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Switchboard
Upgrades
Fitzroy & Collingwood
Fixed Price.
Heritage terraces, café kitchens on Smith Street and Collingwood warehouse studios — we upgrade switchboards here without wrecking the plasterwork or shutting the kitchen down for long.
Fitzroy & Collingwood Fixed Price.
Heritage terraces, café kitchens on Smith Street and Collingwood warehouse studios — we upgrade switchboards here without wrecking the plasterwork or shutting the kitchen down for long.
Experience
Completed
Reviews
Switchboard Upgrades in Fitzroy & Collingwood
Fitzroy's single-fronted terraces off Brunswick Street and Johnston Street are some of Melbourne's most heritage-protected housing, and that matters for switchboard upgrades because the plasterwork, cornices and hallway detailing around an old board often can't simply be cut into without care.
Along Smith Street and Gertrude Street, plenty of buildings combine a café or retail shopfront with a switchboard that was never sized for commercial kitchen equipment — espresso machines, induction cooktops and coolroom compressors all pulling from a board fitted for a much lighter original use.
Over in Collingwood and Abbotsford, former factories and warehouses converted into apartments and studios frequently kept an industrial-era switchboard that looks robust but wasn't designed around the mixed lighting, appliance and equipment loads a modern residential or studio fit-out demands.
In short
Who should I call for a switchboard upgrade in Fitzroy or Collingwood?
Near Me Electrical upgrades switchboards across Fitzroy and Collingwood's heritage terraces, Smith Street and Gertrude Street shopfronts, and warehouse conversions. We're A-Grade licensed, work respectfully around heritage plasterwork, and issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion.
- A-Grade licensed and $20M insured
- Fixed price agreed in writing before we start
- $0 callout fee on booked jobs
- Same-day and after-hours availability
- Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion
- Lifetime workmanship guarantee
What's usually behind the board in a heritage terrace or shopfront
Fitzroy's single-fronted terraces commonly retain a switchboard mounted in the hallway near ornate original plasterwork, often still running ceramic fuses with no dedicated safety switch. Any upgrade has to work around that detailing rather than through it.
Smith Street and Gertrude Street shopfronts frequently have an undersized main switch trying to carry café kitchen equipment that was added well after the original electrical design, which is exactly why boards there trip more often than owners expect.
Upgrading around heritage overlays and working kitchens
Where a property sits within a heritage overlay, the switchboard upgrade itself generally isn't restricted — it's usually treated as maintenance rather than a change to the building's external heritage fabric — but we're still careful with cable runs near cornices, ceiling roses and original hallway plasterwork so nothing is damaged in the process.
For working cafés, we plan the outage for early morning, after close, or in stages, so the coolroom and essential circuits aren't down for longer than necessary. Collingwood warehouse conversions get a proper load assessment first, since the old industrial board may be oversized in some ways and undersized in others.
- Careful cable routing around original cornices and hallway plasterwork
- Heritage overlay considerations addressed before work starts
- Outage timing planned around café trading hours where relevant
- Load assessment of industrial-era boards in warehouse conversions
- RCBOs and a right-sized main switch fitted to replace ceramic fuses
When Fitzroy and Collingwood properties need an upgrade
A café on Smith Street tripping its board during a morning rush, or a Fitzroy terrace still running on ceramic fuses through original plasterwork, are both clear signals to upgrade. Collingwood studio conversions adding kilns, welding equipment or extensive lighting rigs are another common trigger.
We quote a fixed price after seeing the property, so heritage detailing or an active kitchen doesn't turn into an open-ended job.
What every Fitzroy & Collingwood job includes
- A-Grade licensed electrician (REC 30217), $20M insured
- Fixed price agreed in writing before we start
- $0 callout fee on booked jobs
- Work completed to AS/NZS 3000
- Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion
- Lifetime workmanship guarantee
What Fitzroy & Collingwood customers say
"Heritage terrace off Brunswick Street, board upgrade without touching the plasterwork. Genuinely impressed."
"New café fit-out on Smith Street, ran power for the coffee machine and lighting overnight so we didn't lose a day."
Switchboard Upgrades in Fitzroy & Collingwood: common questions
Does a heritage overlay stop me upgrading my switchboard?+
No — a switchboard upgrade is generally treated as internal electrical maintenance rather than a change affecting the building's protected external heritage fabric, so it typically doesn't need heritage planning approval. We still take care around original plasterwork and cornices while running any new cabling.
Can you upgrade a café's switchboard without closing for the day?+
Often, yes. We plan the outage around your trading hours — early morning, after close, or in stages — and can prioritise getting coolroom and essential circuits back online first. We'll talk through timing with you before booking so it fits your business rather than the other way round.
Will you damage original plasterwork or cornices during the upgrade?+
We take care to route new cabling around original detailing rather than through it wherever possible, and we'll discuss the planned path with you before starting. Most Fitzroy terrace upgrades can reuse existing cable routes, which limits any need to disturb plasterwork at all.
Are Collingwood's old warehouse switchboards safe to keep using?+
Not usually without review — an industrial-era board might look substantial but often lacks RCBOs and wasn't designed for a residential or studio load profile. We assess the board and consumer mains against what's actually being run today before recommending what needs upgrading.
Ready when you are
Book your Melbourne electrician today.
Fixed price before we start. Licensed local electrician on site, often within days. From a single power point to a full home rewire, we quote it upfront and leave the place spotless.
5-minute reply · $0 callout · Licensed A-Grade