I recently bought a new fixture for my back patio light. (Just replacing an old halogen motion-detector light with a new LED motion-detector light.)

Unfortunately, the mounting bracket for the new light has screw holes which are 3 1/2" apart, while the existing junction box has screw holes which are 2 3/4" apart. (And I can't use the old mounting bracket with the new light, because the way it attaches to the light is completely different.)

First off, is it the new light which is unusual for expecting 3 1/2", or is it the house that's unusual for having 2 3/4" holes?

How does one normally solve this problem?

Is it possible to buy a light fixture that works with 2 3/4" mounting holes? Unfortunately, none of the fixtures I can find online or in the store say what distance of mounting holes they expect... it isn't until you open the box that it says what it's expecting.

Update: In the end, I didn't have enough confidence to DIY this, so I called an electrician. I'm not sure how he solved the problem, but he solved it.

I recently bought a new fixture for my back patio light. (Just replacing an old halogen motion-detector light with a new LED motion-detector light.)

Unfortunately, the mounting bracket for the new light has screw holes which are 3 1/2" apart, while the existing junction box has screw holes which are 2 3/4" apart. (And I can't use the old mounting bracket with the new light, because the way it attaches to the light is completely different.)

First off, is it the new light which is unusual for expecting 3 1/2", or is it the house that's unusual for having 2 3/4" holes?

How does one normally solve this problem?

Is it possible to buy a light fixture that works with 2 3/4" mounting holes? Unfortunately, none of the fixtures I can find online or in the store say what distance of mounting holes they expect... it isn't until you open the box that it says what it's expecting.

I recently bought a new fixture for my back patio light. (Just replacing an old halogen motion-detector light with a new LED motion-detector light.)

Unfortunately, the mounting bracket for the new light has screw holes which are 3 1/2" apart, while the existing junction box has screw holes which are 2 3/4" apart. (And I can't use the old mounting bracket with the new light, because the way it attaches to the light is completely different.)

First off, is it the new light which is unusual for expecting 3 1/2", or is it the house that's unusual for having 2 3/4" holes?

How does one normally solve this problem?

Is it possible to buy a light fixture that works with 2 3/4" mounting holes? Unfortunately, none of the fixtures I can find online or in the store say what distance of mounting holes they expect... it isn't until you open the box that it says what it's expecting.

I recently bought a new fixture for my back patio light. (Just replacing an old halogen motion-detector light with a new LED motion-detector light.)

Unfortunately, the mounting bracket for the new light has screw holes which are 3 1/2" apart, while the existing junction box has screw holes which are 2 3/4" apart. (And I can't use the old mounting bracket with the new light, because the way it attaches to the light is completely different.)

First off, is it the new light which is unusual for expecting 3 1/2", or is it the house that's unusual for having 2 3/4" holes?

How does one normally solve this problem?

Is it possible to buy a light fixture that works with 2 3/4" mounting holes? Unfortunately, none of the fixtures I can find online or in the store say what distance of mounting holes they expect... it isn't until you open the box that it says what it's expecting.

Update: In the end, I didn't have enough confidence to DIY this, so I called an electrician. I'm not sure how he solved the problem, but he solved it.