My living room wall had a 3 inch gap after I tried to fix a crooked outlet by myself

Moved into this house in Phoenix and noticed the outlet in the living room was tilted like 5 degrees. Figured I'd just loosen the screws, straighten it, and be done in 10 minutes. Pulled the plate off and found the drywall had this big loose chunk around the box. One tug on the box and the whole thing ripped out, leaving a 3 inch gap through to the outside. My wife came in and asked if I was trying to install a new window. Had to call a friend who does electrical to come patch it up with a piece of wood and some spackle. Has anyone else found hidden drywall rot or gaps behind a simple outlet fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_val24d ago

lol that's straight up the Arizona special, drywall here crumbles if you breathe on it wrong

shane_ross24d ago

Phoenix here too... pulled an outlet plate off last year and half the wall just disintegrated, ended up with a fist-sized hole straight into the insulation.