subject: Choosing The Right Electrician For Your Home [print this page] When electrical work is required in your home a professional electrician will be needed. Wiring in your home can be complicated and hazardous to work on by yourself. To choose an electrician to do work in your home you will need to follow a series of steps.
Electrical Needs
Determine the work that you need to have done. This includes installing new electrical outlets in a wall when renovating a room to the wiring of a new electrical panel. Make a list of the what you need to put in place for your electrical needs. You can use this list when contacting an electrician.
Word of Mouth
Ask friends and family members if they know of an electrician that they would recommend. You would probably be more likely to use an electrician that was recommended. Make a note of the any names that you are given so you research their work.
Bid the Job
Call one or more electricians that you would like to get an estimate for the cost of the work. Finding an electrician to call can be done by looking in your local yellow pages. Allow the electricians to view and inspect the work that you need to have done in your home.
Ask for Qualifications
When an electrician comes to inspect the work you need to have done you want to verify the contractor or electrician is licensed for electrical work. You should also make sure that the electrician is not acting as a subcontractor to a general contractor. If an electrician does not provide this information to you in a truthful manner they should not be used to do any work in your home.
Ask for References
Obtain a list of references or customers that the electrician has done work for and contact them to see if the work performed was done to their satisfaction. Make a note if the electrician returned promptly if a problem needed to be corrected.
Warning Signs
First impressions will tell you if you want to invite the electrician into your home or to decline the offer outright. When talking to the electrician you will know there manner, appearance and how they present themselves. This also includes punctuality. You may not want to have an electrician who is not punctual do work in your home if they make excuses for running late for an appointment.
Make a Decision
Review the estimates provided by each electrician that inspected the work required for your home. You can then determine which electrician or electrical contractor that you want to use. Remember to make a note of the time that is spent on the work. You do not want to be overcharged for labor.
