Ever since we swapped the old light fixture in our bathroom earlier this year, one thing has been nagging at us: how close it sat to the shower curtain. And the second thing was that we didn’t have the time or energy back then to move the fixture several feet to the correct spot—so the slightly awkward placement stuck around for months.
We finally committed to fixing it. The first step was measuring and marking the ceiling so the light would be centered directly in front of the window and aligned with the door. That placement reads as intentional and balanced; keeping it centered in the room had left it uncomfortably close to the shower curtain and just looked off.
With the power turned off at the breaker, we disconnected the fixture from the existing box and removed the cover so we could work on relocating the box to its new position.
Because we weren’t certain where the ceiling joists were, we started cautiously by drilling a couple of small pilot holes to check for obstructions. When those showed only drywall and air, I cut a small inspection hole large enough to slip my hand in and feel for joists and wiring. I used my Dremel Multimax since it was already out, though I later switched to a drywall saw for better control around rounded corners.
Once we confirmed the new location was clear of beams, we needed the box-sized opening in the ceiling. Without a spare box to trace, we made a template by pressing a piece of cardstock around the edges of the existing metal box. The template gave us a precise shape to trace onto the ceiling so the new opening would be large enough to fit the box but not so big that the fixture’s trim wouldn’t cover it.
Because the pencil marks didn’t show well on the gray paint, we used a red marker for visibility. Everything we marked would be cut or patched, so the temporary bright marks weren’t an issue.
I finished the cut with the drywall saw to make the hole the correct, box-sized shape. With that opening in place, we could start the attic work to move the support and junction box over so the light would sit in its new, centered position.
Progress felt good, even if the scene didn’t look glamorous. Before heading into the attic, Sherry removed a couple of screws from below so the existing box would hang free once I reached it from above.
Removing those screws let the box drop so I could access it from the attic and move it to the new location. It made the finish work below much easier once the interior portion of the job was done.
The attic portion was the least pleasant part. It was a very hot day and the attic isn’t ventilated, so it felt like a sauna. The access is tight, requiring crawling over narrow beams through blown insulation to reach the section above the bathroom where the box needed to be moved. I made several trips back and forth for tools and to coordinate with Sherry, which added to the challenge.
Despite the cramped conditions, I moved the box, adjusted the short support board that spans the joists, and relocated the junction box so no extra wiring would be needed. I’m not an electrician, so I kept the electrical work simple and limited to moving components without altering connections.
After finishing the attic work, Sherry snapped a photo of me looking a bit exhausted and sweaty — the heat and tight space had taken their toll. Once I cooled down and took a quick shower in the hall bathroom, we reinstalled the fixture in its new, centered spot.
With the box secured to the new support and the light reattached, the room instantly looked more balanced. We still need to patch the old ceiling hole — Sherry will handle that step — but the visual improvement is immediate. Centering the light on the window, toilet, and door finally makes the fixture look like it was always meant to be there.
All told, the job itself was straightforward—measure, cut, move the box, secure it, and reinstall the fixture. The difficulty came from the attic access and the stifling heat, which made the work much more taxing than it would be with easy attic entry on a mild day. For us, breaking the project into phases and tackling the attic work when we had the energy made sense.
Anyone who has navigated a cramped, hot attic knows it’s worth the relief afterward. We’ll share the patched ceiling and final room photos later, along with a simple budget breakdown—this small bathroom upgrade is essentially complete, and the better-proportioned light placement was well worth the effort.
Psst- To follow this bathroom sprucing project from the start, check out this planning post, this painting post, this light-swapping post, this art and trim-painting post, this toilet-updating post, this window frosting and shampoo wrangling post, this door trimming post, thisborder tile demo post, and this border retiling post.