Rant: 3 days to change a light fixture, not the 2 hours I planned for

I bought a basic ceiling light from the hardware store in Denver. Setup said 2 hours max, so I started at 10 AM on Saturday. First the old bracket was glued to the box, that cost me an hour with a chisel. Then the wires were stripped uneven and I had to redo them twice. By 3 PM I had the new one up, but the switch only worked half the time. Turns out I mixed up the ground and neutral, even though I double checked. Sunday I fixed that, but the cover plate was warped and didn't sit flush. Monday I had to buy a new plate set for $14 and swap it out. So my simple project took 3 days and 4 trips. Has anyone else had a 'quick' home fix turn into a weekend killer? How do you spot hidden problems before you start?

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lisak261mo ago

Check the box for plumb and level before you mount anything, that cheap plastic hides a lot of grief.

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