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I second what others have said. Get a handyman to do this. I'm no electrician, but changing out switches and light fixtures (unless there's some overly complicated wiring) are things I do myself. I understand that some folks are not comfortable with electrical stuff at all, but four hours is ridiculous.
If, for some reason, you can't find a handyman, I'm going to throw in a recommendation for JDM Electric in Glen Cove. I found them on Angie's list, where they get tons of great recommendations. I had them do an outdoor underground lighting repair. Their pricing was right, they understood what I wanted and that I did not want to spend any unnecessary money, and they did the job right. They also did a great job of cleaning up afterward.
Most handyman and others who think that they can do electrical work in the proper manner usually don't know the difference between a grounding conductor and a grounded conductor. You should always get a qualified electrician to do any electrical work. Improper installations can cost you your house not to mention your life. Electric is nothing to allow an amateur to do. Would you go to a nurse to get your appendix removed... I think not, yes the nurse knows how to care for your health but they are not a doctor. Fires and improper grounding can be deadly. There is no reason why you cannot shop around and find a qualified electrician for a reasonable price. Being lazy and not getting a few estimates for the job is just stupid. Getting someone who isn't qualified and adept in all applicable codes and proper wiring is even more stupid. Electricity is deadly. Anyone telling you to get anyone to do it is the worst possible advice. Also it is illegal for people who are not electricians to install even the simplest of electrical devices. As a homeowner you should really think about whether it is worth your life or your house before you decide to hire just anyone to repair your electrical needs.
Last edited by NOTANYONE; 10-12-2013 at 07:15 PM..
Reason: missed a plural in the word others
Unless there's something especially complicated with the wiring or the OP just doesn't want to go near electrical outlets, this would be a DIY job in my book.
Def a simple job. But keep in mind almost all companies bill min. of 1/2 a day. Some used to bill for a full day but that has become thing of the past.
Most handyman and others who think that they can do electrical work in the proper manner usually don't know the difference between a grounding conductor and a grounded conductor. You should always get a qualified electrician to do any electrical work. Improper installations can cost you your house not to mention your life. Electric is nothing to allow an amateur to do. Would you go to a nurse to get your appendix removed... I think not, yes the nurse knows how to care for your health but they are not a doctor. Fires and improper grounding can be deadly. There is no reason why you cannot shop around and find a qualified electrician for a reasonable price. Being lazy and not getting a few estimates for the job is just stupid. Getting someone who isn't qualified and adept in all applicable codes and proper wiring is even more stupid. Electricity is deadly. Anyone telling you to get anyone to do it is the worst possible advice. Also it is illegal for people who are not electricians to install even the simplest of electrical devices. As a homeowner you should really think about whether it is worth your life or your house before you decide to hire just anyone to repair your electrical needs.
Replacing existing switches, outlets and fixtures does not require an electrical journeyman or card-carrying union member. Purchase the correct outlets, switches, a juice tester and switch tester that can test for proper grounding. The equipment sold at Home Depot, Lowes, you local neighborhood electrical supply house is "code". Shut the breaker to "off", remove old equipment, replace with new equipment. Turn the juice on, test, should be good to go. The OP wrote the post over a year ago, however, as long as they are not running new 12 or 10 gauge from the box to the outlets, I agree with the others, this isn't rocket science.
I'm not sure as to high or low but I was just quoted for a similar rate.
Hiring an electrician and he said he charges $90/hr as well.
However, he said the following jobs will take about a day 7-8 hrs, about $630-720 for the below -
1. Installing recessed lights, and making sure newly installed and previously installed lights meet regulations for ventilation to prevent overheating. (INSTALLING lights for 1 room, CHECKING lights for overheating in another room - 2 rooms total)
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There are factors that affect the estimated hours, such as ceiling design (the ability to run wires into it) distance being run. As for this "overheating" that sounds like a crock of stuff... Ceiling lights are either new construction or old construction if the bulbs seem too warm than switch to an LED bulb much cooler and cheaper that what this guys is quoting.
Most handyman are total retards, their the last smucks id have do any form of electrical work. I love these so called handyman that show up and are self proclaimed experts in nearly every trade imagainable.
All for saving a few bucks while risking a house fire is just plain stupid.
Any electrical work here in texas does in fact require a licensed electrician. Here in houston, the city want a permit pulled for even changing a single light switch, if you don't believe me just look it up. However there are rules in place that a homeowner has the right to do their own work on their property. Anything that you do will be checked by an inspector if you ever try to sell the house, but usually only a measurement of the grounding of lights using a sophisticated tool. If you do a large project there is a permit that a home owner can get for their own house. Any requirement will be set in place by the local municipality or city district offices. I have operated as an electrician primary to residential my entire career. It is not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination, to do any of this work. It is dangerous, and sometimes wires can be misleading and you can get shocked or connect the wiring improperly. That however is not your biggest concern, the thing to worry about is when the correct wires are connected but a fixture is not grounded properly or a connection is loose. Loose connections cause the electricity to jump across small gaps between wires repeatedly and cause a lot of heat. I have taken down countless fixtures doing home warranty repairs just to find a wirenut that has melted and a wire singed halfway up. This is caused by improper connections and attributes to many electrical fires you see on the news. If the connection is located in an electrical box and sealed it prevents the fire, but many handyman do their best but are not equipped with the right connectors and boxes. They usually stuff the wires in a open wall cavity or up against a flammable material of some kind. This is when that loose connection can harm your sleeping family at night. Lastly, improperly grounded electrical devices, or more importantly improperly neutral, can cause electric shock. The ground wire is most easily described as a back up neutral to protect you. If the fixture has a floating neutral the ground will take it where it needs to go, this runs through the metal frame of all electrical devices on that circuit on its way to the panel. If there is a ground break on the line, the light won't work until you touch something and become the ground, and are shocked with the load of those lights. In some cases homeowners have faucets or bathtubs that shock them, ding ding. Might wish you could say you did your part and hired someone who new their stuff. If the ground is not even hooked up(common), then you can only get shocked if the neutral goes loose and touches the frame of the fixture, and you touch the fixture. Anyway, as far as the price question, I don't thing you have been overbid. It is withing the range of that job description totally. I am assuming the electrician is going to supply the photo sensor. I would bid that job at 85 per light (customer supplied light), and at least 50 for that sensor, if I didn't have to take down another light to install it. And assuming that the heights were 10' and under. I am in total support of people doing their own electrical, and I teach people all of the time. Just don't do it to be cheap do it to be sure it is done correctly and never cut corners, have the right tools, and material. You may find that it would have been easier to pay to have it done, especially if the thing stops working and you find yourself messing with it again lol. Whatever it is , have fun, best of luck, and God bless!!
Also, that price for the recessed cans should be 125 each with the can housing included. Trim and bulb customer. The overheating is only a matter of sweeping the insulation away from around the can itself, unless it says on the can that it is rated for direct insulation. They have a built in heat sensor that will cut off the light if it reaches a temp limit, until it cools down again. But you should get LED bulbs anyway, so heat shouldn't be a concern.
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Master Electrician
