Some Do’s and Don’ts When Hiring an Electrician/Electrical Contractor

Selecting the right electrical contractor is not as easy as choosing someone from the yellow pages. The ramifications of hiring the wrong contractor can be financially disastrous and even dangerous.

First, it is imperative to know if the contractor you are considering hiring is properly licensed, bonded, and has general liability and workers’ compensation insurance.

Next, you need to determine if they are experienced in the type of work you need to do and if they are generally considered to be good, honest, and reputable.

The best place to start to answer some of these questions is the Electrical Contractors Board of Examiners and/or the Division of Consumer Affairs (basically whichever Authority has jurisdiction) and, of course, the Better Business Bureau.

Now let’s assume for a moment that you have some electrical work that you need to do.
It’s not an emergency, maybe you’re just fixing a light that stopped working.
What would you do?

Would you call a few contractors and get several offers? You can, but I wouldn’t necessarily suggest it.

Most people think that they should receive multiple offers for each job. This is not the case and, in fact, putting every little job up for sale can backfire.

Good contractors are few and far between, and asking for multiple bids for a small job will only alienate them the next time. Try to see this from their point of view. His or her time is probably worth around $100/hour, and yet he or she takes the time to come to your residence and give you a free estimate for any work you may need.

Usually, a good contractor will try to offer you an “extra competitive” offer, especially the first time, just to convert you into a client.

But how can you tell if the first contractor that walks into your house is the right contractor? Some simple rules can apply here, but remember that there are also exceptions to every rule.

o A good contractor will usually look for the part. In other words, if he or she looks messy and disorganized, it’s probably indicative of the type of work he or she does. Someone who takes pride in their work usually takes pride in how it looks. Some contractors may argue with this point, but remember that we are talking about generalities here and not exceptions. He or she should have some form of company identification (even a shirt with a logo on it would suffice).

o A good contractor will have business cards with your company name and/or your name, phone and license number.

o A good contractor will answer your calls quickly and provide you with a free estimate (for most jobs) the same day or within a reasonable amount of time, and will take the time to explain what they will do and how they will do it. .

o A good contractor will never offer to do the work without obtaining permits and may even walk off the job if the owner insists on not accepting them. Remember, permits are additional insurance for the owner that guarantees (through inspection) that the work was done safely and correctly.

o A good contractor will never cut corners or do anything unsafe to fit your budget. Instead, they will offer suggestions on how to modify your plans to meet your code and security requirements, and your budget. If these two cannot meet, then they will wish you good luck and leave work.

o A good contractor will be happy to provide you with copies of their insurance certificates and references upon request. Try not to order them unless it’s a decent sized job.

Suppose a homeowner would like to make a minor alteration or addition to their electrical system. If the electrical system is old, that part of the system may need to be brought up to current code standards before it can be added to or modified.

To circumvent this regulation, the owner can insist that the work be done without permits and possibly even hire someone without a license to do the work.

What he or she doesn’t realize is that if their house burns down, they most likely will NOT be covered. The homeowner’s policy probably states (very clearly) that anyone working on the residence must be properly licensed and all building, plumbing, and electrical codes must be followed, and work performed with permits where necessary. .

If you hired someone who you thought was licensed, but ultimately wasn’t, you may NOT be covered because you didn’t get the permits for the job and, as far as the insurance company is concerned, it was done illegally.

Whenever you decide to bid on a job, make sure the job is correctly specified (in detail) so that all contractors bid for exactly the same things. Otherwise, there is no way of knowing who is offering apples and who is offering oranges. Not specifying a job correctly is probably the most common mistake homeowners make.

Why? Let’s say you need to have 10 receptacles, 4 lights, and 2 dimmers installed in a room.
Without specifying the exact types such as (Standard, Decora, others), amperage (15/20), location and method of use (this is used by good contractors to determine how many receptacles to put on a single circuit), types of lights, bulbs ( R30, R40, halogen, etc.) and standard (hi-hat) trims, eyeballs, etc., bulb wattage (determines the type and rating of dimmers used), there is no way of knowing who is bidding on what. And these are just some of the variables used for a fairly simple job!

o A good contractor always uses first class, contractor grade materials and never uses anything else, regardless of budget. They will usually set the price and automatically give you the highest quality items. This is where they get into trouble when bidding with other contractors. Someone else may be using approved but inferior materials, which would allow them to rank considerably lower than the good contractor. They probably know you’ll have problems with installed items sooner rather than later, but they don’t care because it’s beyond the warranty period (if they even have one).

o A good contractor will take into account how receptacles are used (such as computers, entertainment equipment, vacuum cleaners, etc.) and will automatically account for (price) dedicated lines for these items, even though current codes may allow all receptacles for be wired in a single circuit.

Other contractors won’t and will therefore be able to do the job cheaper. Of course, when you start tripping the breakers because the new receptacles are overloading the circuit, there won’t be anything to do about it, because you didn’t violate any codes at the time, and more importantly, you didn’t specify it. .

But how could I specify it? He’s not in the electrical field, and he assumed the contractor would know better and take it into account.

Well, you’re right. The good contractor already considered it, but you gave the job to the other one.

Are you starting to get an idea of ​​the dangers of multiple offers? Very often, it doesn’t end with the good contractor.

That’s a pretty typical bidding scenario, and it’s obvious why people are intimidated when dealing with contractors. Make the wrong move and it can spell big trouble.

In any case, if you tender the work, try to have an architect or engineer specify it correctly. A good rule of thumb would be, if you receive multiple offers, always choose from the middle up and never, ever choose the lowest offer.

When you’ve finally selected a contractor, ask for a copy of their insurance policies and make sure everything (including start and finish dates for larger jobs) is in writing.

Very often, smaller contractors work out of their own home or garage, and many do not carry workers’ compensation insurance. This may or may not be a factor. Whether they have a helper with them or send someone else over to their house to do the work becomes a huge factor.

Without this insurance policy, you (the homeowner) are 100% responsible for any accidents that your workers may suffer. Also, many contractors only carry enough general liability insurance to comply with state regulations, but not enough to pay for your home if it burns down.

Finally, one last note of caution; As with everything else in life, “you get what you pay for”.

In other words, don’t let price alone be the determining factor when hiring an electrical contractor. Remember, if a plumber is wrong you will have a flood, if an electrical contractor is wrong you will have a fire or perhaps worse.

Good luck.