"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
I asked her how much it cost. She said she hadn't gotten the bill yet! I
was only partially surprised at the idea of working this way, but the
electrician is a guy who did some work for us in the past, and whose
prices were VERY reasonable. So....there's the other side.

There are a few contractors that you can trust to work like that. I happen
to have a plumber and an electrician that we use at work. I just tell them
what I want and they do the job at reasonable cost. I may ask for a number
for budgeting a big job, but it is never set in stone. These guys have been
working with us for about 15 years. I'd not do it with anyone I don't have
any experience with.