How to Change an Electric Outlet to the Other Side of a Wall

Turn off the circuit breaker to the outlet you want to change. In most cases the circuit breaker cuts off all the switches and outlets on the same wall or in the same room. Plug an outlet tester into the outlet to ensure the electricity is off.

Position the remodeling outlet box so that it is close to the same area as the existing box on the other side. Trace the back of the outlet box onto the wall with a pencil. Cut the wall at the tracing with a utility knife and remove the cutting from the wall.

Go to the existing outlet and remove the screw securing the faceplate with a flat-head screwdriver. Unscrew the outlet from the junction box with the screwdriver. Place a piece of masking tape over each wire, and write the wire terminal location on each piece of tape.

Loosen the terminal screws on the sides of the outlet with a Phillips screwdriver, and pull the wires off the screws. Push the wires through the back of the existing junction box.

Take the outlet over to the new hole in the wall on the other side. Reach inside the hole and grab the house cable for the existing outlet. Punch out the knockout plug in the back of the remodeling box with the Phillips screwdriver. Feed the house wires through the back of the remodeling box.

Insert the remodeling box into the wall. Rotate the screws that turn the wing clips on the back of the box clockwise with the flat-head screwdriver to secure the box in the wall. (There is a screw located at both the top and at the bottom of the box with a long clip on the end. The screw rotates the clip behind the wall, securing the box.)

Inspect the ends of each wire for cracks. If necessary, cut off the exposed end with wire stripper/cutters and strip 1/4 inch of insulation off the ends. Bend the end of each wire into a hook to go over the neck of the terminal screws on the outlet.

Reattach the house wires to the proper terminals on the outlet according to your markings. Tighten the terminal screws to secure the wires. Remove the tape from the wires. Push the wires into the remodeling box until the outlet mounting holes are against the mounting holes on the box. Secure the outlet to the box with the retaining screws.

Place an outlet cover on the remodeling box and secure with retaining screws. Place a cover plate over the previous box and secure with retaining screws. A cover plate is simply a solid plate that covers the empty junction box. Turn on the circuit breaker to power the new outlet.