Upgrading electric service to house

chmlengr Posted: Dec 29, 2003 07:15 PM

Upgrading electric service to house

We have an electrician coming in a few weeks to upgrade the electrical service to our house from 100 amps to 200 amps. It was one of the first things we wanted to do when we moved in and now, three years later, we are having it done. Basically we want to be able to run an AC in the baby's room this summer and have our AC on as well as the computers, dryer, microwave, etc. without blowing a fuse (No central AC yet!).

Has anyone had this done and if so, would you be willing to share your estimate? We've gotten 2 or 3 and they are no where close, so we are curious as to what price we should agree on. The electricians we are getting quotes from have come highly recommended, so we are not concerned with that.

Thanks!!

Kel Posted: Dec 29, 2003 07:25 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

We did an upgrade on our service .. but didn't have time really to shop around for estimates. About 1 week after we moved in to the house, there was a major rain storm, and we found a leak in the basement .. turned out the water had come somehow through the electrical panel, which is located in the basement .. so that was a major concern for us.

Because we wanted this problem fixed ASAP, and because we knew the ampage was in need of increasing, we just had the work done at the same time .. since most of the work was going to be similar anyway. If I recall correctly, it was a little under $1500 .. and that included a new 40-breaker panel.

The electrician we called in to do this was the electrician who had done the work on the house that was needed in order to satisfy the contract prior to our taking possession .. however, since then, we now use a different electrician.

ETS: The upgrade we did was to 200 amps.

JennRenee Posted: Dec 29, 2003 07:35 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

We just did it in September (100 to 200 amps). Patrick's cousin is an electrician and he did it for us, so he charged us a little less than the norm.

It makes a HUGE difference. My stove lights up at lightning speed now, and I don't have to worry about blowing fuses any more.

chmlengr Posted: Dec 29, 2003 09:58 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

Thanks!! The estimate we got and think we are going to go for is close to $1500. One was much higher so we were concerned the cheaper one might not have been what we were looking for. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Sonicstef Posted: Dec 29, 2003 10:00 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

We did this years ago and I think it was $1000 from a less than ideal electrician. So $1500 sounds fair.

Wendy Posted: Dec 29, 2003 10:03 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

We upgraded this past year when we had our kitchen redone. If I remember correctly it was somewhere around $2000. But I think that also included some additional wiring that we needed for new outlets in the kitchen.

chmlengr Posted: Dec 29, 2003 10:08 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

Thanks. Hi Wendy! Do you ever wonder why contractors and the like always ask you where you live before they give you a price? It just makes us question everything!!

ETA: hubby did all our basic electrical for the house, i.e., wiring, extra outlets, installation of recessed lighting in all the bedrooms (no room had a ceiling light!) and the electrician will also be going over all that to make sure it is to code if we ever want to sell the house. In addition, we are getting some sort of fix to the outside lines because they were not covered properly and its only a matter of time where the water damage will have a negative result, like Kel.

ss2002 Posted: Dec 30, 2003 04:43 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

Hi Trish, DH is an electrician-without knowing specifics of your home, he said that $ 1500 for the service upgrade sounds fair.

Kudos to your DH! After building the beautiful arches at your entrance way, he had enough energy to do the outlets, recessed lighting, etc.? AND make a baby???? WOW!

RichsBride Posted: Dec 30, 2003 04:50 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

from a general contractor stand point $1500 sounds very fair. Just make sure that includes a Fire Underwriters Certificate.

mlp924 Posted: Dec 30, 2003 08:12 PM

Re: Upgrading electric service to house

Posted by chmlengr

Thanks. Hi Wendy! Do you ever wonder why contractors and the like always ask you where you live before they give you a price? It just makes us question everything!!.

LMAO!! That is sooooo true! I'm so glad you said that!