If you're willing to cut the drywall it's probably doable without too much effort. If you're tiling you may want to use something other than straight drywall anyway as the backer.

"If you're tiling you may want to use something other than straight drywall anyway as the backer."

Plain drywall is acceptable here since it is NOT a wet location.

Tateland, it's not just the plates that are vertical, it is the boxes in the wall. This is not as simple as rotating some devices and covers.

It may be acceptable, but not preferable. But even if you kept it, you can hide a patch job pretty well if you're going to cover things with stone or tile.

Even in dry areas I used to use the stiffer backers than plain drywall (like denshield) or the newer isolation stuff from Shluter.

If this backsplash includes the sink area, it certainly involves a wet area. That, plus the mud and grout are wet. Regular drywall is not a suitable medium for setting tile as ronnatalie suggests.

To the OP, what is the condition of the present wall? If regular drywall needs to be removed for replacement with a proper backer, that would be the time to reorient your electrical fixtures.

"If this backsplash includes the sink area, it certainly involves a wet area. That, plus the mud and grout are wet. Regular drywall is not a suitable medium for setting tile as ronnatalie suggests."

Even the area around a kitchen sink is NOT a 'wet area' for tile work.

Wet areas are around tubs and showers that will see repeated soakings with water/

Maybe if you use a sprayer at the kitchen sink to wash down the back splash, but that is pretty far off normal.

Commercial kitchens often have 'wet' walls since using a hose for cleaning is not uncommon.

There is no reason to use anything more than drywall for walls not subject to repeated soaking.

Even in wet areas, cement board requires another layer to create a water barrier.

While Ditra and other membranes can fulfill this requirement, tar paper remains in common use.

The only thing waterproof about tile is that it is not damaged by the exposure to water.

The grout remains capable of wicking water around the tile to the substrate, and is is why another barrier is required under the cement board (it wicks very nicely also, like every cement based product).

Hi
thanks to everyone for your comments. We will be installing our AZ Tile stackstone quartzite on the drywall. Moving the outlet covers is a no go, so I will try to find matchy matchy ones.

"...try to find matchy matchy ones."

You can take an approved plate and decorate it with paint as you wish.

You could even take a photo of the tile and glue it onto the plate, or use one of the 'wallpaper' plates.