Renovation Electrician Across British Columbia
Planning a kitchen, basement or addition? The Wire Guys wires home renovations across British Columbia while the walls are open, and pulls the permit.
4.7 stars across 137 reviews
Licensed Electrical Contractor
Licensed and insured in British Columbia.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Active and in good standing, with continuous coverage since 30 September 2019.
BBB Accredited
Accredited since 2023.
Canadian family owned, working across British Columbia since 2019.
Get a quoteWhat does a renovation electrician do in British Columbia?
A renovation electrician plans and installs the new wiring for a kitchen, basement or addition while the walls are open, then comes back to finish it once they are closed. In British Columbia that wiring needs a permit and an inspection before it is covered, and we look after both.
- If your layout adds circuits, we check the panel has room first.
- The inspector sees the new wiring before any drywall goes up.
- You get a written quote before any work begins.
When should you call an electrician in a renovation?
Call once you have a layout plan. It decides where each new circuit runs, and those go in before the framing is covered.
Before anything new goes on your panel, we do a load calculation: how much power the new rooms will draw. If the panel is short on capacity, we tell you before the cabinets go in, so you can plan a panel with room for the new load.
Before the walls close
What is electrical rough-in, and why is it inspected before the walls close?
Electrical rough-in is the stage when new cables, boxes and circuit runs go in while the framing is still open. Insulation, vapour barrier and drywall wait until the rough-in inspection passes. That is why we come twice: once to rough in during framing, and again to finish after the walls are closed.
- Rough-in: new cables, boxes and circuit runs in open framing
- The rough-in inspection, before insulation and drywall
- The finish, once the walls are closed
Five things to plan
How much do electricians charge for renovation work?
We charge $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper. Many jobs have flat rates, and the consultation and estimate are free. You get the quote in writing before work starts. We hold 4.7 stars across 137 reviews on Google.
What affects the price:
- Adding a circuit or moving one takes most of the time on site, so it drives the price.
- If your panel needs work before it can take new circuits, that shows on the quote.
- If we find something unexpected behind the open walls, we raise it before touching it.
- Finished walls take longer because cable has to be threaded through them.
If existing wiring has already failed, tracing an electrical fault is a $165, 45-minute diagnostic that shows what is wrong and how we fix it.
Do you need an electrical permit for a renovation?
Yes. In British Columbia, running new wiring, moving an outlet or connecting new permanent equipment needs a permit. Almost every renovation involves at least one of those jobs. Replacing a worn outlet or switch with the same kind is the exception. We pull the permit and we are there when the inspector comes.
For renovations in Vancouver and homes in Victoria, the permit comes from the City. For electrical work in Chilliwack, a house in Mission, a home in Langley and Abbotsford, it comes from Technical Safety BC.
Electrical work for a kitchen renovation
A new kitchen layout changes where outlets and circuits go. Today's code sets the rules for counters:
- The Canadian Electrical Code requires an outlet within 900 mm of every spot along the counter wall, plus one on an island.
- The fridge gets its own outlet, and outlets within 1.5 m of the sink need GFCI protection.
- New cabinets mean moving outlets. We also run dedicated circuits for the new appliances that need them.
Pot lights while the ceiling is open and new kitchen lighting go in together. A bathroom renovation usually adds a new bathroom fan.
Basement wiring for a finished basement or a secondary suite
A finished basement needs new circuits. A suite adds permit rules, and in Vancouver and Abbotsford its wiring needs a licensed contractor.
A basement renovation usually adds circuits for lights and outlets. In a secondary suite, we wire a separate panel or sub-panel when needed. For a suite in Abbotsford, the City's building permit asks the electrical contractor to sign off that its wiring substantially meets the code.
Today's code requires AFCI protection on most outlet circuits, including those in basements. Arc-fault breakers catch hidden sparking that ordinary breakers miss. We also wire interconnected smoke alarms and heat for the suite.
Additions, garage conversions and older homes
New space needs new circuit runs. An older house may have old wiring hidden behind the walls.
A home addition or garage conversion needs new circuits, sized to your panel, including one for an EV charger in the garage.
Opening a wall in an older house can expose old knob and tube wiring or aluminum wiring. If it does, we show you what we found and explain why it needs replacing. Unpermitted electrical work from a previous owner is a reason for a full check of the house wiring. We also wire office and shop renovations.
Our renovation electrical process
We review your layout plan first. If anything unexpected turns up, no extra work begins without your approval.
- 01
You approve a written quote first, priced on the circuits and load your new layout adds.
- 02
We pull the permit before any wiring starts.
- 03
We rough in while the framing is open. If a general contractor runs the job, we coordinate with them and follow their recommendations.
- 04
We meet the inspector. Once the rough-in passes and the walls are closed, we finish the installation, test it and show you it works.
- 05
If an inspection does not pass on our work, we put it right, call the inspector back and cover the cost.
What if something goes wrong after the walls are closed?
Watch for a new outlet or light that does not work, or a breaker that trips when the new kitchen is all running at once.
If something we installed is not right, we come back.
Phone 778-708-0451 and tell us what you are seeing.
The guarantee runs six months on renovations and one year on new construction electrical work.
Your renovation electrician
The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor serving Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and communities across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Greater Victoria, handling residential and commercial electrical work for homeowners, landlords and business owners in British Columbia.
We are licensed and insured.
What our customers say
This review is from our Google profile.
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Jas and his team are highly professional and reliable, the pricing is very fair and reasonable. I have used Jas for 3 retrofit/renovation jobs now, 1 of them being fairly large. Highly recommend.
Frequently asked questions
We answer the phone at any hour. See our emergency electrician service or all our electrical services.
Any questions? Call 778-708-0451 Can I get a homeowner electrical permit and do the wiring myself?
A homeowner permit is only for an owner doing the work on their own house. Strata unit owners, non-strata duplex owners and anyone running a business from home cannot get one. In Vancouver, a house with a secondary suite or rented part is also ruled out. On our jobs, we pull the permit.
Do I need to rewire the whole house during a renovation?
Not usually. The new wiring goes into the rooms you are changing. If the open walls show old wiring, we tell you before touching it, and replacing it is your call. We can also take on replacing the wiring in the whole house.
Will you leave holes in my walls?
Sometimes. In a renovation the walls are usually open, which is why the wiring goes in then. Where we have to reach a circuit through a finished wall or ceiling, we open it and patch the drywall afterwards. Tell us which walls are already closed.
Why is my final bill higher than the quote?
A quote is priced on what we can see. If the scope changes, we tell you before doing the extra work, not afterwards. In a renovation, that usually means the layout changed after the quote or something turned up behind the open walls.
We have held WorkSafeBC coverage continuously since 30 September 2019. Ask anyone else you call for the same before you let them in.
Have this ready when you call:
- Send your layout plan, even if it is only a sketch.
- Send a photo of your panel label.
- Tell us when the house was built.
- Say whether a general contractor runs the job.
Other electrical services we offer
Book your renovation estimate
Call 778-708-0451 with your layout plan. The estimate is free. Tracing a fault in existing wiring is $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic.