Some jobs are more than a job. When our friends Ryan and Liesel asked us to handle the electrical work on their home addition in Elizabethtown, PA, we were honored to be part of it — and we knew from the start that it was going to be a meaningful project. A growing family, a home that needed to grow with them, and months of work ahead. We are glad to say it is finished, and the result is something worth talking about.
A Home Built for a Growing Family
Ryan and Liesel were living in a two-bedroom ranch house with five children — and a sixth on the way. They knew they needed more space, and they made the decision to go big: they hired Penryn Builders to take the roof off the existing ranch and add a full second story, transforming the home from two bedrooms into six, with three and a half bathrooms. It is the kind of project that requires real trust in your builder and a willingness to live through significant disruption. Penryn Builders delivered — high-quality work in a remarkably short timeframe.
By the time the project is fully complete and the family moves back in, they will have six children settled into a home built specifically around their life. Since we started the electrical work, the sixth child has already arrived. The home is nearly ready for all of them.
The Scope of the Electrical Work
A project of this scale called for starting fresh on most of the electrical. With the walls open and the structure being rebuilt from the roof down, we had the opportunity to do everything correctly and to a current standard — and that is exactly what we did.
We began with a new 200-amp electrical service, giving the expanded home the capacity it needs for a large family with modern electrical demands. From there, we installed AFCI (Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter) protection on every 120-volt circuit in the home. AFCI breakers detect dangerous arcing conditions that standard breakers miss — the kind of electrical faults that are a leading cause of residential fires. In a home where six children will be living, that layer of protection is not optional as far as we are concerned.
We rewired the entire house — every room, every circuit — with the exception of the sunroom and garage, which were not part of the renovation and were tied back into the new system as-is. Throughout the home, we installed:
- Ceiling fans in the bedrooms and living areas
- LED wafer lights throughout — in every room and every closet
- Smart switches, giving the family control and flexibility over their lighting
- LED under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen
- Hardwired, interconnected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level
- LED lighting in the unfinished basement
- A generator interlock for their backup generator
A Few Details Worth Noting
The lighting in the closets is something small that makes a real difference. Every closet in the house has its own wafer light — no more rooting around in the dark for shoes or winter coats. It sounds minor, but in a busy household with six children, those small thoughtful touches add up.
The generator interlock is another practical addition that this family will appreciate. An interlock kit allows a portable generator to safely power the home’s existing circuits during an outage, without the risk of back-feeding power into the utility lines — a genuine hazard if not done correctly. With a house full of young children, having reliable backup power is a real comfort.
The smart switches throughout the home give Ryan and Liesel the ability to control lighting from their phones, set schedules, and manage energy use — practical for any homeowner, and especially so for a family managing a large home.
What a Full Rewire During a Renovation Looks Like
Projects like this one are one of the best opportunities in residential electrical work. When a home is being opened up for a major renovation or addition, the walls are accessible, the structure is visible, and there is a real chance to bring everything up to current standards — not just patch what was there before. Working alongside a quality builder like Penryn made the coordination seamless. Everyone on the job was there to do good work, and the result reflects that.
If you are planning a home addition or renovation and want the electrical done right from the start, we would be glad to be part of your project. Call Mid Penn Electric at (717) 287-4008.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is involved in a whole-house rewire during a home addition?
A whole-house rewire during a major renovation typically includes installing a new or upgraded electrical service, running all new wiring from the panel to every circuit in the home, installing updated outlets, switches, and fixtures, and ensuring the entire system meets current NEC requirements — including AFCI and GFCI protection where required. The advantage of doing this work during a renovation is that the walls are open, which dramatically reduces the labor and disruption compared to rewiring a finished home.
What is a generator interlock and how does it work?
A generator interlock is a mechanical device installed on your electrical panel that allows you to safely connect a portable generator to your home’s circuits during a power outage. It works by physically preventing the main breaker and the generator input from being on at the same time, which eliminates the risk of back-feeding power into the utility grid — a serious hazard for utility workers restoring power. It is a code-compliant, cost-effective alternative to a transfer switch for homeowners who already own a portable generator.
Are AFCI breakers required in a home addition or renovation?
Yes. The National Electrical Code requires AFCI protection on most 120-volt circuits in living areas, bedrooms, kitchens, and other spaces in new construction and major renovations. AFCI breakers detect dangerous arc faults — abnormal electrical discharge that can ignite insulation or building materials — that standard breakers are not designed to detect. In a full rewire or home addition, installing AFCI protection on all applicable circuits is both a code requirement and a meaningful safety upgrade.
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