best way to install exterior outlet (right behind interior outlet?)

[CCCA]

I'm finally getting around to installing an exterior outlet on our covered front porch so we can do winter holiday lights.  The easiest way to do so is to pull out the interior outlet in the front of house and drill a hole through the outlet box, through the exterior wall/stucco and then run a wire through to an exterior box that I can drill into the wall. 


Is this a bad idea?  Any other option I can think of involves tearing out drywall.  Any tips/hints would be appreciated.


thanks

[MetalCap]

I've done this before. Not sure if it's 100% Code but it'll work...  I'd add another box surface & cover mounted on the outside that is outdoor rated along with an Outdoor weather rated GFCI.  The biggest wiring issue you'll have is if the interior outlet isn't at the end of the line in the circuit and is in the middle of the daisy chain.
I suggest not adding the outdoor outlet into the daisy chain but instead making is an end.

Hope that makes sense.  Oh and make sure your circuit has enough capacity so something doesn't trip every time you turn on your lights.

[BudgetSlasher]

I've done this before. Not sure if it's 100% Code but it'll work...  I'd add another box surface & cover mounted on the outside that is outdoor rated along with an Outdoor weather rated GFCI.  The biggest wiring issue you'll have is if the interior outlet isn't at the end of the line in the circuit and is in the middle of the daisy chain.
I suggest not adding the outdoor outlet into the daisy chain but instead making is an end.

Hope that makes sense.  Oh and make sure your circuit has enough capacity so something doesn't trip every time you turn on your lights.

Any particular reason you wouldn't want it in the middle of the series, other than the future mystery of why outlets are not working when the outside GFCI has tripped?

The outside outlet could be wired in parallel off of the series, such that it is not in the middle of the series.

[MetalCap]

It's more that because you're most likely going to be at a premium for space with the exterior box butt up to the interior box, it's gonna be a pain to keep all the wire organized.  It was something I ran into when both the interior outlet and exterior outlet were loaded up with connections to keep the series going.

[SweatingInAR]

To get yourself some more space, it can be helpful to remove the existing box and replace it with a larger one with more outlets (remove 1-gang, put in 2-gang). You'll have a lot more work to do, but I find it easier to fit the extra connections. Plus you will have an extra large hole to push wires to the outside wall. Caulk and/or spray foam the gaps to prevent outside air infiltration!

With an old work 2-gang box, you still won't have to do any drywall repair. Rough drywall and paint edges will be hidden behind the wall plate.

Are you planning to surface-mount the exterior box, or recess it into the wall?
Surface mount is way easier, but somewhat ugly. If you are recessing, you can offset them by a couple of inches so they don't back into eachother.

[CCCA]

thanks everyone for the replies. 

I put the project off because of the smoke that made it hazardous to spend alot of time outside last week and then because of the holidays.  I just finished the project today and it turned out pretty well.

I used a magnet to find the stud that held the box (to the left of the outlet box) and drilled a 1/2" hole at an angle through the right side of the plastic box.  Then I traced the box on the outside of the house about 3 inches to the right of the box.  The outlet was in the middle rather than the terminal outlet, but it wasn't too hard to pigtail another wire into the bunch (there were already 3 and I added a 4th).  I fished a 10 inch long section of 12 gauge romex through the hole in the original outlet box into the opening I made and inserted one of those blue plastic boxes with the screw tabs that can hold it to the wall from the back.  Because the wall consisted of stucco and plywood (about 1.5" thick), I had to find longer screws so the little blue tabs could reach the back of the plywood.  The outlet cover has a foam gasket which helps to reduce any air infiltration. 

It took a few hours.  The main thing that took awhile was getting through the stucco, which took awhile to get through since I didn't quite have the perfect tools.  I had a hammer drill and masonry bits so I used that to drill around the outline of the box and a chisel to break it out.  Then wire cutter to cut through the chicken wire, then a dremel multi-tool to plunge cut through the 1/2" plywood.

thanks for the tips.  And now we can set up the holiday lights!