Electrician Estimate - seems very high

Rental Property Investor · USA · Member since 2018 · 75 posts · 38 votes

hello all

I have a house 3/1 single story, 1200sqft, 1950s home with a crawl space and clean attic that is in 10 day contingency period. I had a reputable electrician give me an est and he said the whole house needs rewiring- including taking from 100 amp to 200 amp. I talked to my general contractor and he agrees. It is either old in some places or the home owner ran wires that do not look right in others. I got an est back for $18k. I have not had to rewire a house yet just small electrical. Is $18k the going rate now days? Or does that seem high?

Time is limited and with holidays i won't be able to another electritian in there to estimate. I may have to walk on the deal if thats the going rate.

Thanks

1 Reply

199 views

Most Popular Reply

Adam Elbary

Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2021 · 11 posts · 6 votes

Originally posted by @Gabriel Miritello:

The Home is in Savannah, Ga

I am an electric and plumbing contractor in Florida, shouldn't be a huge price difference from my area to GA.

our pricing is 248/drop

so count every (Light switch, outlet and fixture (lights etc) ) and multiply that by 248

so #of drops X $248 = total for rewire

then add about $5,000 for the panel and that will give you a pretty good idea where you should stand, after that give or take $1500 and that'll give you a range!

hope that helped any!

3 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

30 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Michael Gessner
Pomona, NY · Member since 2016 · 375 posts · 217 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello a whole house rewire can get very expensive especially right now with copper wire double in price, and most material just about non exsistant. For example I've been trying to find new work single boxes for months now, no one had any till just the other day and I bought them all. I would deff get other estimates then compare. By me just a panel and service upgrade is 4-5 k
1 Reply
Matthew Paul
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
4y
That sounds about right in my area . Materials and labor have gone up . Its the new normal .
2 Reply
Bud Gaffney
Rental Property Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello I would get another quote or 2. It can’t hurt
3 Reply
Adam Elbary
Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2021 · 11 posts · 6 votes
4y
What state/area are you in?
1 Reply
Account Closed
Member since 2020 · 983 posts · 1k+ votes
4y
I've been in the construction business for more than 50 years, re-wire the entirety of many homes and my operating costs are amazingly expensive. Especially, with the costs for materials and the increased costs for labor. I just rewired a fairly small 3-bedroom 1-story home, charged $21,000 and when all the tallying was done the cost for wire, metal flex, new light fixtures, 200-amp distribution panel, permits, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, plaster and stucco patching holes, sales commission, labor and overhead was about $15,000 leaving me with a $6,000 profit (30%). I went $3,000 higher than usual on this job because we did other work totaling about $60,000 and we packaged all the prices together. So, if I went my normal $18,000 average price I would have profited only $3,000 and that is a small margin.
I've been in the construction business and like to believe that I am one of the few contractors who 'Raise The Bar' in regards to running a company where we are intelligent enough to raise prices vs. being a sheep in the herd where we price our jobs in accordance with what every other electrician charges. If we go that way, we end up cutting our own throats when customers are willing to pay $21,000, or $3,000 more because they want a good contractor vs. taking a chance with a less-expensive contractor who may drag the job out too long, or not ever finish the job after being paid too much in advance.
$18,000 seems to be the average price nationwide.
2 Reply
Gabriel MiritelloPro Member
OP
Rental Property Investor · USA · Member since 2018 · 75 posts · 38 votes
4y
The Home is in Savannah, Ga
0 Reply
Adam Elbary
Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2021 · 11 posts · 6 votes
4y
Originally posted by @Gabriel Miritello:
The Home is in Savannah, Ga
I am an electric and plumbing contractor in Florida, shouldn't be a huge price difference from my area to GA.
our pricing is 248/drop
so count every (Light switch, outlet and fixture (lights etc) ) and multiply that by 248
so #of drops X $248 = total for rewire
then add about $5,000 for the panel and that will give you a pretty good idea where you should stand, after that give or take $1500 and that'll give you a range!
hope that helped any!

3 Reply
Wale LawalBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Houston | Dallas | Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
Get a second opinion if you’re unsure.

[email protected]832-776-9582 Podcast Guest on Show #469
NETWORTH BUILDERS5236 Reviews
Website View Page
0 Reply
Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
$18,000 is a good deal. I used to pay my electrical sub closer to $25-$30k for a whole house rewire. Larger houses though and all high-end stuff. So yes, $18k is a deal nowadays.....
1 Reply
Gabriel MiritelloPro Member
OP
Rental Property Investor · USA · Member since 2018 · 75 posts · 38 votes
4y
@AdamElbary what a great way to estimate!! Allows the owner to better estimate a home beforehand. Man that's awesome. Is that technique common? I'm trying to improve my initial estimates before I waste an electritians time. Is this standard practice or are there other ways electritions provide basic estimates?
0 Reply
Matthew Irish-JonesBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello that’s the going rate to rewire and upgrade service.
Irish Jones Realty4.947 Reviews
View Page
1 Reply
Brennan Clayton
Rental Property Investor · Valdosta, GA · Member since 2021 · 17 posts · 7 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello I would get multiple quotes as many people have probably already told you. I have a 100+ year old home that’s 2,200 square feet that just finished getting rewired. First electrician said I needed to remove all the walls and he’s charge 15k-20k. Second quote was for 10k and the third guy said he could do it for $5,375. I went with the cheapest guy and he did a great job. He has been an electrical contractor for 27 years and said he doesn’t have the overhead like most electricians so his prices are much cheaper.
2 Reply
Account Closed
Contractor · Placerville, CA · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 66 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello most electrical contractors use software such as NECA, Accubid, McCormick and others. We then get the materials quote from our parts distributor, they provide a limited time frame as copper is a commodity, and other materials fluctuate.
I used to get 30-60 day windows, in this market 15 days max. Estimates are overhead that's carried into the bid. Make sure the EC pulls the permits & you should be there during rough & final.
1 Reply
Matthew Irish-JonesBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
@Brennan Clayton the materials alone don’t allow for an entire house rewire at that price. Did he actually rewire the house or just use existing wiring and bring plugs, switches, and visible components up to code?
Irish Jones Realty4.947 Reviews
View Page
0 Reply
Dan Thomas
Rental Property Investor · Bow, NH · Member since 2016 · 216 posts · 185 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello
WAY TOO HIGH. I just had a similar but smaller home completely rewired for just over 2k. The electrician had 1 helper with him amd they had it done in a day. My place is a 2/1 with crawl space and attic about 800 sq ft. I had this work done a month ago in NH for perspective. Maybe ask him for an itemized invoice so you can compare his costs to what you find them to be. I would say anything over 5k is criminal.
0 Reply
Brennan Clayton
Rental Property Investor · Valdosta, GA · Member since 2021 · 17 posts · 7 votes
4y
@Matthew Irish-Jones wiring was from the 50s, he removed all the old wiring from attic and crawl space and rewired the entire house with Romex wiring, added a breaker box with new breakers, new light switches, outlets, and covers. He also hung all our new light fixtures we recently purchased. He did a great job, I was very impressed.
1 Reply
Matthew Irish-JonesBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
@Brennan Clayton so he tied romex into the old wiring from the basement and attic?
How could he have desired the entire house without removing walls or at least making very large holes everywhere?
Irish Jones Realty4.947 Reviews
View Page
1 Reply
Brennan Clayton
Rental Property Investor · Valdosta, GA · Member since 2021 · 17 posts · 7 votes
4y
@Matthew Irish-Jones all old wiring was removed there is no old wiring in the entire house. He rewired the entire house using romex and brought it up to code. He did it through the crawl space and attic whichever was easier. He didn’t have to remove a single wall which is impressive considering old homes are hard to fish wire through. I was there working most of the time when he was rewiring and his team did a good job. The only area I have to repair is in the guest bathroom there was two sconce light fixtures and he had to make the hole a little bigger than it already was. That’s an easy fix though.
1 Reply
Matthew Irish-JonesBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
@Brennan Clayton well you may have gotten the deal of a lifetime then. I rehab a lot of old houses and the material cost alone on a job like that can run 5K before labor.
Overhead is always a factor when choosing a contractor but it doesn’t usually equate to s 400% increase in pricing.
Irish Jones Realty4.947 Reviews
View Page
1 Reply
Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2020 · 562 posts · 554 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello seems high for Georgia. I would get a second opinion.
2 Reply
Patrick Snyder
Real Estate Consultant · Lansing, MI · Member since 2011 · 356 posts · 306 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello
For a house that size, I highly doubt you'll need 200 amps. I'd definitely get another estimate
1 Reply
Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
The difference between a 200A and a 150A is negligible.
@brennan Don't see how you get a house completely rewired for that price. A panel upgrade is $3000+ now. I suspect there were corners cut that will pop up later.
0 Reply
Jacques Edouard Dessejour Lapierre
Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2019 · 43 posts · 7 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello what deadline are you working with? I think I can help you.
0 Reply
Michael Williams
Rental Property Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2017 · 202 posts · 82 votes
4y
@Gabriel Miritello You should get multiple estimates from at least 3-5 electricians. And try to negotiate a lower price with whoever you choose. Licensed contractors will charge more.
0 Reply
Nandy B.
Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles CA · Member since 2016 · 128 posts · 55 votes
4y
Rule of Thumb I have learned. No matter what.... I always get 3 estimates. Even when i am happy with the price.
0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.