Electrical: What to Decide Before the Walls Close

Electrical is the trade where the cost of a decision changes most dramatically with timing. Almost everything here is inexpensive during rough-in and expensive the day after drywall goes up.

For the work itself, see electrical.

Panel capacity is the first question, not the last

Older Los Angeles houses commonly have 100-amp service, and some have less. A renovated house with a modern kitchen, air conditioning, and eventually an EV charger and possibly a heat pump can exceed that.

Finding out at the end of a project that the panel will not carry the design is one of the more painful discoveries in remodelling, because it is both expensive and schedule-critical. Check capacity at the start. If an upgrade is needed, note that in Los Angeles the utility requires a meter spot before Building and Safety inspects, and in Burbank the same is true of Burbank Water and Power — a sequencing item that costs nothing early and stops the job late.

Lighting, in three layers

Rooms lit by a single ceiling fitting are the default and the reason so many rooms feel flat. The alternative is three layers, all decided at rough-in:

Ambient — general light so the room is usable.
Task — light where you actually do something. Under-cabinet in a kitchen, beside a mirror in a bathroom, next to a reading chair.
Accent — something to look at. A pendant, a wall light, light on artwork.

Under-cabinet lighting in a kitchen and lighting either side of a bathroom mirror are the two that make the largest practical difference and are most often left out.

Switching, which nobody thinks about and everybody notices

Walk the house as you use it. Does a light switch exist at both ends of every route you take in the dark? Can you turn the outside light on from the bedroom? Is there a switch where you enter a room, on the side your hand naturally reaches?

Adding a three-way switch at rough-in is trivial. Adding it afterwards means opening a wall and chasing a cable.

Outlets: more, and in better places

Kitchen counters. Code sets a minimum; the minimum is rarely enough for how kitchens are used.
Beside the bed, at the right height, with USB.
Where a desk will go, with data.
Outside, on a switched circuit for lighting.
In the garage and the eaves, for tools and seasonal lighting.
Floor outlets where furniture sits away from walls — only possible during construction.

Provision for what comes later

The cheapest electrical work is the work you do not need yet. During rough-in, run conduit for solar, a circuit or conduit to where an EV charger will go, a circuit for a future heat pump, and blocking plus a cable to where a television might be wall-mounted. Each is a small cost now and a wall-opening job later.

Ceiling fans and the box that has to be right

A fan needs a box rated and braced for the load and movement. A standard light box will not do. If a fan is even a possibility in a room, specify the right box at rough-in — it costs almost nothing and it is the difference between hanging a fan in an afternoon and opening a ceiling.

What costs more than people expect

Panel upgrades, particularly with utility coordination.
Running new circuits through finished walls.
Bringing older wiring up to current requirements once it is exposed.
Long runs to a detached structure.

What is cheaper than people expect

Almost everything, during rough-in. Extra outlets, switching, conduit, blocking.
Under-cabinet and mirror-side lighting.
Fan-rated boxes, specified early.
Data cabling run alongside power.

Decisions you cannot undo cheaply

Everything inside the walls. The position of every outlet and switch, every cable route, every box. Fittings and fixtures can be changed at any time; what feeds them cannot.

Questions we get asked

How do I know if my panel needs upgrading?

Check capacity at the start of the project, not the end. Many older Los Angeles houses have 100-amp service, which a modern kitchen plus air conditioning, an EV charger and a heat pump can exceed. Discovering it late is expensive and schedule-critical.

What lighting do people most often regret leaving out?

Under-cabinet lighting in kitchens and lighting either side of a bathroom mirror. Both make a large daily difference, both are inexpensive at rough-in, and both require opening finished surfaces afterwards.

What should I run now that I do not need yet?

Conduit for solar, a circuit or conduit to where an EV charger would go, provision for a future heat pump, and blocking with a cable where a television might be wall-mounted. Each is small now and a wall-opening job later.

Can I add a ceiling fan later?

Only if a fan-rated braced box was installed. A standard light box will not carry a fan. If a fan is even a possibility, specify the right box at rough-in — it costs almost nothing.

How many outlets should a kitchen have?

More than code requires. The code minimum is a floor, not a design target, and kitchens are used far more intensively than that minimum assumes.

Does a service upgrade involve the utility?

Yes, and the sequence matters. In Los Angeles the utility issues a meter spot before Building and Safety inspects; Burbank Water and Power works the same way. Started early it costs nothing; left late it stops the job.

Tell us about your electrical project

Send us the basics — what you want added or replaced, the age of the panel, and roughly when you would like to start — and we will come out, take measurements and put a written scope and estimate in front of you within about 48 hours of the visit.

Call (800) 348-3050