Condo concrete walls (??) and electrical box DIY

Two things. One is with then electrical box. OK, I admit this part isn't a DIY job, but I wanted to see if anyone knew the answer to this. Right now my condo has a 5 switch breaker panel. Two switches are 20V and I have no idea what they go to. I flipped them and they don't change anything in my condo - not the AC, no outlets, nothing in the kitchen. Then I have one 15V switch that controls my oven, dishwasher, and light in the kitchen; another 15V that controls my refrigerator outlet and living room outlets (like 5 outlets); and another 15V that covers a light in the living room, two lights in master bath, light in half bath, and all the outlets in master and second bedroom (about 8-10 outlets). I know I'll have to move the panel by flipping it 180 degrees and mounting it on the other side of the wall to meet code. My question is, are my circuits (mainly that last one) overloaded carrying electricity to that many things? And when I get a new breaker panel, should I get one with more circuits and have the electrician install it so that each switch controls less?

Then second, my neighbor (old lady) said she's lived in my condo building 50 years (2 years after it was built/opened) and that the walls are concrete and the supports are steel. In some places, I don't have trouble drilling through what seems to be .5" or .75" drywall to hang a picture, but in other places, I go .5" and I'm unable to drill further. She claimed we "don't have drywall or plaster walls." What does that mean? I plan to start doing some kitchen work which will include taking out sections of wall to rearrange gas piping. I cut a 2" diameter hole behind the oven to examine what was going on with the gas pipe and again, it went right through. I just don't want to rip it out, and then learn I made a big mistake. She also said there were zero load bearing walls since its concrete and steel, which would be great if true because there are some wall modifications I'd like to make (creating a walkway through one side of the kitchen. I guess my question: is it just the frame of the building that is concrete and steel, but the walls are still covered by drywall? I can't imagine my average drill bits cut through concrete (maybe cementboard though).

Submitted October 01, 2014 at 10:27PM by blackngold14 http://ift.tt/1rIcjQi DIY