Done. Much better.

No backplate! That's what I'm talking about.

Sanded and Repainted Entire Wall

Mud Time

Repair time. Plaster walls!!! NOOooo!

Plaster walls - made the patch a bit more of a pain than drywall. Cut out a giant hole. Plugged a new piece in and taped. Almost there.

Wiring

A few quick YouTube lessons and the wiring on the furnace end of the run is is taken care of. 

Running a new thermostat cable.

Shoved my iPhone in the wall so I could see what I was working with. It fit in the hole where the dimmer used to be. Used it as an in wall camera. This is a shot down the inside of the wall. Cool!

Dimmer delete. Relocate thermostat.

Let's get rid of that goofy rotary dimmer that does nothing.  Also, change the white dimmer to black and brushed steel and relocate the thermostat above it.  New home for Nest.