Electrician in Lakewood, California

Lakewood is one of the largest postwar tract developments in the country, which means thousands of homes still on their original 100 amp panels. AC, EV charging and kitchen remodels are what push them over.

Roughly 17,500 houses went up here between 1950 and 1953, built by a single development team on a production line schedule. That speed means the homes are remarkably similar: two and three bedroom stucco houses, around 1,000 to 1,200 square feet, with the panel on an outside wall and the same branch circuit layout repeated street after street. Most have since grown a family room, a master suite or a converted garage, and the wiring was extended to match.

Because the stock is so uniform, the findings are predictable. Original circuits feed far more outlets than they were meant to, kitchens share circuits with bedrooms, and grounding is missing on much of the original wiring. Lakewood owners usually call when they add central air, remodel a kitchen or buy an electric vehicle. Others call after a home inspection or an insurance renewal turns up the panel, especially when a house still has the equipment it was built with.

What Lakewood properties usually need