Electrical projects of any kind and at varying levels of complexity take time, preparation and solid skills. Setting out to do electrical work on your own isnt wise, and can be against city or county codes, if you dont have a background and professional certification in this field. You should hire a certified electrician.
Hiring an electrician isnt a one step process, either. Heres five simple pointers to keep in mind when hiring one.
Step 1. Know what you need done before you contact a potential electrician, if at all possible.
This is crucial since electricians usually charge by the hour rather than on a project basis. If you neglect this step, you can burn through a lot of money needlessly while the electrician is trying to figure out exactly what they need to do rather than getting right to work on the project.
Now granted, there will be times when you dont know what needs to be done due to the nature of the project, but in most cases its best to have a clear understanding of what needs to be done before calling the electrician.
Step 2. Does the electrician possess right qualifications to get the job done correctly? Are they licensed to do electrical work and are they insured?.
This is a very important step. And it demands your full attention. Its essential they are licensed and insured. The reason this is vitally important is you are trusting them to work on your home or business where the safety of your loved ones or employees depend on the consequences of their work. Be certain they know what they are doing by requesting to see their up-to-date license to perform electrical work in your area.
Step 3. Dont choose your electrician based on price alone.
The principal reason being you normally get what you pay for. If an electrician is bidding a lot lower on a job than other local electricians, its usually a good sign that you may not getting the same quality service as an electrician that charges more. This is not always the case, but most of the time this is true.
Step 4. Does the electrician offer any type of warranty on their work?
Just to clarify and explain that a bit, when electricians offer a warranty of any kind, its a good sign they are a quality electrician. You definitely dont want to be stuck with an electrician that doesnt stand behind their work.
Step 5. Always ask them for references from companies or homeowners theyve done work for in the past.
Additionally, ask them if you can contact these references and be sure to follow through with contacting them. You can learn a lot about an electricians work and reputation by talking to their past customers.
Finally, be sure to follow these steps while reviewing several electricians for the job. Doing this will help you find the best electrician in your area for your electrical project. By following the tips above you should easily find a great electrician that can get the job done on time, within budget and to your satisfaction.