How to Install an Electrical Outlet in Drywall Next to a Stud

Run a stud finder along the wall in the location you wish to install the outlet. Mark the edge of the stud you want to mount the outlet's electrical box on.

Draw a 12-by-12-inch square next to the wall stud. One of the square's sides should butt up tight with the wall stud. Use a level as a straight edge to make the lines as straight as possible.

Poke a drywall saw's tip through one of the square's corners. Use a sawing motion to cut the drywall along the line. When you reach the next corner, turn the drywall saw and saw along that line. Continue until you have cut the square out of the wall.

Use a screwdriver to back out the screws holding one of the room's existing outlet's face plates in place. Measure from the floor to the bottom edge of the electrical box. Mark this height directly on the wall stud where you will place the new electrical box. Replace the outlet's face plate.

Decide where on the new electrical box you want the electrical cable to enter. Hold a screwdriver against the selected knockout hole. Hit the screwdriver's handle with a hammer to remove the knockout. Insert a cable connector into the knockout hole.

Feed the cable through the cable connector and tighten the screw. Position the electrical box against the stud, lining up the bottom edge with the mark you made in Step 4. Secure the electrical box to the stud with either nails or screws.

Strip the rubber coating and peel back the insulating paper 6 inches down on the electrical cable to separate the three wires. Strip approximately 1 inch of rubber coating from each of the wires.

Loosen two of the new outlet's screw terminals. Bend the white wire and the black wire into hooks and wrap each one around a separate screw. Tighten the screws to hold them in place. Loosen the outlet's green ground screw. Bend the green or bare copper wire into a hook and wrap it around the green screw, then tighten the screw.

Push all the wires and the electrical outlet into the electrical box mounted to the wall stud. Secure the outlet to the electrical box with the supplied screws. Position a cover plate over the outlet and secure it in place with the provided screws.

Use a patch kit to patch the hole in the wall next to the outlet following the manufacturer's directions. Most patch kits supply a mesh which you put over the hole, then cover with drywall mud using a 4-inch putty knife. Add a second coat of mud a few hours later. Sand the second coat smooth with a sanding sponge once it has fully dried.