All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Account Closed

It took a couple of hours to demo the wall move some wiring & install 2x6 jack studs.

It took about 4 hours to lift the 2 beams into place & bolt them together (following the approved pattern) & then secure them to the jack studs. We didn't need to recess the beam into the floor joists as we had adequate height. However, if you need to cut into the joists to bury the beam you'd be looking at least a solid days work.

We subsequently drywalled over the beams & that was about 2 hours. I pay my maintenance guy $15/hr so we did it the same day he was there tiling the bathrooms & he also did the mudding of the drywall in a couple of hours.

@Account Closed we were fortunate I'm a retired engineer & drew up a schematic but doubled up on the $80/LVL beam (more to fill out the beam than what was needed for static loads) & he approved it. 

We have done a few ourselves. The two most recent was a 20ft & the other a double13.5ft. After demo & jack stud placement its a 4 hour job.

In both cases we had to get approval from the Building Inspector & on the 13.5ft I doubled up on the LVL beam due to the fact upper floor joists were sistered at that point.

The 20ft was about $112 delivered & lifted by 4 guys & the 13.5 footers were cut to size & $80 a piece. We lifted that into place with 3 of us. The bolt pattern used to secure the 2 LVL beams followed that 'approved' by the Bldg. Insp. When we sold the property the buyers attorney wanted copies of all signed off permits.

If they want a structural engineering schematic you're into more $$$. For an addition I did with multiple 22ft IJoists & LVL spans I had the architect highly detail beam placement & jack studs within the $500 set of stamped drawings for the addition & it was worth it to get the approvals.

But NEVER cut into an LVL as a friend did to install a poorly planned door placement. Bldg. Insp. considered the LVL compromised  & it had to be removed & tossed.

@Account Closed

I do think electrician is going to install GFCI breaker.

Wait for inspection report and if buyer ask you then go to the electrician.  Good luck 👍 

A new service means your power company must come out and disconnect power (in most cases). Assuming that's the case, the work will need to be inspected before meter is put back and power turned on. That means everything will have to be updated and follow current NEC standards including arc fault breakers and Ground fault protection (either in the form of breakers or GFCI outlets). I'm not 100% sure that all power companies will require the inspection but that is certainly the case in most places. As an Electrician, I would not expect payment until service was inspected and passed. 

@Sophie Maisel According to one of your posts, originally there was 3 panels, and then 2 and he is combining them all into 1. Just because he is removing 3 existing panels and combining them into 1 does not mean you are being overcharged. You could be, but that is not the deciding factor. Your market, as with any market, dictates the price. Therefore, you should get 3 quotes for the prescribed work, then based on how each contractor communicates with you, make your decision on who to hire. As stated earlier, I am licensed in NJ. I started doing residential electric work in 2004, back then we charged $1800-$2000 for a 200 amp service upgrade, and I don’t recall a time when we lost a bid. The only major code change on services is the addition of Arc Fault circuit breakers. They add approx. $30 in material per circuit and another $100 or so in labor. This is because these breakers have an additional wire that gets tied in at the panel. Also, at the local level, the NEC (National Electric Code) is governed by the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). Your locale might not require Arc Fault protection on service upgrades, happens all of the time here in NJ and varies from town to town.

I currently charge $2200–$3000 and none of my customers(who are all investors) ever made a comment about the price.

The Austin market is hot, I have family there, they own rental property there. My brother in law tells me his GC floats approx. $40k in work per month, and that GC is a transplant from the Northeast. That tells me he built a skill set elsewhere and moved to where the work is.

As for the condensing of three panels into one, this requires a significant amount of work. It should take two electricians one full day to complete. Based on all of the variables covered in this thread, I would not feel you are being overcharged. Some markets are cheaper than others, I don’t feel Austin with its ever growing population is one of them. I know it’s hard to read through the BS on BP, and believe me, there is plenty, I would suggest you learn the proper vernacular for each facet of residential construction. As plenty of folks on here are way off with their terminology and this will only confuse you. Since it is your property, you need to do the best research you can and be responsible for the end result in your choice. Feel free to reach out to me if you require any assistance. Best of luck.