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Every kitchen tells a story, especially when you’ve been wiring homes around Fort Myers as long as we have. This one started with a simple phone call: a homeowner wanted to redo their 1970s kitchen — open it up, add new lighting, and finally get rid of the breaker trips that had been driving them crazy for years.
We’ve seen plenty of kitchens like this. Old wiring. Outdated panels. A few mystery circuits no one’s touched since the Reagan era. So when they called Coharbor Electric, we knew it wasn’t just going to be a few new outlets and lights — this was going to take a real plan.
The house sat just off McGregor Boulevard, built in the early ’70s. Back then, a single circuit could power half a kitchen and the living room without much issue. But today, with modern appliances, it just doesn’t cut it.
When we opened the panel, it looked… well, let’s just say we’ve seen worse, but not by much. It was a 100-amp setup, original to the house. A couple of breakers had two wires jammed under the same lug, and half the circuits weren’t labeled. The kitchen outlets weren’t grounded either — that’s common around here, especially in older homes.
The homeowner had plans for double ovens, a microwave drawer, and an island cooktop. Add in all the lighting they wanted and, yeah — the old system wasn’t even close to ready.
Before we ran any wire, we sat down at the table with the homeowner and contractor. That’s the part we like best — walking through the layout, hearing what they want, and sketching the circuits before anyone starts cutting drywall.
Here’s what we decided on:
Two 20-amp small-appliance circuits for the countertops.
Dedicated lines for the refrigerator, microwave, oven, and dishwasher.
A 240-volt circuit for the island cooktop.
GFCI outlets everywhere along the counters.
A few different lighting zones — recessed, under-cabinet, and pendants.
That plan gave them plenty of power for now, with room to grow later. We also talked about upgrading the main panel. Once they saw the old one up close, that wasn’t a hard sell.
We swapped the 100-amp box for a new 200-amp service — copper grounding, modern breakers, clean labeling, and space for future circuits.
We pulled the permits, handled the FPL coordination, and made sure everything was ready for the city inspection. Around here, you don’t want to play guessing games with Fort Myers inspectors — do it right the first time and life’s easier for everyone.
Once the new panel was in, the difference was night and day. Clean wiring, solid connections, and plenty of headroom for future upgrades like an EV charger or pool heater.
When demo day hit, the walls came down and we finally got to see what was hiding behind them. Some of the old cloth wiring had been spliced with newer wire somewhere along the way — a “patch job” that must’ve been done decades ago. We pulled all of that out.
We ran brand-new Romex, stapled neatly and secured per code. Every appliance got its own dedicated line. The island cooktop circuit ran through a conduit under the slab — a bit of extra work, but worth it. You don’t want to figure that out after the new tile’s in.
We balanced the loads across both phases so the panel would run efficiently and checked resistance on every circuit before closing things up. It’s the part of the job no one ever sees, but it’s what keeps everything working smoothly for the next 30 years.
Once drywall was up and cabinets started going in, we came back for the trim-out. This is when the job really starts to feel like something.
We installed recessed LED lights across the ceiling, pendants over the island, and soft under-cabinet strips for task lighting. Each zone was dimmable. We used high-quality LED-rated dimmers — no flickering, no hum.
Every outlet was GFCI-protected, tamper-resistant, and lined up clean against the backsplash. We tested each one, tightened every connection, and labeled everything neatly inside the new panel.
When we flipped the breakers and turned on the lights, the homeowner just stood there smiling. You could see the difference right away — bright, clean light, no buzzing, no flicker.
The city inspector came by that week, and we passed first try — no issues, no rework. That’s always a good feeling.
We walked the homeowner through the new setup: which breaker controls what, how to reset a GFCI, how to shut down power safely if needed. We like to make sure people actually understand their own system before we leave.
They told us later they could finally run the oven, microwave, and dishwasher at once without anything tripping. That’s what we like to hear.
Every kitchen remodel teaches something, but the big takeaway’s always the same — don’t wait to think about power until the drywall’s up.
So many homeowners in Fort Myers underestimate how much juice a modern kitchen needs. Between induction cooktops, big refrigerators, lighting, and outlets, it adds up fast. And if your home was built before the ’90s, your panel probably wasn’t designed for that kind of load.
If you’re planning a remodel, get an electrician involved early. It’s cheaper and easier than trying to fix things later.
We’re not a franchise or a call center. We’re local — we live and work right here in Fort Myers. We know the codes, the inspectors, and the way Florida’s humidity eats away at electrical systems.
When you call Coharbor Electric, you’re not getting guesswork. You’re getting licensed electricians who actually care about the details:
Clean wiring that passes inspection the first time.
Panels that are built to last — not just “good enough.”
Communication from start to finish — no disappearing acts.
Real local knowledge from people who work these neighborhoods every week.
We build systems that last through storms, humidity, and time.
If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen here in Fort Myers, bring Coharbor Electric in early. We’ll help you map out your circuits, upgrade your panel if needed, and make sure every outlet and appliance has the power it needs.
📞 Call Coharbor Electric today to schedule your in-home electrical consultation.
We’ll make sure your new kitchen not only looks amazing — but works perfectly, safely, and for decades to come.
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Serving Southwest Florida including: Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, and more...
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Serving SWFL customers for 13+ years. Licensed and Insured throughout Florida.
EC13004475. EC13012422.
At Coharbor Electric, this is what to expect when entrusting us with fixing your electrical issues.
The first step is to get all the information we will need so that we can correctly assess the problem or situation. The photos or videos you send will be sent directly to the electrician.
Once our electrician has the info he needs, we will dispatch one in the next available spot–armed with expertise, equipment, and the parts he’ll most likely need.
Our Promise is to to You is to perform the job completely, efficiently, and to the Florida electrical code standards. We are committed to fair and honest pricing.
We offer flat rate pricing for service calls, so you always know the price up front. Simple to understand. Flat-rate fixed price so you can be confident you’ll get what paid for.
As a Florida homeowner, you have an endless list of choices for electrical contractors to hire…some great, some good, some bad.
At Coharbor Electric, our benchmark is to be “great”. If you decide to hire us for your electrical service, here’s what you can expect from our electricians:
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