North York · Toronto Hydro service area
Electrical for North York kitchen, bath and basement renovations
Opening up a 1950s main floor, finishing a split-level basement or gutting a condo kitchen near Yonge and Finch. We plan circuits and load with you or your contractor, rough in while walls are open, and close out with ESA.
North York renovations
Renovating the house instead of replacing it
Not every North York family wants a rebuild. Plenty are keeping a solid post-war house and reworking it. The usual plans are familiar: remove the wall between kitchen and dining room, redo the basement, add a rear extension or a second storey.
Each one changes the electrical picture. The wall coming out may carry the only circuit for three rooms. An open kitchen needs island power and a new lighting layout. A finished basement adds bedrooms that need their own circuits and alarms.
The house layout sets the route
Bungalows usually sit over a full basement, so new circuits can climb to the main floor from below with little damage. Back-splits and side-splits, common in parts of Don Mills and Parkwoods, are trickier. Each half-level has its own framing, and the paths between them are short and crowded.
Two-storeys from the 1960s often hide their upstairs wiring in plaster or early drywall. There, we plan routes through closets and the attic so finished rooms stay intact.
By project
Common North York renovations, electrically
| Project | What usually changes | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Open-concept main floor | Circuits rerouted from removed walls, pot lights, island power | Old splices discovered in the walls coming out |
| Kitchen | Dedicated appliance circuits, counter outlets, under-cabinet lighting | An induction range or wall oven straining a 100 amp service |
| Basement | Bedroom and bathroom circuits, alarms, lighting | Low ceilings and ductwork limiting routes and fixture depth |
| Rear addition or second storey | New circuits, often a sub-panel, exterior lighting | The finished house's load deciding the service size |
| Condo kitchen or bath | Lighting, counter outlets, exhaust fan, heated floor | Board approval, working hours, space in the suite panel |
Condos
Condo renovations along Yonge
The towers along Yonge between Sheppard and Finch, and those around Bayview Village, come with their own rulebook. Many corporations want approval before work starts, limit noisy work to set hours, and control the service elevator and electrical rooms.
Concrete ceilings mean new pot lights usually need a bulkhead or dropped ceiling to sit in. Suite panels tend to be compact, with few free spaces. We plan around both, and book any shutdown through management so neighbours aren't caught off guard.
The panel question
Plenty of North York renovation plans run into a 100 amp service halfway through. If the finished house will need more, upgrade first so the new circuits land in the new panel once. See panel upgrades in North York.
Building a rental unit downstairs? A legal second suite has its own requirements, covered on our page for North York basements and legal suites.
- Plan reviewDrawings, a sketch or a walk-through of the rooms
- Load checkCan the service carry the finished house?
- Written priceRough-in, finish and ESA in one figure
- Protected finishesFloors and rooms outside the work area covered
- Labelled panelNew circuits named so you can find them later
On a North York renovation
Our part, from plans to certificate
Plans or a walk-through
We look at the layout, the panel and where cable can travel.
Load check and price
We confirm the service suits the finished house, then price the job.
ESA notification
Filed by us before any new wiring starts.
Rough-in, then inspection
Boxes and cable go in while framing is bare; ESA checks before insulation.
Finish and certificate
Devices and fixtures after paint, the ESA final, and your Certificate of Acceptance.
Questions
Renovation electrical in North York: questions
We're taking out a wall in our North York bungalow. What happens to the wiring inside it?
Every cable in that wall is traced and rerouted before it comes down. We find where each one starts and ends, then reroute it through the basement ceiling or the attic. No splice ends up buried. It all falls under the ESA permit for the renovation.
Our condo board wants paperwork before we renovate. What can you provide?
A written scope of the electrical work, our licence number and proof of insurance, and confirmation that we file with ESA. When the work passes inspection you'll have the Certificate of Acceptance for the board's records.
Can we keep living in our split-level while the work happens?
Usually, yes. We keep the fridge, the furnace and the internet running, and give you notice whenever the power has to go off. On a gut renovation where a whole floor is open, some families choose to stay elsewhere for the dustiest weeks.
Do you work with general contractors and builders?
Yes. A large share of our work is for general contractors and custom home builders, from temporary power and rough-in through to final connections and ESA sign-off. Two crews mean we can keep to your schedule on larger projects.
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