Full Electrical Panel Upgrade Let Us Finally Renovate the Kitchen

Our house was built in 1962 and the electrical panel was original — a 60-amp fuse box that had been jury-rigged and added to over the decades. Every time we got a quote for kitchen or bathroom work, the contractor would say "you'll need to upgrade the panel first" and we'd shelve the project.

I posted on NeedReno specifically for an electrician for a 200-amp panel upgrade. Four responses within a day. Voltage Masters was the most thorough — their quote included a clear breakdown: permit, utility disconnect coordination, new 200-amp panel with arc-fault breakers throughout, smoke/CO detector upgrades to current code, and patching the drywall around the new panel location.

Total: $4,200. Completed in two days, including the utility reconnection.

The inspector who came out said it was one of the cleanest panel installations he'd seen in a residential home. The work passed first time.

Now we have the power capacity for a proper kitchen renovation with a modern range, hood fan, dishwasher, and fridge on dedicated circuits. We're going ahead with the kitchen this fall. None of that was possible with the old fuse box.

Sometimes the least glamorous renovation is the one that makes everything else possible.