A kitchen remodel can stop at the panel. The new range, a microwave drawer, a second small-appliance circuit, or a hood that needs its own run all ask the panel for space it may not have. You find out on bid day, or worse, after the cabinets are ordered and the electrician opens the cover.
Modern Kitchen San Diego does not employ electricians and does not tell you what size service your house needs. That is the electrician’s call, confirmed with the permit office. Do not treat any amp number you have heard from a neighbor as a rule for your house.
What “the panel is full” actually means
Open the door, or have someone who is comfortable doing it open the door, and look. A full panel can mean every breaker space is used. It can also mean spaces are open on paper and blocked by a large breaker, a tandem that is not allowed in that panel, or wires that leave no room to land a new circuit.
Older San Diego houses often have the panel outside on a side yard, in a garage, or in a hall closet. Condos may have a panel in the unit and a meter room you cannot touch. Note where yours is before the remodeler asks. A panel in a closet that the new pantry will cover is a design problem, not only an electrical one.
Photograph the directory and the breakers. A blurry photo is still better than a memory of “I think we have room.”
What can change the permit
The electrician has a few kinds of answers. There may be room to add the kitchen circuits. The job may need a subpanel. The service to the house may need work before the kitchen can take the new equipment. Each of those is a different permit path and a different amount of time on site.
Ask the remodeler to have the electrician look before you sign a cabinet order. A bid that says “electrical as needed” is not an answer. You want a line that says the panel was looked at, and what the bid includes if it is short.
If the house is in the City of San Diego, Development Services answers permit questions at 619-446-5000. Other cities in the county run their own counters. The electrician should know which one covers your address. A blog post does not.
Appliances that surprise people
A gas range and an induction range do not ask the same thing of the panel. Switching to induction because you do not want to move a gas line can create an electrical problem you did not have. Say that out loud while both options are still open.
A dishwasher, a disposal, and an instant-hot tap are smaller loads, and they still need circuits and spaces. Under-cabinet lighting on a plug-in driver is different from a hard-wired run. List what you are adding, not only the range.
How this site fits
We match you with an independent remodeler. That remodeler hires or coordinates the electrician. We do not price the panel work and we do not promise a timeline. Call (858) 400-4913, say your city, and say the kitchen may need more circuits. Check the license at cslb.ca.gov before you sign anything.