Kitchen lighting in Mountain View, CA
Kitchen lighting in Mountain View: Kitchen Remodel Mountain View matches you with licensed remodelers in Mountain View who do this work. Lighting is easiest to rethink while the kitchen is open. Mountain View's kitchen requirements set two clear rules: all installed lighting must be high efficacy, and under-cabinet lighting must be on its own switch, separate from the other lights. The rest is deciding where the light should land. Tell us about your project and up to 3 licensed remodelers who work in Mountain View will contact you with free, written estimates. Below are 4 things to know before you start, how permits work in Mountain View, and the questions homeowners ask most.
Planning by task
Ceiling fixtures light the room, under-cabinet strips light the counter where people chop, and pendants mark an island or table. Putting each layer on its own switch or dimmer lets the room shift from cooking to evening.
Efficacy and controls
The City requires high-efficacy fixtures, and California's energy code, Title 24 Part 6, sets the rules for residential lighting and its controls. A remodeler who works with both plans fixtures and switches together.
Ceilings without an attic
Mid-century houses with exposed beam ceilings leave nowhere to bury recessed cans. Surface-mounted fixtures, track or cable systems, and wiring run in channels along the beams are typical answers.
Lighting terms
Lumens: light output. Color temperature: warm or cool tone, measured in kelvin. CRI: how faithfully a light shows colors. Driver: the power supply for LED strips. Wafer light: a thin recessed LED that needs very little ceiling depth.
Permits in Mountain View
- Mountain View requires a building permit, issued before construction starts, for any kitchen remodel that replaces the cabinets. Replacing countertops or refacing the existing cabinets does not need one.
- Depending on the scope, separate electrical or plumbing permits may apply, and replacing a range hood that vents outdoors needs a mechanical permit. The application includes an 11-by-17-inch plan of the existing and proposed kitchen and an electrical load calculation.
- If the remodel changes the outside of the house, the Planning Division reviews it before the building submittal. The City lists about 5 business days to receive a permit for a like-for-like replacement and 2 to 3 months for a renovation that removes walls.
City of Mountain View Building Division · 500 Castro Street, (650) 903-6313
Common questions
Do new kitchen lights need a permit in Mountain View?
New fixtures, switches or circuits are electrical work and generally need a permit. The City lists replacing lamps as minor electrical work that does not.
Why do under-cabinet lights need their own switch?
It is one of Mountain View's kitchen lighting requirements. Separate switching also lets you light the counter without turning on the whole room.
More kitchen services
- Kitchen remodeling in Mountain View
- Mid-century modern kitchen remodel
- Kitchen cabinet replacement
- Cabinet refacing
- Countertop replacement
- Kitchen island installation
- Kitchen wall removal
- Kitchen layout redesign
- Condo and townhome kitchen remodel
- Galley kitchen remodel
- Small kitchen remodel
- Gas to electric kitchen conversion
- Kitchen backsplash installation
- Kitchen flooring
- Aging-in-place kitchen remodel
- Kitchen bump-out and addition
Talk to a licensed kitchen remodeler about your project in Mountain View
- Free estimates, no obligation
- Licensed California remodelers
- You sign with the remodeler directly