I agree in theory, but, it is hard to tell from the picture where these track are?

You are of course in theory correct. BUT is the 'fix' worth the hassle? It's not like anyone but you will ever know the cabinets were cut. I assume you are nearing the end of a project. How did your electrician get to the cabinets if this wasn't approved??? Great undercabinet lighting solution!! I see these tapes in the big box stores and never thought of this application--but they usually are USB powered so how are they wired in? They are very inexpensive as fixtures go..so most of that charge was labor.....is that similar cost to the other work he's done on this project? DH does all our electrical so not sure what the going rate is. This install gives you one point of connection to power. It was the best solution for cost lack of cords etc.

"Am I within my rights to demand the cabinets be replaced and the charges dropped?"

No. Who, other than the cleaning lady, is ever going to look under there please? Let's see a picture of the lights lit at night please.

Is the electrician contracted by you or through a GC or builder?

I would be upset with this. Plus electrician didn’t have approval.

No one will ever see this since it is under the cabinet. I would love to see them lit up!

Yes, he should have discussed the project with you and given you an estimate first. However, replacing cabinets is extreme, not to mention taking a very long time to order and install them!

Ask yourself: Are you happy with the effect that they create or what would you have preferred over this type of lighting? How much did you expect it to be? How should he have installed it to continue the tape?

I have small florescent lights under my cabinets that was put in over 20 years ago. I’m sure this new tape is a more modern application. To install any under cabinet lighting, they have to cut or drill holes unless it is battery powered. But like I said, no one looks under the cabinets and will see it. I hope the final effect will be pleasing. I think I would like them.

Who is the GC for your project? Do you have a designer?

I would NOT pay him for this hack job! That type of light should have been mounted on the underside of the front lip of the cabinets. He could have used a small drill bit that did not cut into the boxes.

It's not worth your time and trouble to replace the cabinets themselves due to wait times or other damage that might occur if they're removed.

However, I would get creative about how to solve this mess, and send the bill for the extra work to the "electrician"!

ETA: "underside of the front lip of the cabinets" meaning NOT where the OP is showing in the pictures, but the underside of the cabinet TOWARDS the front, just as if there was a light rail.

So sorry the "professionals" feel attacked, even though they're defending crappy work!

This type of lighting is the preferred install for under cabinet lighting versus light bars, and even light bars would have holes drilled through that cabinet lip to connect to the power source and to connect each light bar to one another for switch reasons.

Your installation method is standard. No, you are not entitled to new cabinets. Should the type of under cabinet lighting have been discussed, yes. But since this is the most preferred lighting and his installation is standard, maybe you should have brought to the electrician or GC attention what it was you wanted. Communication goes both ways.

@Stull & Stull,

Using the wrong tool, and hacking up someone's cabinets because you're too stupid or lazy (or both) to take the time to do it right is "standard"?

The "electrician" didn't know what he didn't know. I would give him the option of eating the cost & paying for someone else to fix it "right", OR buying me new cabinets.

To the OP, take lots of pictures, and see if you have any documentation (text msg, email, note on an invoice, etc.) where you told him to contact you before installing undercabinet lighting.

unfortunately the world has turned so that if a person's response is not what another wants to hear they resort to attacking the messenger!

To clarify, you have 3 pro's so far telling you the same thing - this is standard installation in this situation. Electricians use an oscillating multi tool to cut out the bottom lip (as shown and not structural) of the cabinet to allow for a continuous run of LED tape lighting. The oscillating multi tool has certain standard width blades, there is not getting around that. As someone commented - that the lighting tape should have been fastened to the front lip of the cabinet, that is not how they are installed. As another pro mentioned - the best method is to have a light rail installed to the front bottom lip of the upper cabinet. This conceals the tape. In order for that to happen, the trim piece would have had to be planned for and installed from the beginning because that trim is usually a couple inches in height and that dimension would have had to be considered when installing the cabinets as to allow the typical 18" space between the counter top and the upper cabinet - meaning the entire cabinets themselves would have to be installed higher.

Homeowners and contractors should always have everything in writing as to protect both parties. It is impossible for any of us commenting to know what exactly happened or what was discussed between the parties involved. Both parties involved have responsibility in that, not me. Someone had to let the electrician in to do the work, either a homeowner or a general contractor.

My comment was to clarify like the other pros, that this is a standard installation. The homeowner is not entitled to new cabinets. Not knowing how many linear feet of lighting was installed, $700 is a more than reasonable cost. I thought that this was about professional advise and input. Be aware that if the homeowner tries to pursue this, the electrician can more than likely bring other customers, other contractors, and other evidence to support that this is standard installation. As far as the cost for the lighting installation itself, the homeowner will have to work out with the contractor what was actually agreed upon and what wasn't. That is not for us to decide as we only ever get one side of the story and limited details.

Why want a light rail planned for if you were doing under cabinet lighting? The tape is then placed on the light rail, more towards the front, where it should be. It is NEVER EVER placed on the lower lip of the cabinet. Whomever said to do that is clueless. That’s the real malpractice here. The electrician is just cleaning up the loose ends from the bad design plan and keeping the closing date on schedule. The GC owns the house at this point anyway, not you.

I wanted to come back to this discussion to post these pics:

Absolutely NO reason to hack someone's cabinets to pieces!

So you switched out the unobtrusive LED tape lights for ugly fluorescent boxes? Not an improvement.

@Frank and Frank No this not the OP ..this is someone else

We put puck lights under our cupboards and they are great. We had fluorescent tubes before. What a difference in light and view. Not familiar with the tape lights.

These factory uppers were delivered without "finished" bottoms, which is typical w factory but there are usually options.

First time factory cabinets were delivered to an otherwise custom job we were building had bottoms like this, unfinished, unmatching, w staples showing, raw plywood edges and rough joints showing. Discovered that even most factory cabinet manufacturers will sell you pieces to finish, add on light rail fronts, color & species matched plywood (or matching laminate) bottoms, etc.

There are at least three separate questions here:

1. Should the lighting have been installed without prior homeowner approval?

Of course not. If it's not agreed upon in the contract or otherwise, it doesn't matter if it's the preferred form of lighting, how it was installed, or whether the cabinets had light rail; all are irrelevant to this question. That's just Contracts 101.

2. Should the GC/electrician have to pay for new cabinets?

Nope. That's excessive considering the small and for all practical purposes, almost invisible damage to the cabinets, which appear to remain fully functional -- also Contracts 101. But *IF* there's a hole in the cabinet floor (can't really tell from the photo) you could make a case for cabinet repair or replacement.

3. Short of replacing the cabinets, what's to be done?

As a veteran of three kitchen renovations, two bathroom renovations, one house build & myriad other construction projects, I'd say that's subject to negotiation. I've come home to some things that have made me *very* unhappy -- among others, I'm looking at YOU, carpenter who installed the cabinet light rail backwards & drilled through the face after I showed you the only way it could possibly be installed; and YOU, handyman who ripped the vinyl flooring when you pulled out the refrigerator and failed to use the skids I provided after I explained that the vinyl would rip if they weren't used; YOU, GC who didn't make sure there was blocking for the grab bars before the shower was tiled; YOU carpenter who elected to change the trim I chose because you thought it looked better - and so many more!).

OP needs to decide what she wants, and GC/electrician should make it happen. And GC/electrician (whoever made the decision to go ahead w/o her say-so) should eat the cost of removing this installation, insofar as it's necessary to implement her desired lighting solution -- regardless of whether the folks on this board think it's "preferred." And in the interest of goodwill and making up for the f***up, the GC/electrician should not only apologize profusely but give a decent discount - even if she decides to keep what's already there.

I'm not about to get into an argument with contractors who say this installation is standard or the price reasonable. Perhaps it is standard installation or reasonable price in their area, but I've never seen it done quite that way or at that cost.

Further, it's incorrect to assert that you need a "continuous run" of LED tape or that the cabinet must be cut this way. There are other options, including a shallow, narrow notch (without removing the entire chunk of stile); simply running the tape over the stile instead of cutting it; or cutting the tape at the end of one cabinet & connecting on the other side with an LED strip connector that could "jump" the stile or go thru a small hole bored through it.

Maybe OP would have preferred one of these other possible solutions, or maybe not. Maybe she would have liked a more substantial light bar, or something with a frosted lens. Maybe she would have liked tape light installed inside the front cabinet lip - yes, that is actually recommended by some manufacturers, and NO, you do not need light rail!

OP, I feel your pain. I would be upset too. I hope you are able to get what you want at a price you agree upon.

These are my under cabinet lights, I do not have that extra wood piece protruding, if we did, id expect that to get the lighting mounted, they would have to be altered. These give beautiful even light.

I have undercabinet LED tape lighting. They are mounted flat under the cabinets with minimally visible 1/2” holes drilled between cabinets to keep a continuous run. Don’t know why your electrician went ahead without consultation with you and did such an unnecessary hack job on your cabinets. Sure your cabinets won’t be replaced because damage not readily visible but think some bill adjustment appropriate.