Posted: 3/29/2011 2:25:54 PM EDT
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I getting estimates from a couple of companies but I'd like to know what I should pay for:
1. Adding two drops to my unfinished basement for outlets. One would be within 5 feet of the electrical panel to one side of the panel box and the other within 10 feet of the opposite side of the panel. There is no existing wiring that could be used for either. There is plenty of room in the panel. 2. Adding whole house surge protection. TIA guys. |
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For the first... I wouldn't imagine it would take a pro more than half an hour to do both drops, if that long. And parts would be in the <$25 range if you bought them yourself, the pro (hopefully) gets at least a tiny discount on them.
So, by the time they charge you the call-out fee, the minimum hourly fee, the markup on the parts, and the bend-you-over-since-you-can't-do-it-yourself fee... $100-$200 is pretty likely. |
Since it's unfinished and there wouldn't have to be any fishing or surprises, the 2 receptacles would take under an hour so an electrician would charge his minimum plus material. Some electricians, such as myself, have a 2 hour minimum since someone (the customer) has to pay for all the unbillable hours of the day, such as driving to and from your house, picking material up, estimate, talking to the customer about whatever crap they want to slow me down with that day  So $100-250. This is something that is relatively easy and we can walk you thru doing it yourself to save the money.
As for the surge suppression, that depends on what unit your local electricians are selling. I never really got into that myself, I know units rage from $100-$10,000+ Quoted:
And parts would be in the <$25 range if you bought them yourself, the pro (hopefully) gets at least a tiny discount on them. Electrician usually get a good discount, however all material is marked up even higher than what the customer would be able to get it for. It's a basic part of pricing, it is necessary to cover purchasing, storing, handling, and warrantying of material. |