Electrical inspection (how much, bathrooms, kitchen, costs)

[Kaitlyn05]

I'm looking at buying my first house. Just made an offer which was accepted, had an inspection which my realtor recommended, and the inspector said that the house has a lot of electrical issues, some potentially dangerous. He recommends me hiring an electrician to do a complete electrical inspection to determine everything that would be needed to make it safe. How much would this typically cost? What all would he look at (or do)? How long would all this take?


Thanks!
Kaitlyn

[Barking Spider]

A good electrician can look at the home inspector report and give you a fairly good idea of what will be needed, and what it will cost. They will likely want to follow up with a site visit too. It all depends on what was called out, and what is needed.
Some electricians would do this for free, others might charge a minimal fee.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

Some electricians would do this for free, others might charge a minimal fee.

Free for an existing owner...

But most good business people would also offer that amount off the job costs
if/when they actually get the job.

Either way though... the inspection needs to be done
and I'd INSIST that the owner do any repairs BEFORE you buy

[Coldjensens]

Be selective in finding an electrician. Many will say you need upgrades or "repairs" that are either unnecessary or not a big enough risk to justify the cost.

outlets not grounded? That may or may not be a problem. What will you use them for? Can you just ground a few where necessary? Can you just put in GFCI outlets? A lot depends on how you wlll use the outlets, your level of risk tolerence, and the cost.

Knob and Tube wiring? Often does not require replacement. Check allt he terminations. With old K & T often, once you start messing with it, you are going to have to replace most or all teh wiring.

Fuses instead of breakers?
Big expense to change out. Fuses work. They are less convenient, and can be hard to find replacements. Hundreds of thousands of homes still have fuses though. Unless you are underpowered, I would not change it out unless you are going to just re-wire entirely.

Many things could be labled "dangerous" that are not really a significant risk. Many of our newer safety requirements are to prevent an idiot from hurting themselves.

If you upgrade, you will have to completely meet code. That means outlets every 6 feet, arch fault protection in bedrooms, GFCI in bathrooms and kitchen, it can be very expensive (i.e. $5,000 - $10,000 for a small house).

However if you need it to feel comfortable do it. Once it is done, you should be good for life unless they mess it up.

If you re-wire, go to 200 amp. that way you will be set for the future.

[cully]

Since it's your first house, be sure to keep in mind any expiration dates in your contract....the expiration of your inspection period by which time you need to let it be known if you have a problem or if you're going through with it or if you're cancelling. Some areas I'm familiar with take getting no response by a certain date as approval and going ahead with the contract.

Then, if you get in a negotiation period after the inspection period...check on the same...any dates, etc.