Building new house: Can I wire up my basement shop before final inspection?

[Roger Feeley]

I'm not a licensed anything but I can wire a circuit and not burn the house down. My plan is to have a licensed electrician install a sub-panel for me and then I will wire my shop from there. The last one was 50A. This one will be 100A. More is always better.

What I would like to do is get into the basement before the stuff arrives and pre-wire it for the machines. I have no problem with not having my sub-panel connected before the inspection. I just want to install all my lighting and machine outlets so I will be ready to go before moving day. That way, I won't have to work around the machines or delay the move.

The last thing I would want to do is throw a wrench into the final inspection. Should I even ask if I can put in a sub-panel and wire up my shop?

This is a fairly small town and I can probably approach the inspector personally. Should I? I wouldn't do anything without the builders permission.

[Tom M King]

I wouldn't present any part of the electrical system unfinished for a final.

[Jerome Stanek]

You would have to pull a separate permit to do that.

[Von Bickley]

I would talk with the local inspector.....

[Thomas Bank]

The wiring beyond the sub-panel would be subject to the same inspections as the rest of the house - basically a rough-in and final inspection.

If you’re doing the work yourself, there is no reason you cannot work beside the licensed electrician. Rough things in while he’s roughing in the rest of the house and then get the rough-in inspection and then do the final work and final inspection. The only issue would be that you’d be responsible for any delays or additional costs if you weren’t ready with your part when the electrician was ready with his.

The alternative would be to pull a separate permit for the work done from the sub-panel to the workshop.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Thomas's comments on how to get this accomplished with a minimum of pain... Do the grunt work "beside" your electrician and phase as Thomas indicated. Otherwise, wait until the house is final and then do the work.

[Roger Feeley]

In my last shop, my wiring downstream from my sub panel was off books because it wasn't intended to be permanent. This shop also would be temporary in that I will give it up someday when I'm old and infirm.

what is the downside of going after and doing my own shop wiring?

[Jerome Stanek]

In some cities they charge by the outlet and switches plus the filing fee for a permit.

[Robert Engel]

After the final you can do whatever you want.

That's what I would do.

Or, if the inspector is fine with it, then go ahead. The inspectors where I'm at would never go for it, tho.

[Tim Bridge]

If I were the electrician wiring your house, I wouldn't allow any work to be done by the homeowner while my permit was open. If anything happen because of your wiring, the electrician that had the permit to wire the house would be held liable.

Have the electrician do the work for the shop when he wires the rest of the house.

[Jim Dwight]

I had a garage added for my shop and added a finished bedroom above it. That required another heat pump and an office for my wife. So the contractor did a lot more than the garage. I did the final electrical, the flooring, and the painting for everything. In the shop garage, I had the electrician put in the lights (the ceiling had to have drywall for the bedroo to be occupied) and one outlet for the one 20A circuit (I am on the other end of the OP on how much is enough shop power). That passed final just fine and I then pulled the wire and added the other outlets after we were in the house.

I would first talk to the builder for his thoughts but if your shop will have to be inspected if you rough it during construction, I would drill the holes without pulling the wire (I think that is a lot of the work) and have an outlet per circuit finished before the final. That should minimize your expense for the electrician. If allowed, you might also do the final to offset that expense.

[Thomas Bank]

In my last shop, my wiring downstream from my sub panel was off books because it wasn't intended to be permanent. This shop also would be temporary in that I will give it up someday when I'm old and infirm.

what is the downside of going after and doing my own shop wiring?

The only reason wiring would be “off the books” because it was temporary would be if you literally plugged it in and it was self contained - something like construction lighting or a temporary power setup. If you have receptacles in walls and mounted lighting coming off a sub-panel it is required to be inspected.

The only downside of pulling a permit after the electrician does the main wiring would be the timing and the cost of the separate permit. However, you could possibly discuss with the inspector if you could pull a separate permit for everything downstream of the sub-panel and do the work concurrently with the electrician doing the main wiring.

As for the electrician being liable for your wiring, I’d assume that they’d require you to sign a waiver that said you were responsible for any delays or additional costs due to any issues with your work.

[Daniel O'Neill]

I would do it after. Especially if you want it to be temporary. The small town I live in has a note about unpermited work ruining the sale. My mom's house the purchasers specifically asked if there was any unpermited work. Personally I have a bunch that I suppose I'll have to figure out what to do with when the time comes. Light swaps no big deal but adding stuff can throw a wrench into a future sale. Since you want it to be temporary if you do it where it has to be inspected and then you pull it a future purchaser might be confused & curious. One other thing is that unions are big in my area and if there is one union contractor on the house they may not really like you to work on the house as a non union guy. (not an opinion just the methods of the unions here).
Another big thing to consider is that you don't own the house until closing. So if you wire up the basement without written permission (and a guarantee it won't affect the final cost of the house) you could get yourself into a bind.
Just some thoughts hope they help & congrats on the new place.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Please don't forget the purpose of a building inspection - whether for framing, plumbing, or electrical. In spite of the horror stories and expense of inspections, they are intended to protect people from shoddy or dangerous workmanship. For every horror story, how many house fires, leaks, floods, or structural failures are prevented by adequate inspections? ...or lives saved? I know I can't prove these 'negatives', but certainly recommend an extra set of eyes.

I completely wired my father's last shop, including meter-base, sub-panel, outlets, and lighting. His municipality didn't require a permit, but he called and the building inspector gladly came and checked my work. And I can sleep better!

[Rick Fisher]

I am building a shop right now and asked the electrician to come put the plugs in .. he did half of them .. he is super busy .. So I put the rest in myself. I figure if he didn't want me too, he would have finished.

He is welcome to check them if he wishes.