This project began in an approximately 165 m² (50-pyeong) commercial space in Ilsan, South Korea.
The space had previously operated as a restaurant. According to the new owner, it had been a popular location, and he moved quickly when he had the opportunity to take over the property.
His plan was to renovate it into a Korean BBQ restaurant while completing a large part of the interior work himself to keep construction costs under control.
Our electrical crew consisted of two electricians, and our actual electrical work on site totaled three working days. Before installing anything, however, we first had to decide how the new electrical system would fit into a renovation that had no professional electrical drawings.
Starting With a Former Restaurant
The previous tenant had also operated a restaurant, but we decided not to build the new electrical installation around the remaining branch wiring.
Much of the old wiring had already been removed during demolition. What remained had been exposed to years of restaurant use, including grease and dirt, and the previous facilities had been removed without preserving the wiring for reuse.
There was therefore little benefit in spending time tracing scattered old conductors and trying to adapt them to a completely different restaurant layout. We decided to plan the new branch wiring around the new interior instead.
In this case, starting with a new wiring route was more practical than trying to rebuild the project around the remnants of the previous installation.
.png "Former Restaurant Interior Before Electrical Renovation")
There Was No Professional Electrical Drawing
Unlike a larger commercial project, this renovation did not begin with a complete electrical drawing.
There were no drawings showing final outlet locations, lighting circuits, equipment circuits, cable routes, or detailed electrical distribution.
Instead, the owner had drawn a simple floor plan by hand to show how he wanted to arrange the dining area and kitchen.
The drawing was useful because it showed the owner's intentions, but it was not an electrical design.
We still had to convert those ideas into practical locations for wiring, outlets, switches, equipment power, and the distribution panel.
A Sketch Shows the Idea, Not the Electrical Solution
A hand-drawn floor plan can tell an electrician where the owner wants tables, kitchen equipment, walls, or counters. It does not determine whether a requested electrical method is practical, maintainable, or safe.
Those decisions still require technical judgment on site.
Working With a DIY Owner Takes More Communication
The owner was managing much of the interior renovation himself while also working another job. Because of that, the overall renovation could not always progress continuously.
More importantly, he was not an electrical professional. That meant our role was not simply to install whatever was requested.
A non-professional client usually knows where he wants an outlet, switch, light, air conditioner, or piece of equipment. But he may not know whether the requested method is electrically practical or what problems it could create later.
When something should not be done, the electrician needs to say clearly that it should not be done. When something is technically possible but difficult, expensive, or inconvenient to maintain, the client should also understand why.
This kind of consultation takes more time than working from a complete set of professional drawings. There are more questions, more explanations, and sometimes several changes before a final decision is reached.
Consultation Is Part of the Work
On a DIY renovation, the electrician is not only installing cables and devices. We may also need to explain why a requested method is not appropriate, why another option is difficult, and which alternative is more practical.
.png "On-Site Electrical Planning With the Restaurant Owner")
Discussing electrical requirements with the owner on site.
Planning the Exposed Raceway Route
The owner wanted an exposed industrial-style ceiling rather than installing a conventional finished ceiling.
Because the electrical installation would remain visible, the raceway layout had to work both technically and visually.
The basic route came from the owner's layout, but we discussed the details together. Our goal was to run the raceway around the main perimeter of the restaurant and add another route across the central area.
We also tried to position the raceway so that outlet wiring and other main wiring routes could be organized inside it wherever practical.
In this project, the raceway was therefore not just a wiring enclosure. Its location affected the appearance of the exposed ceiling, the ease of branching to future electrical points, and the overall wiring route.
.png "Planning the Exposed Raceway Layout")
Exposed-ceiling interior where the new raceway system was planned.
Checking the Existing Electrical Supply
The building already had an electrical distribution panel. The owner wanted to reuse it where practical rather than replace the entire enclosure.
However, its existing location did not work well with the new restaurant layout, so the panel itself would need to be relocated.
Before new branch circuits were connected, we checked the basic existing supply conditions.
The supply was three-phase, four-wire 220/380V. The main protective device inside the panel was a 4-pole 50A MCCB, and the existing feeder was a CV 4-core 10 mm² cable.
The exterior service area had the electricity meter, but there was no separate outdoor main breaker at that location.
.png "New Distribution Panel Before Branch Circuit Connections")
Existing Site Conditions
Supply: Three-phase, four-wire 220/380V
Main breaker: 4P 50A MCCB
Existing feeder: CV 4C × 10 mm²
Distribution panel: Existing panel to be relocated and reused where practical
These values describe the equipment that already existed at this particular site. They are not universal specifications for restaurant electrical installations.
Deciding Where Our Work Would Stop
Because this was a cost-conscious DIY renovation, defining the boundary between professional electrical work and the owner's own work was important.
Our planned work included relocating the distribution panel, installing the main raceway routes, running the required wiring, installing approximately 12 outlets, and preparing the necessary switch and wiring points.
We would also bring the required power wiring to the planned air-conditioning outdoor-unit locations after coordinating the equipment locations with the air-conditioning installer.
The final lighting fixtures were different. The owner had not yet purchased all of them and wanted to select and install the fixtures himself at the locations he preferred.
We therefore prepared the lighting wiring and switch circuits, while the final fixture installation remained part of the owner's DIY work.
On this type of project, both sides need to understand clearly where professional electrical work ends and where the owner's own finish work begins.
The First Stage Was Mostly About Decisions
This project did not begin with detailed electrical drawings and a fully fixed construction schedule.
It began with a former restaurant, a partially demolished electrical installation, a hand-drawn layout, an existing distribution panel, and an owner trying to manage much of the renovation himself.
Before installing raceways or pulling new conductors, we first had to decide what existing wiring was worth keeping, where the visible raceway should run, where the distribution panel should move, and which parts of the work would be completed by us or by the owner.
The actual electrical work ultimately required three working days for our two-person crew.
The planning that came before the installation was what made those three days workable.
Part 1: Planning Before Installation
• What remained from the previous restaurant?
• What should be reused, and what should be replaced?
• Where should the exposed raceway and distribution panel be located?
• How should professional electrical work be coordinated with a DIY renovation?
In Part 2, I will show how the raceway routes, relocated distribution panel, outlets, equipment power, ventilation circuits, and air-conditioning supplies were actually installed.
Korean Construction Field Terms
This article documents a real field project. Electrical design and installation requirements vary by site, equipment, and local regulations.
Korean Electrical Construction · Field Experience · Safety · Technical Education
Website: electrickorea.co.kr
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