It can be a pain to do, but he certainly won't be the first person to add under cabinet lighting in a kitchen were it didn't exist. Let your contractor figure it out.

Where you can compromise is in the need to have an actual switch. In my previous house I had my contractor install a remote/dimming module for the under cabinet lights with no wired switch. I had my remote velcro'd to the inside of one of my cabinet doors.

Can they access the walls behind the cabinets from another room?

Also make sure that you get very thin low profile led tape lights and a diffuser so you don't see the light dots reflecting on your counters.

You might want to consider hiring an electrician yourself rather than waiting for the general contractor to make a mess of it.

Also make sure he installs the lights toward the front of the upper cabinets, not toward the back. Some contractors want to install the UCL toward the back because it's a little easier to do it that way. But the UCL needs to be installed toward the front. The reasons are that the light needs to be shed onto the middle of the counter. If you install the lights toward the back, they are mostly just lighting the backsplash and you've spent that money and not getting the light you need. Also if you install the lights toward the back, they will be visible from a seated position nearby. If installed toward the front, they will be right behind the light rail and not visible from a seated position. Don't let them tell you that wires will be visible or anything like that - if they are installed correctly, wires are not visible.

@Chispa: I don’t know if they can access the walls behind cabinets from another room. If I had to guess, the answer would be no because the backside of all the kitchen walls are poured concrete (original portion of house constructed in 1939).

@M Miller: the contractor has an electrician sub-contractor so I think maybe they won’t screw up. However, I’m going to micro-manage the UCL install. Thank you for the front UCL install tip. I need to go into this as well-informed as possible.

@M Miller: I forgot to add that I am considering hiring an electrician myself because I also want to know how much it would cost if someone else did the work so I can deduct that from my contract with the contractor. I know that it will cost more to add UCL to existing kitchen versus before the drywall, cabinets, counters, etc. went up.

My UCLs were installed after drywall, cabinets and counters. I don’t recall that it was a big deal at all. Certainly did not need to ”access the walls behind the cabinets from another room”! Electricians install UCLs in finished kitchens all the time.

@M Miller: that’s good to know. I’m sure lots of people add UCL to existing kitchens. Do you have a brand you recommend? What type of lighting did you use? Pucks, LED strips, or? He is supposed to do LED strips.

The comment about front versus rear is important. Electricians are not lighting designers. I had an electrician tell me our were installed incorrectly and should be moved to the rear.

Contractor’s electrician said not a big deal to do hardwired UCL in finished kitchen. They’re installing them now.

Where exactly towards front are they supposed to be installed? Right under the front trim of cabinet, or a few inches away from front?

Should be right behind the front trim or light rail. Under the cabinet floor and not under any trim.

Great! Thanks @chispa!

@chispa: we did compromise on a hardwired switch. Instead, I have the remote control but I’m VERY happy with the end result.

Was this a contracted project? If so, isn't it the contractor's problem (and expense)?

To make correcting the oversight easier, I would use low voltage LED tape lighting as my UCL - low voltage wiring is an easier install. Then, the only 120v wiring needed would be the wall switch (if used) and power to the low voltage transformer. This system has a remote on/off control:

https://www.lampsplus.com/products/trulux-16-4-foot-tunable-cct-high-output-led-tape-light-kit__42h17.html

@Roseanna Prkr I hope you see this - what brand lights did you install, and where did you buy it? The photos of your kitchen are great. Thanks.