Whole-Home Remodel Electrical in Pinellas & Tampa Bay

Taking the house down to the studs? This is the one time you can reach nearly every wire, so let’s make it count for the next few decades.

Keywest Lights & Electric handles the electrical for whole-home renovations across Pinellas County and Tampa Bay, from a 1960s block ranch being gutted to a flood-damaged house being rebuilt room by room. We find out what is in the walls, decide with you what stays and what goes, and hand back a home wired to current code from the service entrance to the last receptacle, with a permit file that holds up when you sell.

Illustration of a home remodel with walls open to new wiring and an updated electrical panel
Illustration: a gutted interior with new cable through the studs and an updated panel on the wall.

Request a quote

Tell us what you need and where you are. A licensed electrician will call or text you back to set a time. For an emergency, call (727) 476-7079, 24/7.

This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
How did you hear about us?
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.

What we usually find in Pinellas walls

The median Pinellas County home was built in 1977, and 58.8% of its homes predate 1980, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024). In Hillsborough and Pasco the medians are 1991 and 1992. Older stock means renovations here can turn up:

  • Single-strand aluminum branch wiring, which the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission links to overheating at connections
  • Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels
  • Two-prong ungrounded outlets and cloth-insulated cable
  • A 100-amp service trying to run central air, a pool pump, an induction range and an EV charger
  • Splices buried in walls and add-on circuits from past owners, with no permit history

Storm recovery and the 49% rule

In September 2024 Hurricane Helene set record water levels at the Clearwater Beach (6.67 ft) and St. Petersburg (6.31 ft) tide gauges, and many renovations now under way are flood recoveries. Wiring, receptacles and panels that sat in floodwater generally have to be replaced rather than dried and reused. Flood-zone remodels fall under the 50% (substantial improvement) rule, with Pinellas County using a 49% threshold: once the work reaches that share of the structure’s value, the building has to meet current flood rules. The County also requires permits for storm repairs, including after-the-fact permits. Get your estimate and structure value in front of the building department early; a whole-home remodel is the project most likely to cross that line.

The full electrical scope

  • Full or partial rewiring with new home runs
  • Panel replacement, plus a service upgrade if the load calculation calls for one
  • AFCI and GFCI protection on every new, extended or modified circuit
  • Hardwired, interconnected smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms where required
  • Whole-house surge protection
  • Ready for later: an EV circuit, a generator inlet and interlock, panel space for solar or a battery
  • Recessed lighting, data and TV cable while everything is open

From a recent renovation

In Pinellas Park, a home under renovation had rooms lit by single bare fixtures. We finished it with new recessed lighting across the ceilings while the work was open. More jobs are on our projects page.

Staying in the house

Not every family can move out. When the project allows it, we sequence the rewire so the kitchen, a bathroom and the bedrooms keep power, run temporary circuits for the trades, and line up rough inspections so insulation and drywall crews are never waiting on us.

Start with a walkthrough: (727) 476-7079 or request service online.

Renovation wiring FAQ

Should we rewire everything during the renovation? If the walls are coming open and the house has aluminum branch wiring, ungrounded two-wire circuits, cloth-insulated cable or a flooding history, rewiring now costs far less than fishing wire through finished walls later. If it is sound modern copper, we may only extend and update it. We open a sample of boxes and tell you which it is.

What might we find in the walls of an older house? It varies house by house. Single-strand aluminum branch wiring, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, two-prong ungrounded outlets and old splices buried in walls are all things we look for. Opening a few boxes early tells us which of them, if any, your house has.

Storm repairs were done after Helene or Milton without a permit. Can you help? Yes. Pinellas County requires permits for storm repairs, including after-the-fact permits for work already completed. We inspect the electrical work, correct what needs it and handle the electrical permit.

Can we live in the house while it is rewired? Often, if the work is sequenced so the kitchen, a bathroom and the bedrooms keep power while other areas are done. In a Pinellas flood zone, the building official still decides how the 49% substantial improvement threshold applies to the project, so plan the sequence for livability and let the permit review settle the flood question.

Who handles the utility for a service upgrade? We do: the permit, the meter base and service entrance, and scheduling the disconnect and reconnect with Duke Energy, TECO or the co-op serving your address.

Licensed Florida electrical contractor EC13014717, insured and woman-owned, based in Seminole since 2010. Workmanship warranty: 2 years, 5 for Member Care Plan members.

Related: Home additions · Kitchen remodels · Bathroom remodels · Remodels overview · Counties: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco