if you read, the OP states the outlet would be located about 6 feet from the breaker box in the garage.
Quote to add an outside electrical outlet
- Thread starter PWMDMD
- Start date
Exactly-how can one call it immoral"? Greedy, etc.,......Well, you're not the OP. But how does one calculate a fair price without photos and specifications AND a written quote on what work is being done?
The OP brought up a subject but that is all. We are all speculating on what COULD be done but we have nothing except the OP words.
I already posted it could be done yourself for $50 if one was to use the outlet on the interior wall (as I interpret the OP post) then throw in the labor rate for an electrician of what, $250 an hour?
So one would think a price of around $350 to $400 might be fair for that type of install.
The thing is, we dont know except as the OP describes it and in this case adding another branch circuit come to think of it might run more because we again are using the words of the OP and not the electrician. How long will he be on the job? We dont know, there are no photos and descriptions. I personally for the life of me understand how it could be $2000 and I wonder if the OP made. mistake or misunderstanding such as replacing the entire breaker panel.
If this truly is as simple as the OP types it, then that is a reason to learn how to do things by yourself. Not directed at the OP in ANY WAY but we live in a society now that we rely on others for basic services, again, not directed at the OP but this can mean the electrician is in such demand if the OP doesnt pay it, someone else on another job will. I dont blame an electrician or anyone for making the most amount of money possible, that is what freedom is about, demand for my services. Im certainly not going to work cheap if I can work at super high profit margins.
Dont want my services, fine, find someone else or do it yourself (think about that) Im going to sit at home, eat potato chips, what TV while someone works on my house for what I think I should pay them?
Yes however there is some danger to it.
My brother had an outlet for dishwasher tied into something else by father in law who owned elevator service company in Manhattan. You’d think he’d know how to DIY however during a rewire the wiring had a few overheats/burn marks and was a melted mess. Somehow kept working.
You're a rabid, anti-dentite big A/
Extension cord under garage door. No worry.
Not if they know what they're doing. Your anecdotal example from your brother tells me the father-in-law doesn't know what he's doing. Based on the signs found afterwards, he didn't connect the outlet properly (screws not tight enough, something that simple, are a likely cause).
OP got one quote and called it quits. Doesn’t sound like he wanted to add that electrical outlet in the first place.
And promises of some future project? Yeah, I’m sure it’s every contractor’s wet dream
And promises of some future project? Yeah, I’m sure it’s every contractor’s wet dream
As I've already stated it would be nice to have but it's not mission-critical and I haven't called it quits - I'll have it done when the "promised future project" comes to fruition.OP got one quote and called it quits. Doesn’t sound like he wanted to add that electrical outlet in the first place.
And promises of some future project? Yeah, I’m sure it’s every contractor’s wet dream
I agree. This would be the simple way to go or cord out through an open window. That’s all you need to run a weed whacker or whatever. If this is for something semi permanent like Christmas lights then the outside outlet makes better sense.
The problem I see here is that the electrician gave the estimate without any explanation. Just throwing a price out without explaining what he will do is a red flag.
Somewhere out there is a retired electrician or handyman that can do this job. Finding them is the problem.
Then you better buckle up because it doesn’t look like you realize how contract work, works, especially now when these guys are super busy. Perhaps it will all change once you’re ready with your project, but it still can widely vary from one contractor to the next.
Lol...I've owned several homes over the past 15 years and I've done several larger renovations over the years. Just remodeled the outside of this house with new siding, doors, garage doors, gutters, etc but I've done kitchens, bathrooms, roofs, central AC, boilers, and additions too. I understand how it works, the bidding and vetting process. Not my first rodeo...this little project just isn't all that important to me right now - not worth getting a second or third quote now when I have a larger project coming up. This outlet was to power a heated water bucket for our chickens so their water doesn't freeze. We currently have an extension cord doing the trick and it works just fine.
So this thread was for attention, got it.
Holy **** you are obnoxious! I WANTED TO KNOW IF PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS A FAIR QUOTE! That's it....
Some said yes and most said no. Mission accomplished.
It’s BITOG, where people love spending someone else’s money. The outcome is as predictable as a sunrise.
You could get a second opinion from another local shop.
I still didn’t see how you wanted the box mounted either. Flush with the wall, which would entail messing with old and potentially brittle siding as well as a trim piece around the outlet or just a surface mounted box. Both would be some sort of cover.
Specify just tapping into the existing circuit and the use of a Bell box if you want it done as cheap as possible. Heck, tell the original place the same thing. It’d be a 30 min job easily.
*Just saw it’s for a chicken water heater. It’s own circuit would be ideal, but not required. Depends on what other things you’re running in the garage. Fridge, chest freezer etc. You definitely want an in use “bubble” cover and a GFI plug if the original circuit isn’t already protected.
If you were closer, I’d just do the job for you. MA is just too far. Lol
I still didn’t see how you wanted the box mounted either. Flush with the wall, which would entail messing with old and potentially brittle siding as well as a trim piece around the outlet or just a surface mounted box. Both would be some sort of cover.
Specify just tapping into the existing circuit and the use of a Bell box if you want it done as cheap as possible. Heck, tell the original place the same thing. It’d be a 30 min job easily.
*Just saw it’s for a chicken water heater. It’s own circuit would be ideal, but not required. Depends on what other things you’re running in the garage. Fridge, chest freezer etc. You definitely want an in use “bubble” cover and a GFI plug if the original circuit isn’t already protected.
If you were closer, I’d just do the job for you. MA is just too far. Lol
This is the setup I recommend. Surface mounted bell box and a bubble cover. Everyone seems to hate the in use bubble covers, but my take on them is that if you want a plug outside your house, you probably want to be able to use it in all weather conditions. Your situation is the perfect example.
JHZR2
Staff member
Yeah the lack of tradespeople is crazy. And they charge obscene prices with zero rationale, usually with lies about how they don’t know what they may face.
Essentially theft because they can.
It cost me about $1900 to replace the main entry cable, meter socket, and new panel inside of a building I own. The contractor was supposed to pull a permit, that was part of the claim of why the cost. They never pulled a permit. Essentially theft and making me a party to their illegal behavior.
But as comfortable as I am with electrical work, conecting to the mains from the pole is not something I’m interested in messing with, so I had to pay.
If OP has to run a new circuit from a panel and it’s a long run over a long distance, behind drywall and through studs, the sky’s the limit. For something simpler, no dice. But regardless this work isn’t rocket science. Id find a handyman with some semblance of the NEC and best practices and see what their cost would be with a specific scope.
I wouldn’t run a garage 20A circuit daisy chained off of some other household circuit.
No, no, no, that would be illegal and the outlet will explode, catch on fire, burn everything down, and the fire marshal and insurance investigator will determine this was an illegal installation....
Pretty much any 20A circuit that exists in a house (assuming no 20A circuits above and beyond code-required has been installed) is only allowed to have receptacles in certain locations.
For example, you may not add a receptacle to a 20A kitchen/dining room circuit that isn't in the kitchen or dining room.
You may not add a receptacle to a 20A laundry room circuit that isn't in the laundry room.
You may not add a receptacle to a 20A bathroom circuit that isn't in a bathroom.
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