Well, a few months later and I thought I'd give an update. I may get some flack for our decisions, but they feel right to me. First, we decided to keep the Hyundai and get it fixed. Taking it to a couple of mechanics was on DPs to-do list (this never got done). Second, we had been working on some real estate tax problems and those were finally resolved. This resulted in enough cash for us to get started on the kitchen. Again, we already had most of the expensive stuff. A friend of DP is doing the work at a discount and DP is helping around work hours. I'm just complaining that the kitchen I've waited 2 years to get my hands on is finally being done without me ;) Soon after the kitchen decision, the fridge died, however we got a new one, great deal, at Sears Outlet. It has a couple of dents, but is bigger and much more efficient than the old one. And it works lol. One day DP took down the ceiling light in the kitchen. He reached up to the much larger than it should have been bundle of wires hanging from it and all of the cloth insulation crumbled off! Well. That answered that question. And why were there so many wires running through that fixture? Well, we no longer had any working ceiling lights on the first floor, and the outlets in our bedroom on the 2nd floor also stopped working. So, DP and 2 very handy friends replaced all that wiring. Since nothing was being added/removed/taken out it was safe. At the same time they split up all those things that were on 1 fuse into 4 fuses. DP has also bought a circuit box (?) load center (?) something like that and will be replacing the fuse boxes - again with experienced help. Because of the delay with the electric (3 electricians never showed up, must be plenty of work in Chicago) we (I mean they) had time to demo the plaster (not good enough to keep) instead of drywalling over it. Because we took it down we were able to insulate the exterior walls :) On to the AC. I find it extremely amusing that after saying Chicago only has a couple of miserable weeks a year, this has been an AWFUL summer already! Luckily we had decided to buy energy efficient window units. 1 on each floor keeps it just bearable. I still end up with cold showers some nights though. The whole pregnancy = higher body temp thing is apparently true. Last - back to the car. We got a great deal on a 2005 VW wagon. It's bigger, safer, etc. It's definitely a family car, not a "sport wagon" and I still haven't made my peace with that, but everything in due time ;) Baby could come anytime in the next 2 - 3 weeks, I'm due the 20th. The kitchen isn't done and the house is a disaster, but I'm not worried. My electric is safer, my car is big enough for the whole family, and I have enough AC to survive. We're stable financially and are both looking into additional income sources to be safe. As always, thanks to the great GWers for the rational advice!

Thanks all. I won the battle on this one with just a heated email to the GC. The fact is, I am paying for 200amp service upgrade (I know how much it should cost because I bid all the work to 3 GCs before choosing this one so I've got 3 prices for the service upgrade) and GC and/or electrician was pocketing a few hundred extra by using load calcs to justify 125 amp. I am sure all of these calculations were done correctly and 125 amp is totally fine for this house...now. The fact is, they were never shared with me or discussed with me and if they had been I would have pointed out all these other planned expansions that are not part of the current scope of work and rejected the specification. Again, I appreciate everyone's input and feel much more knowledgable about his topic. I may be overkilling with 200, but it is highly conceivable that 125 will be tapped with our future plans. This will be our house for a long time--happy to pay for quality electrical work, but I don't want future invoices to ever say anything about "service upgrade" again.

Brickeye said: ""Any AHJ who does require AFCIs in a service upgrade is enforcing his own personal opinions....not any Code...and subjects himself to a lot of personal legal liability...including loss of certification, fines, or even imprisonment...by so doing." The NEC is actually silent on this. It does allow grandfathering, but leaves the extent up to the AHJ, which in most jurisdictions carries the weight of law (even if only administrative law). Many jurisdictions passed laws requiring GFCI devices be installed on kitchen counter circuits when the property changes hands, or ANY electrical permit is pulled against the address. NO grandfathering around the rule. The NEC does not cover everything, and many jurisdictions amend it when they adopt. I have seen repeated refusals to allow K&T to be fed from new panels in numerous states and localities. The AHJs want the K&T taken out of service. While it is arguable that allowing the panel upgrade would improve the safety of even a K&T installation, the decision was made that the K&T had to go. It was one more way to apply pressure to upgrade installations." We are probably in agreement here but for differing reasons. While the NEC may be 'silent' as to when AFCI devices might be required in existing installations, the NEC is not a stand alone code and electrical installations in existing homes are actually also regulated by other codes. Where adopted, for example, the International Existing Building Code would prevail on electrical issues where the NEC is silent and for existing buildings. So too would state or municipal amendments to the NEC or other adopted electrical Code. In my state, it is not legal for any AHJ to require any portion of an existing electrical system in good working order to be changed if only a service panelbox is being changed or upgraded. The NEC only applies to 'new installations' and changing a fusebox to a circuit breaker panel is not considered a 'new installation'....by law. It is considered an 'alteration to an existing installation' which does not require the use of AFCIs. The point: It is still not the AHJs opinion that prevails or even matters here....It is what is legally adopted by Code. We cannot require AFCIs in panel upgrades, the replacement of K&T wire, Federal Pacific panels or any other part of an electrical system in good working even if we wanted to. And it would be a violation of our Code and law if we did. Bottom line: It still has nothing to do with the AHJs "personal opinion" or how much he "cares". It all has to do with law and the Code. And any AHJ enforcing his own personal opinions and not any law places himself in serious legal jeopardy.

Unlike others, there is no way I'd worry about the location unless I was forced to by a remodel, but that is what is happening so handwringing has to be done. As an aside, my understanding of cabinets around electrical panels is that they are OK as long as clearance requirements are met. That, of course, means that the cabinet is only for the electrical panel, for the most part. Putting a movable rack in front of the panel can't be a building code violation because it is not part of the building. It can be a violation of the stupid code, but I question even that if it can be moved aside with little to no effort. I, as others have expressed, think that putting an outdoor panel on the opposite side is going to be the least expensive solution. My assumption, having lived in several parts of the country, is that outdoor panels are more common in areas where slab homes are more common vs. full basements. If you can't put them in the basement, you put them outside. Nobody wants to take up finished living space with an electrical panel. In the areas that I have experienced, indoor panels have a much longer life than outdoor panels. I hate to see the outside, but it is not an easy choice. Getting an electrician experienced in this very kind of thing is going to tell you if that is the case. Some are more creative than others so cross your fingers. I'd certainly get more than one electrician in. It is very hard to say how much it will cost, but you are not rewiring the whole house. There are going to be, however, some surprises. If you put a new combo main panel/meter pan on the outside, for example, if the mast is not high enough to meet current electrical code, will it have to be raised and how much is that gonna cost?