Tips for Finding & Hiring an
Electrician
Looking for an Electrician for Hire?
Whether you’re doing a home remodel or
simply fixing a flickering light, you’re probably looking to hire an
electrician. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to
confidently hire a licensed professional. You’ll learn about how much
electricians charge and why they cost what they do. You’ll understand the
difference between an Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Electrician. There are
some excellent tips to keep the project cost down while also diving into what
projects they do and which you may need a specialist for. Maybe most
importantly, you’ll learn what questions to ask your electrical contractor
before a job starts and after it ends.
Common Electrical Projects
Every home needs electrical repairs from
time to time, but because of the dangers involved, these repairs don’t make
safe do-it-yourself projects. Most folks will be better off hiring professional
electricians.
How to Hire an Electrician
Knowing how to hire an electrician involves
a little reading and research combined with knowing the right questions to ask.
Read this article.
At the very least, go through the list of
questions, tips and FAQ’s we’ve included. Arming yourself with the best
information gives you the tools and confidence to get the right professional
for the job. Understanding basic electrical wiring will help you understand the
problems in your home.
Research Costs.
Familiarize yourself with the typical costs
per hour for electrical work below. But don’t stop at this article. Dive into
specific costs unique to your project. Knowing what charges to expect puts you
in a better spot when the bids and bill come in.
Consider These Things for Your Electrical
and Lighting Plan
After giving a general overview last week
of what’s needed for the specifications for the plumbing, mechanical and
electrical subs, I thought it would be helpful to go into more detail about the
lighting and electrical plan that you will have to give to the electrician. There is so much to consider. I’ll give you a list of suggestions that you
can use as a checklist to help you develop a pretty complete electrical and
lighting plan before you even meet your builder or electrician for the lighting
walkthrough.
The lighting walkthrough typically happens
in the rough-in stage, after framing is complete and before the drywall goes
up. Usually the homeowner will walk
through the framed house with the electrician and/or builder and discuss where
fixtures, outlets and light switches will go.
But thinking through the electrical and
lighting plan well before you do the electrical walkthrough will allow you more
time to consider exactly what features and outlets we want, and where. This
decreases the chances of you forgetting an outlet or light switch
somewhere. It will also give you an
opportunity to develop more detailed specifications so you can get more
accurate electrical bids before construction even begins. You may want to do a walkthrough by
yourself a time or two when developing your lighting plan, just so you can get
your thoughts together and not feel rushed when you do the official walk
through with the electrician and/or builder.
It’s probably best to make a written, room
by room list of fixtures and features plus mark your house plan where the
electrical fixtures, outlets and light switches will go. You can use different colored dots or symbols
for light switches, outlets, recessed can lights, under cabinet lighting, and
lighting fixtures, such as wall scones, table lamps, floor lamps and
chandeliers. For example, you might
symbolize all recessed can lights with black dots and light switches with red
dots. Outlets could be blue and lighting fixtures could be green. If you really want to be helpful (and a
little Type A), after you figure out what exact lighting fixtures you want to
go in each room, you paste a photo of the fixture to a paper copy of your house
plan. Paste each lighting fixture photo
on the diagram of the room where it will go. That will serve as a master guide
for your electrician when he installs your fixtures toward the end of the
build.
Now about these electrical and lighting
plan suggestions… most likely, not all of the suggestions will work for your
family, house and lifestyle. Use what
works for you and leave the rest. And
keep in mind, these tips should go to into your preliminary lighting/electrical
plan. You’ll want to go over the preliminary electrical plan and marked up
house plan with your electrician and/or builder to see if they have any
additional suggestions that would make your lighting plan more functional or
more economical.
Lighting and Electrical Considerations
There are many things to learn whenever you
renovate your house. Our decisions are incredibly crucial to making sure we can
enjoy living in our homes. Electricity is an essential element in everyone’s
home these days. Making bad electrical choices is something one cannot afford.
Having an experienced electrician by your
side when planning for your home renovation would be a great idea for saving
time and money. You will easily be able to avoid future regrets by making these
important changes
ever Over light
Overlighting the interiors is one of the
most commonly made mistakes you will find in most home renovations. Considering
function is really important in lighting design. Please don’t purchase light
fixtures without doing this first! Always start by defining how your room will
be used. Second, choose light fixtures that fit that purpose and match your
home interior design style.
Mix it Up
Using conventional lighting options and
techniques time after time is one of the biggest reasons why most people are
never satisfied with their lighting. This reason is why we suggest you mix it
up and give your house a new look simply by changing the way you light it.
Do Not Use Outdated Lighting
Using outdated lighting inside your
residence is a surefire way to make it look bad. Although illumination is a
primary purpose of every light, there is much more to it than that.
electrical and lighting things to consider
when building
I can safely say that every day of this
home build journey I am learning something new. From small things like
discovering new products (who knew door handles could be so exciting?!) to the
bigger picture of understanding the building process
The decisions we make now will have an
impact on how we live in and enjoy our home so I’m taking them pretty
seriously… That’s why it took three hours of careful deliberation before
finalising our electrical and lighting plan! Thankfully our electrician and
lighting expert were incredibly patient and helpful!
Do not over-light your interiors
The other week we published ‘How to design
a lighting plan for your home‘ and in that post, lighting expert James talks
about understanding the function of each room before deciding how much and what
type of light to fill it with. As we went room by room through our house, James
would constantly ask me ‘What will you do in this room?’ and ‘How will you configure
your furniture?’ before suggesting any lighting options. Start with function
and adapt your lighting depending on the needs in the space to avoid over
lighting your home — and put a dimmer on every interior light!
Consider mixing lighting solutions
James is a big believer in using as little
ceiling light as possible so he suggested all sorts of other lighting solutions
— wall washes, low hallway wall lights, floor lamps, pendants, step lights —
and when we did talk about ceiling lights he suggested some new products, like
‘extrusion’ lighting which is a more sleek and commercial looking product. If
you won’t have an expert to help you plan your lighting, I suggest taking the
time to research all the lighting options out there before meeting with your
electrician so you can develop a plan that works and will add interest to your
home.
Be careful not to date your house with
lighting that’s so 2015!
As you all know, I’m a massive Block fan.
So when I asked whether or not strip lighting along the kick of the kitchen was
a good idea, or if we should put some under the island bench and I got a
strained look from James… it was pretty clear the answer was no, he he. He said
we could do whatever we wanted — it’s our house after all — but that he
wouldn’t recommend putting lighting in these places where it serves no real
purpose as he thinks this lighting trend will date quickly. In a few years time
you don’t want people to say ‘That’s so 2015!’.
ELECTRICAL REMODELING CONTRACTORS
Whether you’re remodeling your home or
place of business, we’re here to help every step of the way. Choosing the right
electrician for your remodeling project can mean the difference in achieving
your goals in a timely and cost-efficient manner. When it comes to remodeling
projects, it is vital that your electrician is extensively experienced so that
you end up with your desired goa
When you choose the expert electricians at
CMC Electric for your next remodel, you’re choosing a team that will take the
time to learn your needs and plan a system to meet them completely.
No matter what kind of setup you want in
your home or office, we can plan it and make it a reality quickly and
accurately. We can handle anything from installing recessed lighting to give
your new space a modern look to installing fans and ventilation systems to make
sure you’re always comfortable. Considering making a room into an office? We
can easily plan and wire a room for easy access to multiple power
sources—perfect for getting work done! Plus, when you choose our Raleigh
electrical remodeling contractors, you can rest assured that if we run into any
complex issues, we’ll solve them along the way
Easy-to-Understand Pricing
CMC Electric will always give you a
guaranteed cost before starting any project. We don’t come back to you with an
inflated invoice because of unforeseen items. No matter what type of electrical
remodel work is needed, our friendly technician will give you an upfront, firm
cost/quote so there are absolutely no surprises at the end