroom to reinstall the light. We affixed the fixture box to the support boards just as we had removed it, then rehung the light. We still need to patch the old ceiling hole (Sherry volunteered for that step), but the new placement looks so much better—centered over the window, toilet, and door as if it had always been intended to be there.
All told, the task itself was straightforward; the main challenge was the attic conditions. Crawling into a cramped corner multiple times on a brutally hot day made the job far more unpleasant than it would be with easier attic access or milder weather. That’s a big part of why we didn’t just move the fixture back in April—attic work can be a real hassle. Breaking larger projects into smaller phases can make them more manageable, and afterward it’s perfectly reasonable to complain about the annoying parts.
Anyone else recently endured a hot, cramped attic or similar space? If not, consider yourself lucky. We’ll follow up with the patched ceiling, final room photos, and a budget summary—we’re calling this small bathroom upgrade complete and, despite the sweat, well worth the effort.
Psst—To follow this bathroom project from the start, see earlier posts covering our planning, painting, light swap, trim and art updates, toilet update, window frosting, door trimming, border tile demo, and border retiling.