Powering Up for New Kichler Lighting

When the little bungalow now located at 604 Second Street in Old Town Brentwood, California, was first built in 1906, it had no electricity whatsoever.

In 1911, when it was moved intact from its initial location – among 600 or so small mail-order catalog kit homes clustered in a nearby coal and copper mining camp – a minimal amount of “new fangled” electric wiring was added.

“There was an outlet in the living room and one in each of the bedrooms,“ notes Morris Carey of Carey Brothers Remodeling, “They were located in the baseboards and wired from beneath the house.”

Over the next hundred plus years, as the U.S. Electrical Transmission Grid steadily expanded and improved, so did the growing patchwork of wiring on and inside the little house on Second Street, added to take advantage of this wonderful new invention. “This included three outlets in the kitchen, probably added in the 1960s, based on the type of wiring,” Morris added, “along with a number of wires run through metal conduit tubing mounted outside the house.”

Before any updating for this home could begin, the Carey Brothers had to remove virtually every mechanical system, which included 100% of the electrical wiring (along with plumbing, sewer lines, heating, etc.) to make way for some new up-to-date electrical systems, appliances and lighting.

This included replacing the original underpowered 70-amp panel with a new 200- amp main service (installed in the garage) and a 100-amp sub-feed to the residence. With new modern GFCI and AFCI protected wiring and upgraded main service installed, their challenging historic restoration was now ready for state-of-the-art lighting both inside and out.

Carey Brothers Remodeling Designer, Carol Carey, met with homeowners, Robin and Mike McClellan, to select both a supplier and the type of fixtures that would provide both desirable illumination and period authenticity.

“Our home had an array of lighting fixtures from various different time periods, none of which provided adequate light,” states homeowner, Mike McClellan. “During the design phase, Morris Carey developed an electrical plan that not only met today’s building codes and energy savings standards, but also ensured adequate lighting would be provided for our entire property.”

“When it came to selecting the fixtures, we wanted to have a coordinated and vintage look throughout,” notes Designer Carol Carey, “and Kichler lighting and ceiling fans met those needs perfectly. Kichler is renown for its award-winning quality and craftsmanship, and offers extensive suites of coordinated products that allow transforming any space into a stunning setting…. and in our case, with fixtures that were also reminiscent in every respect to the early 1900s.”  

The McClellans and Carey Brothers Remodeling team opted to use only Kichler fixtures throughout, adding a number of new highlights and conveniences as well, which included a new ceiling fixture in every room – such as the early 1900s-styled chandelier in the dining room (with tulip-shaped distressed Umber Etched glass) with matching wall sconces all operated by totally unique inlaid pearl push button wall switches with ornate brass plate covers – and with some fully coordinated vintage-looking ceiling fans added for air circulation along with a host of other fixtures in new locations for improved task lighting, entertaining and security both inside and out.

“I couldn’t have been more pleased,” notes Carol Carey, ”as the finished lighting met our every expectation… from quality and continuity to even the proportion of the fixtures to every room in the home. The installed fixtures looked even better than what we saw on their website. Everything matches and the homeowner is just thrilled.”

“It’s a privilege to be part of this historic renovation,” concludes Monique Spearing, Marketing Communications Manager for Kichler, “and to provide lighting and fans that are perfect for the era of this home.”

For more information, visit www.kichler.com. Follow the progress of the historic renovation by visiting http://604secondstreet.onthehouse.com.

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