I have a 1922, 1350 sq ft Craftsman/Bungalow home with a breaker box that needs updating / replacing. All knob and tube to be removed/ replaced and all new GFR's in all rooms approx 20. The estimate came in at $7300. Does this seem reasonable. Said job to take approx 6-7 days. Any feedback greatly appreciated.
No one here can tell you if $7300 is high or low. We have no knowledge of the extent of the work. The best advice is to get 3 or more estimates, then thouroughly check the references, BBB, etc, of the one you want to go with. Even better is to find contractors via people you know who have used them.
That would seem high if it were just replacing and upgrading the panel, but removing and replacing old K&T wiring will add a LOT of time and labor.
As others have noted, get several quotes and compare. Be sure they are detailed quotes listing exactly what work is to be done.
Things to keep in mind are:
Exactly how much of the old K&T is expected to be removed? I would expect accessible K&T to be removed and inaccessible K&T i.e. buried in-wall to be abandoned in place, with new wire (likely romex) pulled to all outlets, switches, etc.
Quotes should indicate that receptacles and switches will be replaced with new items. In some cases the electrical boxes may require replacement as well as some old boxes are too small by today's codes.
Size (both amps and spaces) and brand of new panel to be installed. There is a fair range of quality among new panels and while a small panel (amp / spaces) may be cheaper in the short term they are not good long term. For that size house I'd saw a 100A panel is acceptable, but I wouldn't consider less than about 32 spaces (they fill up fast). For panels, Square D QO series is about the best and Bryant is about the worst. GE, Siemans and Cuttler-Hammer are all decent mid-range brands, Square D Homeline series falls in this range.
Be sure to verify correct permitting, inspections and insurance as well.
Pete C.
I did get 3 total 1st - $5000K but I swear the guy had alcohol on his breath. 2nd - $6300-$7300 recommended by an aquaintance 3rd - 10K-15K which I will not do.
Why do you feel it necessary to specify that you are a "single woman"? Don't you think "single men" also need "elec advice"? Or married men. Or married women?
Oh my!!! Your going to go there....you sound offended but there truly was none intended.....sorry for the faux pas
Not sure what state you're in, but here in AZ it's pretty easy to do preliminary license checks on a contractor. You just go to the Registrar of Contractors website, plug in his license number, and it brings up a page with license details and summary of complaints, if any. Maybe you have something similar where you live.
Jerry
Well, other posters have pointed out that there is really no way to do an estimate sight unseen. I would say that 6-7k would be a steal for where I live. we build small affordable houses, and they cost 8-9k to wire. That's new construction, which should be much faster than what you are doing.
I once read a story about a single woman living in an apartment in New York. She made friends with a single guy who lived in the building. Every so often, she would have a problem, invite him up to solve it, and, in return, prepare dinner. The mental conversations went like this:
She: "He can put up a new towel rack that won't fall down - all I have to do is throw a couple more potatoes in the pot. He's a miracle worker!"
He: "For the right kind of fifty-cent bolt, I get a homemade rack-of-lamb dinner. She's a miracle worker!"
Then they had sex.
You know exactly why she mentioned it. It's the same reason that spammers send email with FREE! or SEX! or FREE SEX! in the subject line. They're hoping that it will increase the chances of it being read and receiving a response.
RAccording to orfbound :
As others have suggested, it's difficult to tell whether it's reasonable or not. Much depends on exactly how much of the job they'll do. Eg: will they repair the holes they put in the walls? How many circuits do they plan on? Upgrading the main?
6-7 days suggests a relatively small job for one electrician.It's probably worth while trying to get a fourth quote.
No, its because single women tend to get ripped off since the contractors' perception is that they don't have a clue without a man around.
Gender wouldn't have normally entered into a purely technical/financial question in the first place. Do you think that the answers would have been skewed or inaccurate without that information? Of course not.
Prominently placing unnecessary gender information in the subject line is simply advertising using sex to sell.
R
I used to live around Texas Women's University. Even though they no longer practice the discrimination the name suggests, students wanted to keep the name. I normally don't want to be involved with names that suggest unreasonable discrimination.
Well, of course. You'd have to replace all of those college sweatshirts you stole from the sports center, change bumper stickers and beer mugs, etc. It'd get expensive.
R
Arcadia College in PA changed its name. They changed the name since they felt Beaver College would no longer be appropriate.
I was (also) off put by the single woman thing. I wonder if she announces when she goes to the grocery store..'single woman needs head of lettuce'... ?? Single woman needs a pack of cigarettes...?? single woman needs sanitary napkins...??
The whole pimpin' thing is getting old already. Is there any situation (nowadays) where a woman wont involve her ass?
And my experience is most single women aren't. Those that usually announce they are, are usually just looking to add to their (man) collection or save some money or get some attention..; And most (at least) have some kind of chump around they ask for advice (aka her 'friend').
If you come on to a board like this and say something like that, people should give you the WRONG advice just to teach you a lesson..
orfbound posted for all of us...
Asked and answered MANY times - do your own research.
I have a very good visualization of what 1350 sg ft looks like. But there's a lot of information missing here and I have only read the last reply posted here.
What is a Craftsman/Bungalow home? Does it have a basement or an attic? Is the 1350 sg ft the total space or the space per floor? Did you get a home inspection report? Why did you buy a home with wiring not up to current code? Where is it located?
And there are more questions!
Dick
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