In my experience the small details I thought wouldn't be a big deal always turn out to be a big deal.. A couple of suggestions for a quick fix. You can purchase a metal switch plate cover and paint it to match the wood background. Another option. Remove the switch, fill in with a piece of wood. Use bondo (yes car bondo) to fill in seems sand and paint. You should not see any sign that it was there. My builder taught me the bondo trick for repairing would issues and it really works like a dream.

Hard to tell how visible this is from the photos. First I would ask the cabinet guy what he thought, he may know some tricks. Right now the switch looks to be lighter than the panel, you can get plates and switches in colors that may blend better.

Instead of doing all that work just replace the light switch with something flat like this one for example .

Thank you for your suggestions. I agree that small details often end up being a bigger deal than ever imagined.

The bondo patch was brought up but the cabinet guy was concerned that in certain lights you would be able to tell it was patched. Have you had that experience, M E?

Certainly painting the plate and/or getting a different color plate would help it not stand out so much... Just one of those questions of in the long haul whether it will be an annoyance given the overall investment (or whether, on the other hand, it will just fade into the background once I'm living there).

The switch looks like it's on the wall not the bench. Is that part of the bench but just painted?

Yes, leelee, that's part of the side of the bench.

Imagine this area crammed with coats and boots and shoes and scarves. Now do you even notice a light switch?

Very good point, leelee. I appreciate it.

Good idea, Genevieve.

I have not had that issue with telltale lines showing due to light. It really works like a dream. Much better than wood filler. It doesn't shrink or crack over time. You may have to have that whole side repainted in order to not see the paint touch up. although that may not be necessary if you still have original paint used for project.

I know what it's like when building. So many small details to deal with. But you put a lot of time and effort into your choices and your decisions. You should be happy with the final product. It's bad enough when something is off because of your own choice, (wrong color, did I really pick out THAT sink, what was I thinking) but when it's something you didn't plan you should not have to live with it.

Thank you, M E. Really appreciate it.

Yes! So ready to be done with all these small details and "oops!" Still can't quite comprehend why the guy would not at least check first before drilling into built-ins.

Thanks, ACM. The switch controls the ceiling lights in the mudroom (which is open to the side hallway). If it weren't on the side of the bench, it would be in the side hallway just as you walk in the door (along with the switches for the hallway and the outside light).

I like your suggestion. I think the fear of God is now in them, but maybe a tad too late! :)

Does anyone know of flat switches that are not part of a more elaborate control system? I like the look of the Wemo light Genevieve suggested but I think it's part of a more elaborate system.

Get a wood plate and paint it the color of the wall.

The wires in the box must be properly terminated before the box can be removed. Fill the hole with plywood, Bondo over to smooth, then re-veneer the wall with contact cement and paint to match. No disassembly required.

You can get a broad flipper (called a "rocker switch"), which is better than a pointy switch, just about anywhere, and they should work with any standard wiring, as long as you don't need specialty dimmers or something.

These take different plates, obviously, but fit the same junction boxes as the switch you have. Took these two photos from Lowes, where the prices are in the low single digits for even the fancy ones.

It's your Custom cabinet. It's the GC's fault. Fix it. This will eat at your last nerve if it's not the way you want it. 2 cent

There was probably existing switch there which cannot be hidden per code even if you change that to a junction box, the box still has to be accessible. That is a typical installation in cases like that... Unless this was discussed prior to re-route the switch and rewire everything in which case you would have to open up some ceilings and fish some wires, etc.

Joseph Corlett, the cabinet maker told my GC he was worried you'd be able to see that it was patched if we went the Bondo route. Have you had any experience/issues with that?

GN Builders, the area we're talking about is all in brand-new construction so there wouldn't have been an existing switch there. It would appear though that we could use the same wires but just have them switched on the other side of the wall (in drywall rather then inside the custom cabinet as they are now).

I guess someone made a Boo-Boo and your cabinet maker is right, no matter what you do will see the patch which will look worst than a switch.

"GN Builders, the area we're talking about is all in brand-new construction so there wouldn't have been an existing switch there."

You must not be paying attention. The switch box and wires were there (as the plan shows) even before the drywall was installed.... long before the cabinet was built, or the design of it was decided. If the cabinet maker had the qall to just cover up the box (which is a blatant code violation), then it is the cabinet maker's fault. In my neck of the woods, if the cabinet installer does not cut out for electrical when they install cabinets, they come back and remove the cabinet to find where the box is and cut it out, plus pay for an extra trip for the electrician. I would be willing to bet that if the bench is even on the construction plans, it does not show these side pieces. It is the cabinet maker who I would not be trusting here, because he should actually know better if he is a professional, yet is appearantly still trying to make the electrician the scapegoat.

Even if the cabinet maker did not realize the switch was there until he went to install the cabinet, and the switch box needed to be move, he should never have installed the cabinet until the wiring was moved... unless the cabinet guy was also trying to make more work for drywall repair and painting.

Fred S and I were thinking the same thing. I hate it when blame is placed on the little guy (electrician) in this case. 1) Plans will show where box is to go. 2) Electrician attaches box to stud prior to wall or cabinetry going in. 3) Builder (and you) should walk the site to approve location of the boxes and make changes if necessary. 4) THEN AND ONLY THEN should walls go up and most cabinetry is attached to drywall.

Even if box wasn't there on the plans, it is builders job to catch it UNLESS you added wood walls where drywall was specified on plans.

That said, having built several homes, paInt to match and take the cash. You will NOT care about this once you're living there!

"Joseph Corlett, the cabinet maker told my GC he was worried you'd be able to see that it was patched if we went the Bondo route. Have you had any experience/issues with that?"

That's why I recommended a new veneer over the filled and sanded Bondo. I spent several years in the store fixture manufacturing business. This will work, I promise.

Fred S makes a good point here. My electricians would never have dared cut into cabinets.... maybe he did it because the cabinet guy covered his outlet and hence is a signal that the electrician can go ahead with the cut out?

can that side panel be taken out and replaced? How about using wallpaper after that area is patched?

Hard to know what exactly happened now at this point. I believe my GC is taking responsibility rather than assigning blame to one of the subs.

They are offering to replace the side panel, though it will require dissembling a number of different parts in the cabinet given how the panel is situated in there. The wallpaper is an interesting idea, though given the location of it might be problematic. But love the creativity!

It does not require disassembling anything. This is like when people say you have to remove a countertop to replace a sink. You don't. Anyone saying otherwise is not familiar with cost-effective repairs.

Corlett is correct.

OP the electrical had to have existed before cabinetry.

In no way shape or form will patching painted wood when bondo and sanding done right be noticeable. That's ridiculous to argue that point if it's site painted (painted in the house) by the painter cabinetry. This does not appear to be factory painted. There is no need to remove the woodwork to patch.

Furthermore, it's likely without us all knowing the floor plan, that the switch is in the most logical and practical spot.