Electrical design and coordination is the deepest part of the Wenner practice — the drawing-board work that makes every other technical system in the home possible. Lighting, audio-video, climate, shading, security, networking, solar, generators — all of it attaches to the electrical drawing set, the panel schedule, and the conduit layout. Done well, the electrician on site has one coordinated package to build from. Done poorly, the home becomes a permanent reconciliation of incompatible sub-trade drawings.
What the electrical scope actually covers
A complete electrical design and coordination scope on a Vancouver Island luxury custom build typically delivers:
- Permittable electrical drawings at the same scale and convention as the architectural set — signed for permit submission by Wenner’s in-house BC-licensed electrical contractor (LEL0003189)
- RCPs — reflected ceiling plans showing every lighting fixture, outlet, switch, and keypad
- Panel schedules — every circuit identified, every load calculated, every breaker sized
- Single-line diagrams — the home’s electrical service from the BC Hydro pole through transfer switches, sub-panels, and circuits
- Load calculations — heat-pump loads, EV charger loads, kitchen appliances, electric-radiant, solar PV inverter and battery storage
- Conduit and rough-in plans — every low-voltage and high-voltage run, on the same drawings as the structural and mechanical plans
- Code review against the BC Building Code and the Canadian Electrical Code (CSA C22.1)
- Coordination through framing, rough-in, finish, and commissioning — RFIs answered same day
What “every trade that ends in a wire” actually means
A modern luxury custom home has eight or nine sub-trades pulling cable through the same walls:
- Line-voltage electrical — the conventional electrician
- Architectural lighting — Wenner
- Audio-video — Wenner
- Networking and IT — Wenner
- Security, surveillance, access — Wenner
- Motorised shading and drapery — Wenner
- Climate integration — Wenner (coordinating with the mechanical trade)
- Solar PV and battery storage — Wenner
- Standby generator with automatic transfer switch — Wenner
Without single-source coordination, each trade draws its own scope independently and the conflicts surface on site at the worst possible time. With Wenner’s electrical-design practice in the lead, every trade works from one coordinated drawing package and RFIs run through one point of contact.
Two service models — your choice
Wenner offers electrical design with two install models:
Model 1 — In-house install. Wenner is a BC-licensed electrical contractor; we handle the design, the drawings, the rough-in, the finish, and the commissioning. Single source of accountability through the entire scope.
Model 2 — Design + management with your trusted electrician. Wenner produces the drawing set and manages the coordination; your preferred local electrician executes the install under our drawings and our RFI process. Same accountability discipline, your existing trade relationship preserved.
Both models are common on Vancouver Island. Builders increasingly favour the second model — design and coordination held by Wenner, line-voltage execution stays with the electrician they trust.
What it costs on Vancouver Island
The electrical-design portion of a Vancouver Island luxury custom home typically lands $15,000–$60,000+ for the design package — covering the drawing set, panel schedules, load calculations, code review, and coordination through framing, rough-in, and finish.
Larger estates with multiple buildings, geothermal, significant solar PV with battery storage, or specialty mechanical (multi-stage heat recovery, electric vehicle charging at scale) run higher.
The install itself (panel hardware, wire, conduit, devices) is separate. On a typical 5,000–10,000 sq ft luxury build, line-voltage electrical install plus the integrator scope land $80,000–$300,000+ depending on the integration depth.
When to bring the electrical practice in
At schematic. The electrical drawing set is the foundation. Bringing the practice in late means every downstream discipline is reactive to architectural decisions rather than coordinated with them.
Next step
Book a Centre Visit — bring your architect and your builder. We’ll walk through the drawing-set discipline against a recent project.
See also: the Electrical Design service page and Design & documentation.