Kitchen Electrical Remodel in Ukrainian Village, Chicago

The typical Ukrainian Village kitchen electrical project is a complete system rebuild. We start at the service entrance: either a new 200A service drop from ComEd with a new main panel in the basement, or a panel replacement if a service upgrade was done separately. From the new panel, we run individual home runs to every kitchen circuit — no shared circuits, no shared neutrals, no branch circuits that double back to old wiring.

In balloon-frame cottage walls, we fish new cable vertically through the wall cavity from the attic to the kitchen. This approach — possible because of the open balloon framing that runs from basement to attic — allows us to run new circuits with minimal plaster cutting. Where cuts are unavoidable, we mark them carefully for the plaster contractor.

We pull all required permits from the Chicago Department of Buildings and manage both the rough-in and final inspections. For any exterior work triggered by the kitchen project — new service entrance, meter relocation — we route changes to the alley side of the building and submit applications to the Landmarks Commission when required.

• New main panel as part of kitchen project — Almost always required. A 60A fuse panel cannot support a modern kitchen. We upgrade to 200A breaker service (sometimes concurrent with K&T removal) and install a new main panel before the kitchen rough-in begins.
• Dedicated circuits for each appliance — In a cottage kitchen, that means: 20A for the refrigerator, 20A for the dishwasher, 120V/20A for the microwave, 120V/15A for the disposal, and 240V/50A for an electric range (or 120V circuit if gas). If the owner is adding a beverage center or undercounter drawer refrigerator, each gets its own 20A circuit.
• Two small-appliance counter branch circuits — Chicago code requires a minimum of two 20A counter circuits for a kitchen, all GFCI-protected. In a Ukrainian Village cottage kitchen with limited counter space, we maximize outlet density within the code minimum footprint.
• GFCI at counter and sink — All outlets within 6 feet of the sink and all countertop outlets must be GFCI-protected under current code. Old cottage kitchens may have no GFCI outlets at all.
• Under-cabinet task lighting — LED strip lights hardwired under upper cabinets on a dedicated 15A circuit with a dimmer. In cottage kitchens with low 7.5-foot ceilings, under-cabinet task lighting is more effective than overhead ambient lighting alone.
• Overhead ambient lighting — We replace the single ceiling fixture with two or three LED recessed cans on a dimmer, positioned over the work areas and above the sink. In low cottage ceilings, we use shallow IC-rated cans with minimal protrusion.

Ukrainian Village kitchen remodels require an electrician who specializes in the workers' cottage building type. Balloon-frame walls, 60A fuse panels, knob-and-tube in the ceiling joists, and landmark-district exterior constraints are all a normal part of our work here. We've completed dozens of cottage kitchen electrical upgrades in Ukrainian Village — and we know that the difference between a clean result and a frustrating project is planning the service upgrade and K&T removal as part of the kitchen scope rather than discovering them mid-project.

Our supervising electrician license, our cottage-rewire experience, and our familiarity with the Ukrainian Village Landmark District guidelines are the reasons we're recommended by the GCs and designers working in this neighborhood.