A backsplash looks simple until an outlet lands in the middle of a patterned tile, or a toaster has no plug that does not cross the sink. The tile installer is not the person who should invent your small-appliance layout on install day. That layout is a decision you make with the remodeler and the electrician before the backer board is covered.
Modern Kitchen San Diego does not pull electrical permits or set tile. We refer independent remodelers. Spacing rules are confirmed by the electrician and the city that permits your address. This page does not quote a code section or a required inch measurement.
Start from the things that plug in
Stand at the counter you will actually use. Where does the coffee maker live. Where is the toaster. Is there a stand mixer that only comes out on weekends, and does it need a plug when it is stored. A phone charger at the end of a peninsula sounds minor until the only outlet is behind a cutting board.
Write those spots down. Then look at the outlets you have. Many older San Diego kitchens have one or two receptacles on a long run, placed for a different layout. Moving a box a few inches so it hits a grout line, or so it clears a window trim, is easy before tile and miserable after.
Switches belong on the same list. Under-cabinet lights need a switch you can find with wet hands, usually at the room entrance rather than in the middle of the backsplash. A disposal switch should not sit where a faucet handle blocks it.
What the tile person needs
The tile layout and the electrical layout have to be one drawing, even if it is a pencil sketch. Large-format tile hates a box that splits four tiles into slivers. A handmade tile with an uneven edge hides a box better, and also makes a crooked box more obvious.
Ask who cuts the openings. Some crews have the electrician set the boxes to the finished tile height. Some have the tile setter cut around boxes that are already proud of the wall. Either can work. Neither works if the two trades have not talked.
If you are keeping the old boxes in the wall and only changing the tile, say so. A new thicker tile can leave the outlet recessed in a hole. An extension ring or a new device may be part of the job. Put that in the bid so it is not a surprise when the plates do not sit flat.
Before the counter is templated
Outlets along the backsplash also relate to the backsplash height and to a window sill. A box that was fine under a short tile field can collide with a full-height slab splash. If you are still choosing between a short tile backsplash and a stone splash, do not let anyone close up the wall.
Photograph the existing boxes with a tape in the frame, from the counter and from the nearest cabinet edge. Share that with the remodeler. It is the fastest way to talk about moving one box instead of arguing from memory.
The electrician on the job confirms what the permit office in your city expects. In the City of San Diego, Development Services is at 619-446-5000. Other cities in the county have their own counter. Do not treat a blog as the permit.
A referral, not a layout service
We will not draw your outlet plan. If you want an independent remodeler to coordinate the electrician and the tile, tell us the city and that the kitchen includes a new backsplash. Call (858) 400-4913 and say the kitchen includes a new backsplash. Check the license you are offered at cslb.ca.gov before you sign.