Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

"farseer" wrote in message
oups.com...
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much


The only way to do a cost comparison for your area is to get prices from
several contractors who bid on the exact same work. You should specify on
paper exactly what you want done. It is also best to specify the materials
such as the model number of the electrical panel that you want installed.
That way you are comparing apples to apples.

Without looking at the job,it's impossible to price it. From your
description, the price you have sounds reasonable, but get another estimate,
and try to get one from a contractor outside of Yonkers. In fact try Nick's
electrical service, from Scarsdale, I've know Nick for years, and I know
he's fair and honest



"farseer" wrote in message
oups.com...
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

farseer wrote:
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.

I have to disagree. I think you are better off finding someone honest and
competent. Reputable contractors make their livelihood by charging for a
combination of labor and material profits. Part of that figure includes
guarantees on their work and materials. If you as a customer are to supply
materials, and something fails, there is no profit in it for the contractor
to return without an additional charge. Also, not being qualified to even
purchase the correct materials, you may have your contractor standing around
waiting for you to return and or purchase the correct stuff. I know I
wouldn't work for someone looking to supply their own materials except for
things like fixtures, and personally I think you would only attract the
bottom of the barrel


"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
ups.com...

farseer wrote:
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.

RBM wrote:
I have to disagree. I think you are better off finding someone honest
and competent. Reputable contractors make their livelihood by
charging for a combination of labor and material profits.

But not the same in other industries. At a General Motors dealership, the
service profit-bucket is not connected to the parts profit-bucket. They are
more than happy to use customer-supplied parts.

Another thing to think about is that an electrical contractor going to
a supplier for years on end typically gets a discount on materials
purchased. Even after a mark up it can beat the price of a homeowner
getting to Home depot.




On Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:36:53 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

RBM wrote:
I have to disagree. I think you are better off finding someone honest
and competent. Reputable contractors make their livelihood by
charging for a combination of labor and material profits.

But not the same in other industries. At a General Motors dealership, the
service profit-bucket is not connected to the parts profit-bucket. They are
more than happy to use customer-supplied parts.

Thanks all for the advice.

On Oct 17, 9:30 pm, "John Grabowski" wrote:
"farseer" wrote in ooglegroups.com...





Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks muchThe only way to do a cost comparison for your area is to get prices from
several contractors who bid on the exact same work. You should specify on
paper exactly what you want done. It is also best to specify the materials
such as the model number of the electrical panel that you want installed.
That way you are comparing apples to apples.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.


Most electricians will just walk away and mutter about you being a cheap
SOB. My electrician charges materials at about the same price as what I'd
pay and he has the supplies on his truck saving me a trip to the store.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. com...

"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.


Most electricians will just walk away and mutter about you being a cheap
SOB. My electrician charges materials at about the same price as what I'd
pay and he has the supplies on his truck saving me a trip to the store.

The company that I hired to rework my breaker box purchased the supplies
beforehand - off the clock. I only paid for the parts + tax. I now
understand why people here suggested I NOT supply my own parts for the job,
their equipment, their warranty, their experience working with it.

Replacing the old service panel with a new one is in the several
hundred price range, including parts. I had this done 2 years ago by a
master electrician who did the job on his own time and bought the parts
thru his employer at a discount.

Unless you have some bizarre setup, you're being screwed. For example,
I'm not talking about the max size 200 amp panel with 40 circuits, just
a normal deal.

farseer wrote:
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

MRS. CLEAN wrote:
farseer wrote:
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much

Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.


That simply isn't true. I buy the parts for my customers and I get a
much better price on them then they could get. Since I'm in the
electrical business rather then the tax collecting business I don't mark
them up because I'd have to get a resale tax number and collect sales
tax. If your electrician tries to charge you a higher price then you
could buy the same materials retail then call her/him on it. If he/she
is willing to go through the resale process to stay square with the
state then they are as entitled as any other merchant to a mark up to
cover the cost of acquisition. Some cover those cost by marking the
materials up and some by charging for the hours spent on acquisition.
Either way that time must be paid for. This business is competitive
enough that anybody trying to gouge on materials is shooting themselves
in the foot.

I tell anybody that insist on buying the parts for their work that if
they make a mistake they must eat the lost time. I get two hours,
Monday through Friday during the day, every time I set the emergency
brake on the van in front of your house. If you want to take a chance
on eating two hours of paid time then that's fine with me. Thing is you
get a better price and I have to eat the mistakes I make when I buy the
parts. On a small job you might come out ahead by a few dollars. But
on anything larger you will do better having me buy the materials for
you. Another point is that when customers insist on buying bargain
basement parts I will not warranty that work.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"MRS. CLEAN" wrote in message
Buy your own parts and materials, then pay the guy hourly.

Know the job, or you'll really pay.

A full day at $70 per hour is $560 labor. Parts? get them yourself or
you're getting screwed without being kissed.


Most electricians will just walk away and mutter about you being a cheap
SOB. My electrician charges materials at about the same price as what I'd
pay and he has the supplies on his truck saving me a trip to the store.

You're blessed.

Roger that, Roger61611.

I just did the same job (replacing the old service panel with a new
one) for about $360. Yes, the first electrician that came out wanted
$2,000 - 3,000. Also, the electrical supply bought my own panel for
$85.00 so he'd have parts. I was happy to help the next guy.

Electricians aren't honest and the posters who can trust and believe in
their electrians are blessed and fortunate. The average person cannot.

You're not getting kissed with this screwing.


wrote:
Replacing the old service panel with a new one is in the several
hundred price range, including parts. I had this done 2 years ago by a
master electrician who did the job on his own time and bought the parts
thru his employer at a discount.

Unless you have some bizarre setup, you're being screwed. For example,
I'm not talking about the max size 200 amp panel with 40 circuits, just
a normal deal.

farseer wrote:
Can someone assist with helping figure out if i am being charged a fair
price

I live in a very old home and am in the process of modernizing it. I
already had some major electrical work done. The old electrical panel
box was in the basement. We kept that there and installed a new box on
the 1s floor. This controls the first and second floor. The old
panel box controls the basement and some outlets on the outside of the
house. The house also has the gas and electric meters in the basement.
i'd like to do the following:

-I'd like to replace the old panel box with a modern one in the
basement. The old panel box uses those old screw in fuses. There are
also al ot of old wires running to that box that we don't think is
being used. some are not even connected. In fact, it seems like the
electrician that installed 1st floor box also ran some wires to this
one, some of which was not connected
-I'd like to also move the utilities meters to the outside of the home.

I live in Yonkers (Westchester), New York. Can anyone give me an
idea what a job like this would cost me? One electrician that comes
highly recommended stated that this type of work would run me around
$3k, but is willing to do it for me for $2100. He says it is a full
day job.

thanks much