The Starting Point
The homeowner purchased an older Toronto house with knob-and-tube wiring and wanted to transform it into a modern home without treating the electrical system as an afterthought.
The renovation called for substantially more electrical capacity and far more circuits than the original house had ever been designed to support.
The Challenge
Once an old Toronto home is opened up, decades of previous work can appear behind the walls — old wiring routes, abandoned conductors, altered framing and circuits that no longer make sense for the new floor plan. At the same time, the new design introduced high-demand modern loads including kitchen appliances, electric floor heating and future EV charging.
Our solution was to treat the project as one coordinated electrical system. We planned the service and panel first, then mapped the branch circuits, lighting, controls, smoke alarms and specialty loads around the renovation drawings and construction sequence.
A Complete Rewire, Not a Patchwork Upgrade
The project included a modern 200-amp panel, new branch-circuit wiring throughout the renovated areas, modern kitchen circuits, pot lights and general lighting, smoke-alarm wiring, electric heated-floor provisions and EV charging capability.
One of the biggest complications on a full gut is sequencing. Box locations and circuit requirements have to be settled before insulation and drywall, while lighting, cabinetry, appliances and finished surfaces all affect the electrical layout. Staying involved from planning through rough-in allowed changes to be resolved while the framing was still accessible instead of after finished walls were installed.
Modern Capacity for Modern Loads
The original house was built long before EV charging, extensive countertop appliances, electric floor heating and today's expectations for receptacles and lighting. Planning those loads together allowed the new electrical system to be organised around how the finished home would actually be used.
A modern 200-amp panel became the distribution point for the rewired home, and provisions for EV charger installation were designed in rather than added later.
Heated Floors Coordinated Before the Finishes
Electric floor heating was coordinated with the renovation before the finished floor assembly was completed. Heated floor installation has to be planned with the flooring trade, not squeezed in afterwards — the wiring, sensor placement and controls all sit underneath the finished surface.
The Finished Home
The strongest part of this project is the before-to-after transformation. What began as an older house with aging electrical infrastructure became a completely renovated home with the electrical capacity, lighting and controls expected in a modern Toronto property.
Because we remained involved through planning, gutting, rough-in, finishing and the final electrical details, the installation stayed coordinated with the overall renovation schedule and budget.
The Result
This Kensington Market home now has a modern electrical system built for the way the property is used today. The renovation replaced aging knob-and-tube electrical infrastructure and created capacity for a modern kitchen, EV charging, heated floors, smoke alarms, pot lights and new receptacle and lighting circuits throughout the renovated home.
For owners renovating older Toronto houses, the project demonstrates why electrical planning should happen early. When the electrician is involved before walls close, the service size, circuit layout, lighting, specialty loads and future needs can be designed together — reducing rework and producing a cleaner finished result.
