Planning a home addition or renovation takes a lot of work. One of the critical aspects to pay attention to is the changes that need to be made to your home’s electrical system. In older homes, the system may be outdated, and you should take this opportunity when your home is already being altered to replace it. Your panel may need to be upgraded, especially if your new floorplan will require more power than the panel can currently handle. For this reason, when home remodeling, it is vital to work with your contractor to make sure all electrical needs are met and planned for.
Understand Your Home Remodeling Project
Electrical needs vary for different size projects. You likely don’t need to worry about the electricity for small changes to individual parts of the home, such as window replacements or painting. However, you can use this opportunity to make minor changes – such as adding tamper-resistant receptacles for safety or updating light fixtures to suit your style better.
Some home remodeling requires significant changes to a single room. If you are upgrading your kitchen cabinets or adding a fireplace, it may be necessary to change the location of some outlets or install fixtures over new elements – such as a newly installed island or workspace. Depending on how much needs to be changed or added, this could be a fairly significant alteration.
Converting a room to change its functionality – for example, turning an attic into a bedroom or moving your laundry room to a new location – will require major changes to the electrical system. This is especially true when converting a detached garage. Home additions are the most complicated since you need to add a completely new wiring system while making any necessary alterations and upgrades to the current system to accommodate it. You can use this major overhaul as an opportunity to make bigger changes to your electrical system, like adding an automatic backup generator. If you are planning on creating a space to rent out, you can create a separate electrical meter to track the usage of your new addition.
Electrical Safety is a Priority
Ensure that any room where water may interact with your home’s electricity is connected to a GFCI unit or ground fault circuit interrupter. This protects the rest of your system by cutting power to an outlet that has come into contact with water before shock or fire occurs.
If you have small children that live in or visit your home, you should add tamper-resistant receptacles to your outlets. These have a built-in shutter system that remains closed unless a two-pronged plug is inserted. This way, children cannot stick random objects into the outlet and receive a shock.
Never cut corners or allow an unlicensed contractor to perform work on your home, even if they are a friend who you trust. It would be best if you only allowed licensed, certified professionals to do electrical work. By trying to do your own work to save money, you risk your family’s safety and the functionality and safety of your house. Be sure to notify the electrical company of changes you are making, and have them move any lines that need to be dug up and redirected.
If you are considering a home remodeling project, the master electricians at Promise Electric are here to help. We provide quality professional electrical services to home and business owners across the greater Sarasota area.
