Forest Hill · Toronto Hydro service area
Licensed electrician in Forest Hill
Forest Hill's large 1920s to 1940s homes are a pleasure to work in and demanding to wire. We plan rewiring, service upgrades and lighting around original plaster and millwork, with a Master Electrician leading every job.
Electrical work in Forest Hill
Houses built before the appliances
Most of Forest Hill was built between the 1920s and the 1940s, when a large house drew a fraction of the power a family uses today. Many homes have been renovated more than once since, and every renovation left its own layer behind. Opening a panel in Upper or Lower Forest Hill often shows three or four generations of wiring at once: original circuits, additions from the 1960s and 70s, and newer work from the last kitchen or bathroom project.
That mix isn't automatically unsafe, but it needs someone to read it properly. Older circuits may be ungrounded, sized for loads that no longer exist, or tied into newer runs in ways that are hard to trace. Insurers increasingly ask about the age of the wiring and the panel before renewing a policy on an older home, and buyers' inspectors ask too.
We start with a full home electrical inspection: panel, service, a sample of circuits on every floor, grounding and bonding, and any obvious overloading. You get a plain written summary of what we found and what we'd do first, so you can plan the work in stages or as part of a renovation.
What we find
Common electrical issues in older Forest Hill homes
None of these mean the house is in trouble. They are the things worth checking before you add load or close up walls.
Several generations of wiring
Original circuits, mid-century additions and recent work sharing one panel, sometimes with splices hidden in walls and ceilings.
Two-prong outlets
Ungrounded receptacles in bedrooms and living rooms, often swapped for three-prong outlets without a ground behind them.
A panel that has run out of room
Doubled-up breakers and sub-panels added over the years, with labels that no longer match the rooms.
Service sized for another era
A service that was fine before central air, heated floors and an EV, but has no headroom for a renovation.
Busy third-floor circuits
Finished attics and top-floor offices running computers, space heaters and window air conditioners on one or two old circuits.
Tired exterior wiring
Old outdoor fixtures, garage feeds and garden lighting that weren't installed with today's weather-rated materials.
Big houses, big loads
Sizing the service for the house you're building
A full renovation in Forest Hill rarely adds just one large appliance. It adds several, and they tend to run at the same time on a cold January evening. That's why we size the service from a load calculation on the finished design, not from the size of the old panel. The calculation is part of our permits and load calculation work, and it's what ESA expects to see behind a larger service.
When the service needs to grow, Toronto Hydro has to be involved: they disconnect the old service and reconnect the new one once ESA has passed our work. Some homes here are fed by an underground service and others by an overhead drop. That changes the scope and the price, so we confirm how your house is supplied at the first visit.
Lighting and finish
Lighting that suits the architecture
Forest Hill homes have tall ceilings, deep mouldings and plaster that doesn't forgive careless cutting. New pot lights have to land on a clean grid that respects the room, miss the joists and avoid the plaster medallion that's been there for ninety years. Picture lights, stair lighting, under-cabinet lighting and dimmable scenes are all common requests, and they're easiest to do well when the plan is settled before the trades start.
We regularly work alongside interior designers and general contractors on renovations. Bring us the lighting plan, or ask us to help draw one. Outside, landscape and facade lighting and a Level 2 charger in the garage are the jobs we're asked about most often.
Rewiring an occupied home
How we update wiring while you live in the house
Most Forest Hill families stay in the house during electrical work. We plan it so the rest of the home keeps power.
Assessment
We map the existing circuits and agree which rooms and systems come first.
Route plan
Floor by floor, we decide where new cable will run and where any access openings go.
Permit
We file the notification of work with the Electrical Safety Authority.
Work in phases
One area at a time, so bedrooms and the kitchen aren't out of service at once.
Inspection and handover
ESA inspects, you receive the Certificate of Acceptance and an updated panel directory.
Neighbourhoods
Where we work in Forest Hill
We cover all of Forest Hill, including:
- Forest Hill Village
- Lower Forest Hill
- Upper Forest Hill
- Chaplin Estates
- Casa Loma
Services in Forest Hill
- Panel upgrades100A to 200A service
- Full home wiringWhole house or room by room
- Backup generatorsStandby + transfer switch
- EV chargersLevel 2, 40 to 60A circuit
- Pot lights and lightingInterior + exterior
- New construction for buildersRough-in to final
- 24/7 emergency electricianDay or night
- Full home electrical inspectionsPanel to outlets
- Troubleshooting and repairsDiagnostic call
- Knob-and-tube replacementInspected, then rewired
- Aluminum wiring repairPigtail or rewire
- Whole-home surge protectionAt the panel
- Outdoor and landscape lightingWeather-rated
- Renovation electricalKitchen, bath, basement
- Basements and legal suitesPermit-ready
- Kitchen electricalCircuits + lighting
- Bathroom electricalGFCI, fan, lighting
- Temporary powerSite power, day one
- Permits and load calculationsESA, loads, drawings
- Commercial electricalRetail, office, multi-unit
Forest Hill service pages
What customers say
Reviews from our customers
Hard working team that is open to discussion and explanations.
Excellent service - they did a great job exactly as described.
He's professional and he understands customer service. Great job
Excellent service! Fast, efficient, and top quality work.
Straightforward to deal with and they are very customer service oriented.
5-stars all the way! Excellent workmanship and service.
Questions
Forest Hill electrical questions
Can you update the wiring in an older Forest Hill home without gutting the walls?
In most cases, yes. We fish new cable through existing wall and floor cavities, use closets, basements and attics as routes, and open plaster only where there's no other way through. Where we do open a wall, we cut neatly and leave it ready for your plasterer or painter. Before any work starts, we walk the house with you and agree where access holes will go.
Will my home need a bigger service for a full renovation?
Often. A Forest Hill renovation commonly adds central air or heat pumps, heated floors, an induction range, a second laundry and EV charging, all at once. We do a load calculation on the finished design rather than guessing, and if the service needs to grow we arrange the change with Toronto Hydro and file the permit with ESA.
Do you take out the ESA permit?
Yes. In Ontario, the licensed contractor files the notification of work with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) and books the inspection. We handle it on every job that needs one, and you get the ESA Certificate of Acceptance when the work passes. Keep it: insurers and home buyers often ask for it.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Marrast Contracting is a Licensed Electrical Contractor, licence ECRA/ESA 7016430, and every job is led by Shaldin Marrast, a Master Electrician. You can check our licence on the Electrical Safety Authority's contractor lookup at esasafe.com.
Is your work guaranteed?
Every job comes with our 1-year workmanship warranty. Products carry their own manufacturer warranties on top of that, and standby generators can be covered by extended manufacturer warranties.
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