Kitchen Electrical Remodel in Bronzeville, Chicago

For greystone kitchen remodels, we coordinate with the developer or homeowner on service upgrade timing. The service upgrade — new ComEd service drop, new meter, new main panel — happens first, and then kitchen rough-in follows immediately. We walk the open walls with the GC to confirm outlet locations, appliance circuit runs, lighting positions, and island wiring before framing is closed. We pull the Chicago Department of Buildings electrical permit for both the service upgrade and the kitchen remodel under one project.

For new construction infill, we price from the architectural drawings, meet at framing for rough-in, and schedule trim-out to coincide with the final punch list. We run clean, labeled panels that pass Chicago Department of Buildings inspection on the first call.

We also handle kitchen electrical in Bronzeville's large courtyard apartment buildings — individual unit kitchen upgrades during tenant turnover, coordinated with property managers and building engineers so common-area infrastructure isn't disrupted.

• New main panel as prerequisite — In most Bronzeville greystones undergoing gut renovation, the kitchen remodel is paired with a full service upgrade. We replace 30A/60A fuse service with a modern 200A breaker panel (or 400A for three-unit greystones), providing the circuit capacity and AFCI/GFCI protection that modern code requires.
• Dedicated appliance circuits — Five minimum: 20A for refrigerator, 20A for dishwasher, 20A for microwave, 15A for disposal, 240V/50A for electric range (or 120V circuit for gas ignition). Greystone kitchens with a butler's pantry or secondary prep area get additional circuits for those appliances.
• GFCI-protected counter circuits — Two 20A small-appliance branch circuits for all countertop outlets, all GFCI-protected. In gut renovations where walls are open, we run clean individual home runs — no shared neutrals, no multi-wire branch circuits.
• Under-cabinet and task lighting — Low-voltage LED strips under upper cabinets, hardwired on a dedicated 15A dimmer circuit. In greystone kitchens with original plaster ceilings above the cabinets, we route transformer wiring inside the cabinet interior.
• Ambient recessed lighting — In large Bronzeville greystone kitchen/dining areas with 9-foot or 10-foot ceilings, recessed LED cans on a dimmer provide even overhead light that ceiling fixtures alone cannot achieve.
• Island wiring for new construction — New infill Bronzeville kitchens frequently include kitchen islands. We rough-in conduit through the subfloor to the island location during framing, before the floor covering is installed, so island outlets and pop-up receptacles are cleanly installed at trim-out.

Bronzeville's renovation market is powered by owners who are serious about these buildings. The greystones on King Drive and Michigan Avenue are extraordinary architecture, and the people restoring them want electrical work that matches the quality of the restoration. Our supervising electrician license, our experience with Chicago's greystone building type, and our permit-close record make us the right choice for these projects.

We also respect the neighborhood's history. Bronzeville was the Black Metropolis — the heart of Black cultural and commercial life in Chicago during the Great Migration. The buildings being restored here carry that history, and we approach the work accordingly.

For new construction infill, we're on the developer's schedule: we price from drawings, rough-in at framing, and close permits on time so certificates of occupancy aren't delayed.