Price of adding 1 or 2 220 circuits

[Kevin W Johnson]

To the OP, you could also try and find and electrician willing to compensate you with a discount for YOUR manual labor. I did this when our swimming pool was put in, i didnt think my work schedule was going to allow me to do the work, so we were having it done, then it turned out i had the time off. I chipped in and got a nice discount, plus he was here less time too, more money saved.

[Jarrett Vibert]

While I agree with your general sentiment that safety is a priority, I genuinely believe many DIY'ers are intelligent enough to properly educate themselves and perform work that is on par with that done by professionals. Having borne witness to some work done by "professionals", I think given the choice between having a generic professional electrician install an outlet, and having a well-informed, intelligent, cognizant DIY'er (who is doing work on his own house, and thus, has a vested interest in doing the work properly), I'd prefer the DIY'er.

I also prefer the DIY'er because I think many pros have unrealistic expectations as to how well they should be compensated. If I were paying time and materials at $30/hr, I may be OK with hiring a (good) pro. But some of the quotes listed here would reflect labor rates approaching $100/hr.

I completely agree with the above.... I think I've stated this already, but electrical, especially residential, isn't brain surgery and thinking back through my experience with other tradesman in the field, I'd almost say that your almost certainly better off doing it yourself. If you took your time and safely followed the relative code for your area of course.

Expected labour rates are relative at best though, and it shouldn't just be assumed that the pro is looking to retire on your particular job. My friend from Barrie's sub panel job is a perfect example of how cheap it can be, (but I'd still question that low rate).

[Chris True]

I also prefer the DIY'er because I think many pros have unrealistic expectations as to how well they should be compensated. If I were paying time and materials at $30/hr, I may be OK with hiring a (good) pro. But some of the quotes listed here would reflect labor rates approaching $100/hr.

These threads are hillarious. A GOOD pro for $30 / hour? Labor rates vary widely by area of course but the dollar amount per hour on the job required to actually run a business is a heck of a lot higher than what the worker actually makes. By the time you add in FICA and other taxes, workers comp, travel time to an from, time to stock the truck, fuel & maintenance & acquisition price & insurance for the work vehicle @ maybe 60 or 70 cents a mile etc. etc. not to mention a profit for the owner, some allocation for general office expenses to keep track of the money, you are at multiples of the workers pay.

[Dan Friedrichs]

A GOOD pro for $30 / hour?

I understand, Chris - I'm not saying that it's possible. I'm just saying that I feel a little aggrieved to be paying a higher hourly rate to a tradesman than I make doing my job. That's why I'd prefer to do it myself.

[Tom Hammond]

Though having never been licensed, I prefer to do all electrical myself as well. I've done wiring since I was a kid, so wiring up 240, putting in 3-ways, running circuits, installing new service panels and meter bases, verifying all grounds are correct, GFCI, troubleshooting shorts... it's all second nature now. HOWEVER... there's two things amateurs should NEVER do if they have any trepidation or are totally inexperienced at them: electrical and roof. Why put yourself in a position of real danger when a few hundred dollars give you permanent piece of mind? What I would suggest is striking a deal with the installer to allow you to participate in the work while he's there. There's no reason you can't string the wire and make the connections in switches and recepticles, leaving the load connections to him. You could even leave your connections exposed for his inspection.

Plus... you have to be aware of code requirements in your area. For example, in at least one county here in Ohio it is a code violation to even simply add a circuit to existing service, even in your own house, if you don't pull a permit first. And, to complicate things, you cannot pull a permit in that county unless you are either a licensed electrician or pass the county test of the national code requirements. The fines START at $250. When I bought an investment property and rewired the entire house I took the test and passed but there's no way most could, especially since passing grade is 18/21... and those 21 questions are all pretty hard.

My feeling is that if you:

1... look at a GFCI recepticle and don't know IMMEDIATELY how to wire it or what the parameters are for its proper use, or
2... cannot explain why 240 can work when you put load on it connecting only the hots to the load, or how to identify a 240 requirement and circuit, or
2A. cannot explain why 240 can KILL you even if you touch only the hots and not the neutral, or
3... are not sure how to properly ground your breaker box or 'jump' your water heater, or
4... don't know the relationship formula for amps, volts and watts, or
5... cannot match by memory wire size to loads such as a stove, dryer, microwave, furnace, water heater, A/C, etc. or
6... cannot identify an installed 20A recepticle on sight, or
7... cannot explain a 3-way or 4-way circuit, or
8... have no idea what "knob and tube" or "De-Ox" are, or
9... don't know why aluminum wire is commonly used when wiring stoves, but you don't see it anyplace else any more, or
10. any number of other things that can lead to a PRACTICAL problem for the DIY installer, then

you should be looking for help. By the way... on 2A, that actually happened to a friend of my father's a number of years ago. So much for "but I'm not grounded."

Most times, you'd be and do just fine. But it only takes about a tenth of a second for something irreversibly bad to happen. This is one area where macho bravery can be a very... bad... thing. And, as my grandfather always said... work BACK TO the box, ALWAYS.

[Garth Keel]

You may want to consider that your insurance may not pay if the work is done w/out permits and inspections. While you may DIY it and do a good job, your insurance company makes a profit when it can "reasonably" disallow a claim.

[Steven Hardy]

I agree with your choosing not to do it yourself. Its true that its not a difficult task to accomplish. What is difficult,in the event that there is a fire,is getting your insurance company
to step forth and cover the damage IF a licenced electrician did not at least sign off on it.

[Jarrett Vibert]

I understand, Chris - I'm not saying that it's possible. I'm just saying that I feel a little aggrieved to be paying a higher hourly rate to a tradesman than I make doing my job. That's why I'd prefer to do it myself.

Not that I want to argue or come off as "sanctimonious" a second time, but it did take me five years of hell to just qualify to write my CofQ exam... That's even more time than it takes to get a degree from the University of Waterloo . I think my $30/hr in pocket is well justified. The wage has nothing to do with the amount of "work" I do, but the knowledge/experience I possess. Back in my sub-contractor days, my employers billed me at $55hr plus...

[Bruce Seidner]

My experience with these sorts of either/or discussions is that there are substantive benefits and dangers to attempting a project like this.

Like some of the others I have had good experience working with a professional electrician and I saved a bundle by drawing it out and planning it the way I needed it and being informed from the DIY books on the subject.

The operation went well because I did most of the installation of wire, panels and outlets but left it to the real surgeon to make the actual connections. It was win/win. I did most all of the labor and dirty work, he made sure it was to code and then hooked it up. I don't think I would have made any lethal errors or created the predicate to violate my home insurance, but it made it a zero anxiety project where I learned a lot and saved a lot of money.