The grade affects every outdoor run
A feeder to a detached garage or a suite on a Mission hillside is either climbing or dropping, which affects trench depth, drainage and how the run holds up after a wet winter. Water will find its way into conduit that drains the wrong way. Routing around the slope rather than taking the direct line on a drawing is what prevents problems a few years on.
Properties north of town run on wells and septic
Toward Stave Falls and Steelhead, properties supply their own water and handle their own sewage, and both depend on electricity. Pump circuits, high-water alarms and a standby power plan carry far more weight here than they do a few kilometres downhill.
Renovations have outpaced the original services
The post-war core has been renovated in waves while the service stayed as installed. It is common to find a modern kitchen, an updated bathroom and an added suite all fed from an original 60A or 100A supply, with newer wiring spliced into cloth-sheathed cable behind the drywall.