hiring an electrician-any advice?

[minnie-mouse]

I need to hire an electrician to move a ceiling light and replace 2 older fixtures with new ones, one over a high foyer and one over a mirror in a bathroom.

My question is, has anyone hired someone for this type of work? Will it take them long and how much do you think something like this will cost me? I have no clue and do not want to be taken advantage of.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Disney Doll]

I just wanted to say that replacing light fixtures is pretty easy. You could make that a DIY task and save some bucks. We've changed out nearly every fixture in our house and we're not that handy. Not sure how much it would cost you to move a light. Hopefully someone will come along with an answer.

[BigRedDad]

First thing, you will want to be sure they are licensed and insured. This is electrical work and not something to play around with. If they fall, get shocked or whatever, in your home, you are liable if they are not insured and licensed. The lawsuits come to you and it can be very costly. I cannot speak directly for all electricians and it depends on your location, but most probably charge around $60 an hour plus parts.

[merlinmagic4]

I think the cost will depend on where you live. About 8 years ago the going rate was 75/hr. around here. We have also changed some light fixtures ourselves but I definitely agree that it is nothing to play around with!

[Scar]

One big variable is, when you say "move", do you mean move it to another box that's already hot wired? Or will they have to run a new wire to a new box and install a new switch. If that's the case it could be at least a few hours work, more if the area where you are placing the light is inaccessible (i.e. is there an open attic above the room.) But if it's just a matter of changing two fixtures and moving a third to an existing box, then an hour to an hour and a half tops. I agree $75 or so an hour sounds about right but for a small job like that there may be a minimum (to compensate for travel time.)

But I agree with Disney Doll, try to do it yourself.
:thumbsup:

[DizneyRox]

I need to hire an electrician to move a ceiling light and replace 2 older fixtures with new ones, one over a high foyer and one over a mirror in a bathroom.

My question is, has anyone hired someone for this type of work? Will it take them long and how much do you think something like this will cost me? I have no clue and do not want to be taken advantage of.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
You may/may not be able to just move that light. Depending on which way the wire comes into the fixture. Running a new wire to a ceiling will require a couple holes in a wall, and probably a couple in the ceiling. An elecrician will probably be able to tell you that. They can make the holes, but you will need a drywaller to cover them back up. If you have access to the ceiling above (via an attic or other crawl space) then it's much easier.

Replacing the others is really a do-it-yourself job, but may be more than some can handle. Getting up to some of the heights may be the biggest issue. After that, you would hook up a new fixture the same way the old one way in most cases, unless you run into grounding issues, etc. It can all be done, but it could be a surprise you find once you open the box.

When they quote you the cost per hour, I would double any estimate they give you on the time. It took me and my Uncle (a Master Electrician) an hour to fish a wire about 6 feet through a wall once. Not typical, but sometimes you just don't know what you're going to hit, and I've seen a lot of instances where what was done before needs to be redone because the person didn't do it right the first time. When you do it yourself (and you know how to do it right), you tend to fix those things because doing it right is a safety issue, where an electrician might let things go because they are good enough and probably won't cause a problem. Besides, it's not their house...

Also, make sure you don't need to pull any permits for work like this. Moving a light might, but replacing a couple fixtures probably doesn't. Pulling a permit will probably require that you bring that work up to code, if it's not already.

[RenDuran]

I asked my husband. He's an electrician in D.C. This is a very loose estimate, but he says possibly figure on about six hours. Getting set-up to do the high work can take awhile. Then obviously getting the actual work done with all three fixtures.

He said you could probably find someone in your area to do the work for about $40 an hour.

Good luck!

[Quest4fun]

Depending on where you live you're looking at ballpark $40 to $60 per hour though many will want to quote you a flat rate. Make sure your electrician is licensed and bonded. This is a four to five hour job for a professional depending on how far things need to be moved and if holes need to be patched. I'm overestimating of course.

It doesn't sound like you need a permit but I would check just to be sure on that relocation. Some areas don't require anything but moving the location of anything electrical can be subject to building code and could come back to bite you later on.

You may want to ask for a list of what they need to complete the job and make sure you keep any extra equipment. Some electricians are not above having a customer order a little extra to fill his shelves.

Contact the permit office yourself and make sure. Never take a contractor's word for it.