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I have hired this electrician before and liked his work. So I just hired him again to install three 6 inch canned lighting, three 4 inch canned lighting, an exhaust fan (exhaust pipe was already there), and switch out lighting over my desk area in the kitchen. He also switched out a light fixture on the exterior wall of my garage. He charged me $90.00 an hour plus materials.
Bill came to $1,000!
Does this sound reasonable for the work performed? Any electricians out there that can tell me if I was taken for a ride this time around?
I have hired this electrician before and liked his work. So I just hired him again to install three 6 inch canned lighting, three 4 inch canned lighting, an exhaust fan (exhaust pipe was already there), and switch out lighting over my desk area in the kitchen. He also switched out a light fixture on the exterior wall of my garage. He charged me $90.00 an hour plus materials.
Bill came to $1,000!
Does this sound reasonable for the work performed? Any electricians out there that can tell me if I was taken for a ride this time around?
What were you expecting? Apparently you had a figure in mind.
I think I was expecting between $500-$700 total. A poster was correct in saying he charged me upwards for the materials what he paid wholesale for. I expect that, too. It took him eight hours to complete the tasks, and I'm wondering if he padded the time a bit. I was absent for about five hours of that time.
I think I'm shocked because he did electrical work for me this past summer and the prices all seemed reasonable to me. He fixed some home inspection things, and brought electricity out to the backyard via underground.
Eight hours for that much work does not seem unreasonable. Did he have to run wire to the lights? Did he install switches where there were none before? Did he patch and paint? If he did those things, you got a deal.
Eight hours for that much work does not seem unreasonable. Did he have to run wire to the lights? Did he install switches where there were none before? Did he patch and paint? If he did those things, you got a deal.
I don't know the extent to which he ran wires. He put in recessed lighting where there used to be ceiling fixtures in one area, and an exhaust fan in another area. He put in dimmer switches where the original switches were. He did not patch and paint.
I'm usually anal about this. And because he performed work for us before, I had a ballpark in mind. But unfortunately, this time I screwed myself by not asking him for a quote. Never again. However, for everything and everyone else, I have gotten quotes before work was agreed to.
Been an Electrician for 27 years here. Without seeing the job first hand, and what had to be done exactly to change those fixtures, 8 hours sounds about right. The one about removing existing lights and installing recessed lighting is where the time would be. Those can either go real smooth, or be a living nightmarish hell on Earth. I would think 8 hours would be spot on, and if $90 an hour is the going rate in your area, that isn't a bad deal. In all honesty, for replacing existing lights with recessed lighting I figure it is going to take 1 1/2 hours per fixture if I have to give an estimate, just to be on the safe side because you just never know what you are going to run into up there. If the time comes in less, you charge for time actually worked, if it goes over, you eat the time.
Side Note: Wish I could charge $90 an hour here. That is way higher than going rate for this area, and an honest double the rate for Northern Maine where I just left.
Been an Electrician for 27 years here. Without seeing the job first hand, and what had to be done exactly to change those fixtures, 8 hours sounds about right. The one about removing existing lights and installing recessed lighting is where the time would be. Those can either go real smooth, or be a living nightmarish hell on Earth. I would think 8 hours would be spot on, and if $90 an hour is the going rate in your area, that isn't a bad deal. In all honesty, for replacing existing lights with recessed lighting I figure it is going to take 1 1/2 hours per fixture if I have to give an estimate, just to be on the safe side because you just never know what you are going to run into up there. If the time comes in less, you charge for time actually worked, if it goes over, you eat the time.
Side Note: Wish I could charge $90 an hour here. That is way higher than going rate for this area, and an honest double the rate for Northern Maine where I just left.
Thanks for your thoughts. With everyone's thoughts put together, I feel better about the amount of money I paid.
Thanks, everyone. I can relax a little better now.
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