Retrofit Installation Question w/ Pic

[CalypsoCowboy]

I purchased a DIY video from the Training Dept which was pretty helpful with a lot of techniques but didn't address one situation I have.

I have a split level house, two levels on one side one on the other. This installation is for the side with one level. The rooms have raised ceilings so I don't really have any type of an attic on the one side. Maybe 1 or 2 foot at most so I'm planning on running all the wiring under the house as I have a crawlspace. The problem I'm finding is the walls were put on the flooring material which was installed on a sill plate sitting on the concrete fountation so I only have a little room betwen the flooring and concrete. I think I can get and drill down fine, my concern is I need to come very close to the end of the 2x4 when I drill down in hopes that I get the end of the bottom 2x4. I've marked in green where I think I need to drill.

Is this what I need to do or are there other tricks I can use to get an upper and lower hole to line up.

-Josh

 

[Sandpiper]

Are you sure this is correct? Usually there is a rim joist and floor joists which sit on the sill plate. The floor then sits on the joists. So I would expect to have a little more room in there. You are not showing any joists.

In any case, I have run into a situation similar to what you describe....where there are double rim joists. In this case, there is no room to drill vertical and enter the free space below the floor. What I've had to do here is to drill horizontally into the rim joist and intersect the vertical drill hole. Use a 1" for the horizontal drill to give a better chance to hit the vertical drill. It is hard to find and may take several tries. The horizontal holes will not affect the structural integrity of the rim joist.

 

[CalypsoCowboy]

Here is a better pic, but yes this is the setup. I've included the joists. This picture isn't to scale, I do have room between the joists and the top of the concrete is 6" wide so that leaves 2 1/2" of concrete before the 2x4 sill.

 

[Photon]

Try alternate routing to avoid the foundation walls. Remove the baseboard from the area directly under the cable's destination. Drill an opening just above the bottom wall plate so it goes up into the same stud bay as the vertical hole above it. Now you can play with fish tape in the wall to get your cable from the window or whatever into the room at floor level. Using a utility knife or router, carve a trench into the wall material or the back of the baseboard horizontally to and around the corner of the nearest perpendicular wall. At a distance far enough from the outside wall to avoid the foundation wall, drill down at an angle through the bottom wall plate and floor into the crawl space. Tuck your cable into the trench and replace the baseboard. I suggest you use a meter to verify there are no shorts or opens in the cable after you reattach the baseboard.

Crown molding can be just as useful should you need to go up instead of down.