Whats a normal waiting time for an electrician to come out and do a job?

[Michael Yadfar]

Im hiring an electrician to install a sub panel in my shop, and I went with a guy that a lot of people recommended. First time hiring an electrician. However, it took half a week for him to return my call, another week to come out and look at the job, and it’s almost a week later and I still don’t even have the estimate yet. Who knows how long it will take to come out and do the job. I don’t know if this kind of wait is normal. I can call some other electricians, but if it’s normal for them to be this backed up I don’t want to waste this guys or someone else’s time getting another estimate.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Par for the course for 99% of the contractors out there.

Count yourself lucky he even responded to your first call.

We own 7 houses & are always looking for someone to do something - in the way of working on them.

Our worst experience to date was trying to get someone to remove a couple trees. We called no less than twelve (12) places and had a total of one person respond. That person came out - got static from the "tree hugging neighbor" about removing a 3/4 dead tree and walked off the job.

Every time I see anyone recommend getting at least three estimates, I just belly laugh to myself and say,,,"yeah, I'll get right on that".

[Lee Schierer]

Most contractors don't really want the small homeowner jobs, they prefer larger jobs where they can spend whole days and weeks doing work at the same place. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a second or even a 3rd and 4th estimate. Estimates are your protection that the price is right. Some contractors that don't want the job will give you a really high bid so that if they get the job their margin is really high.

[Frederick Skelly]

My most recent job was adding more lights to the shop and going to new fixtures. I also went to LEDs as part of that. The electrician called the next day. Came out a couple days later. And he did the job about 10 days after that.

Brace yourself though - good tradesmen don't come cheap.

[Phil Mueller]

I’d say that is fairly typical. Even contractors are having a difficult time getting trades on a timely basis...especially for smaller jobs. Fewer of them for many reasons and a good economy driving construction and remodels. We recently had two bathrooms remodeled and the estimate to complete the job was 30-90 days, depending on availability of subs.

[Bob Glenn]

Don't worry about wasting this guys time, he is not your friend. You picked the wrong guy. Get someone else.

[Stan Calow]

Someone told me that the good ones are too busy, and the bad ones won't come anyway. I got one to come the next day and replaced a panel and some other stuff all in one day. But it cost a bunch.

This is where I miss the old pre-internet Yellow Pages, where you had a whole page to go through, instead of sponsored ads on google.

[Jim Koepke]

Every time I see anyone recommend getting at least three estimates, I just belly laugh to myself and say,,,"yeah, I'll get right on that".

If you call three for estimates, you might get one with someone who actually needs to feed their family.

jtk

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I agree with others. Get other estimates.

As stated, good contractors are busy and prefer the bigger jobs. If he's really good contractor he might be extremely busy.

When we remodeled our kitchen we did a bump out, had all new custom built cabinets, floors and all new windows thoughout the house. At the recommendation of a neighbor who's a painting contractor, I contacted contractor A for an estimate. He never returned our calls.

I contacted the guy, contractor B, who built the empty shell of my shop. Primarily now he builds high end homes but was between projects, and he gave us an estimate.

I contracted contractor C who came out, refused an estimate and suggested time and materials. Then he proceeded to shoot down the manner in which my wife and I wanted to expand the kitchen, and gave us his idea and told my wife she would love it. I was so proud of my wife's control! She let him off the property alive!

The economy must be good and business is good!

Contractor B got the job and we spent over $75,000 in the remodel.

[Ronald Blue]

Really good contractors are usually swamped. Even if they don't mind smaller jobs. The other thing to realize is unless they are large enough to have several employees that they either have to take time from other jobs to look at your project or do it in evenings when they aren't getting paid. Often times you can find qualified capable electricians who moonlight on the side from their day job. Ask at electrical supply houses and even at the big box stores. It's more likely they can steer you to contractors that are looking for smaller jobs.

[Bruce Volden]

Really good contractors are usually swamped. Even if they don't mind smaller jobs. The other thing to realize is unless they are large enough to have several employees that they either have to take time from other jobs to look at your project or do it in evenings when they aren't getting paid. Often times you can find qualified capable electricians who moonlight on the side from their day job. Ask at electrical supply houses and even at the big box stores. It's more likely they can steer you to contractors that are looking for smaller jobs.

I agree. Don't go with the 1st one just because he finally answered!

I wanted underground wiring to my barn and had an electrician bid me $1400.00 (I had already spec'd out materials $275.00)!
Called another guy locally and he quoted $575.00. He came out 3 days later and had it in 3 hours later---I paid him $400.00 cash.
Shop around!

Bruce

[Mark Carlson]

Its worse if you have a small job like putting in a 240 circuit in an existing box. Called 3 electricians, 1st one actually answered and said he could do the job in a couple of months. 2nd guy responded after a week, claimed to be on vacation and said he'd get back to me. No return call. 3rd guy said he'd call me in a couple of days because he'd be in the neighborhood. Heard from him a month later. I put the circuit in myself.

[Matt Day]

I put my sub panel in, wasn’t that hard really.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First thing there are NO FREE ESTIMATES! Someone has to pay contractor for his time. If he doesn't get your job after doing an estimate, then his next customer has to pay for the time he spent doing your estimate. Once, I was asked to price out building a stand alone garage. Job was about 50 miles from home, but work was short (recession.) Met with owner, drew up plans, and gave estimate. Owner said he needed to take plans to bank to get a loan. Calls two weeks later and said bank turned him down for loan, and I could come pick up plans which I did. Remember I had four trips, and a couple days invested in job. About a year later, happened to be in area, and guess what was standing behind his house? A free standing garage, built exactly to my plans. So much for free estimates.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

First thing there are NO FREE ESTIMATES! Someone has to pay contractor for his time. If he doesn't get your job after doing an estimate, then his next customer has to pay for the time he spent doing your estimate. Once, I was asked to price out building a stand alone garage. Job was about 50 miles from home, but work was short (recession.) Met with owner, drew up plans, and gave estimate. Owner said he needed to take plans to bank to get a loan. Calls two weeks later and said bank turned him down for loan, and I could come pick up plans which I did. Remember I had four trips, and a couple days invested in job. About a year later, happened to be in area, and guess what was standing behind his house? A free standing garage, built exactly to my plans. So much for free estimates.

So true. From this contractors perspective, if a potential customer asks me to give them a quote to compare, I just take my rough estimate of cost x2 and politely recommend whoever the starving beginning contractor of the month is, and move on. Any contractor worth a damn has a large waiting list and no time to deal with wishy washy tire kickers who will become problem customers if they give us the honor of their business. Good work costs the same no matter who does it, the only way to get a cheap job done is if someone screwed up a bid or they are shorting something. Either way, there will be problems.

Your garage story is exactly why I don't dimension my drawings and plans and leave a few sneaky glitches until they are paid for. At least they are going to have to have a little trouble stealing my work ;) Had a guy ask me about reverse engineering a set of "blueprints" last year for a big house he was trying to do cheap, was obvious the architect had done the same thing. He was pretty mad when I told him he didn't have a set of blueprints and he'd have to pay the architect the rest of the way before I'd get involved.

As for the OP electrician schedule question, what you are seeing is normal, just hire a reputable guy and ask him to work you in when he can. You'll get the work done faster if he controls the schedule.

[Gary Ragatz]

So true. From this contractors perspective, if a potential customer asks me to give them a quote to compare, I just take my rough estimate of cost x2 and politely recommend whoever the starving beginning contractor of the month is, and move on. Any contractor worth a damn has a large waiting list and no time to deal with wishy washy tire kickers who will become problem customers if they give us the honor of their business. Good work costs the same no matter who does it, the only way to get a cheap job done is if someone screwed up a bid or they are shorting something. Either way, there will be problems.


Wow - glad I don't live in Western Nebraska! I realize it's been ten years or so since the Great Recession, and skilled tradespeople are in short supply in a lot of places, but I don't quite see where you're coming from, being offended by a potential client who would like to get more than one bid on a project (assuming this isn't some $200 repair job).

I've been a homeowner for 35+ years, and have had occasion to deal with contractors quite a few times - siding (once), roofing (three times), HVAC (twice), concrete driveway (once), kitchen remodel (twice), basement finishing (once), bathroom remodel (twice), whole-house window replacement (once), sun-room addition (once). I have generally gotten at least a couple of bids on each large (from my perspective - say, $5000+) project. Sometimes I've gone with the low bid. More often, I've gone with the guy who is offering a better product, a better design, or shows credible evidence of better quality.

I understand the frustration of spending time working on estimates/designs and then not getting the business. But I've also had contractors waste my time. The HVAC guy who insisted on spending better than two hours doing an analysis of my house - measuring windows, checking insulation - and running it through a computer program to determine that yes, a 2.5 ton AC unit was what I needed - after the first two guys did a quick check of square footage and said, yes - the 2.5 ton unit you're replacing is the size you need. The siding guy who dragged me through a 45-minute sales pitch for his wonderful product, and then generated a quote that was nearly twice what it should have been - but if I would sign the contract today, he could offer me a 25% discount. The guy who gave me a really good quote on the basement work and said he could save me some money by not having to pay the building permit fees (wink, wink).

There are jerks out there on both sides of the transaction (and there are also a lot of plans out there for free-standing garages).

[Brian Elfert]

I understand the frustration of spending time working on estimates/designs and then not getting the business. But I've also had contractors waste my time. The HVAC guy who insisted on spending better than two hours doing an analysis of my house - measuring windows, checking insulation - and running it through a computer program to determine that yes, a 2.5 ton AC unit was what I needed - after the first two guys did a quick check of square footage and said, yes - the 2.5 ton unit you're replacing is the size you need.

The first guy did EXACTLY what an HVAC guy is supposed to do. An HVAC guy should run calculations to determine what the right sized unit is versus just looking at the house at the house and making an educated guess.

Too many HVAC guys just put in the same size unit as was installed 20 or 30 years ago even if the current unit is not the right size. Newer technology means the same size unit may no longer be right. The house may have gotten new windows or insulation since the current unit was installed that means a smaller unit might be appropriate now.

[Brian Elfert]

Sometimes people just have no idea how much something will cost. Maybe they are thinking an electrical job will cost say $750 and the bids all come in at $1,500 and up and they don't have $1,500 so they put it off.

This happened to me last night. I would like a Corian type vanity top for the bathroom in my RV. It is only 17" wide by 36" long. I went to Menards expecting it might cost just over $200. Total price came out to $453! Now, they had some extras on the quote, but it was still $400 without the extras. I can't justify $400 for a vanity top for an RV that gets used a few times per year. The current vanity top still works.

[Dave Lehnert]

I had a contractor just complete a new deck and enclosed breezeway project.

I started first week of January calling contractors. Contractor after contractor would say they would come out for an estimate but not show. Wasted my time as I would give the contractor a week or two after they said they would come out to give me a price. Only had one guy show up. Looked at the job and said he would get back to me with a price. (Knew that was bull because he did not ask what decking I wanted or style of rail) Never heard from him again.
Long story short. after 5 months I found a guy who came out, gave me a price, when he could do it ( later than I wanted) and stayed on that time line. All I wanted, Someone to be upfront with me on what they could do and when. Just like someone above said, Would have liked to got 3 bids but that was impossible.

I understand contractors spending a lot of time on a bid only to not get the job. I even talked to my contractor about that exact thing as he did not ask for a estimate fee.
If he would have asked for much of a fee for an estimate I would have moved on. My opinion a great way for a contractor to make a buck knowing in his mind he did not want the job in the first place. Bid it high and collect the fee. I ran a retail Garden Center for almost 25 years. I knew talking to customers they were just going to go home and order it online. It was part of the job of making a sale.

[Gary Ragatz]

The first guy did EXACTLY what an HVAC guy is supposed to do. An HVAC guy should run calculations to determine what the right sized unit is versus just looking at the house at the house and making an educated guess.

Too many HVAC guys just put in the same size unit as was installed 20 or 30 years ago even if the current unit is not the right size. Newer technology means the same size unit may no longer be right. The house may have gotten new windows or insulation since the current unit was installed that means a smaller unit might be appropriate now.

I think an experienced HVAC guy (or gal) should be able to ask a few questions about the current system, walk through the house, look at the windows, ask about the insulation, take a few measurements, and come up with an appropriate recommendation in a half-hour. This ain't rocket science - the old unit performed just fine for temperature and humidity control, until the compressor croaked. So, do we need a 2-ton or a 2.5-ton? And in the end, how much difference will it make?

The guy measures all the windows, notes which way they face, inputs all the insulation information, and his computer program tells him, very accurately, whether I need a 2.4 ton unit or a 2.6 ton unit - Shazaam!

[Dave Lehnert]

I think an experienced HVAC guy (or gal) should be able to ask a few questions about the current system, walk through the house, look at the windows, ask about the insulation, take a few measurements, and come up with an appropriate recommendation in a half-hour. This ain't rocket science - the old unit performed just fine for temperature and humidity control, until the compressor croaked. So, do we need a 2-ton or a 2.5-ton? And in the end, how much difference will it make?

The guy measures all the windows, notes which way they face, inputs all the insulation information, and his computer program tells him, very accurately, whether I need a 2.4 ton unit or a 2.6 ton unit - Shazaam!



I had an HVAC guy that my family used when I was a teenager. I'm 50 now and he just retired. I could call him, tell him my problem (Often was it just stopped working) He would show up an hour later, Get out of his truck with a part and screwdriver and fix it in 10 min.
Now new kid shows up(Two days later). Hooks all kinds of testing equipment to it. Makes a few phone calls to the office. Makes a trip to get a part. charges me twice or more. Tells me I can save money buying a yearly service contract. I am so missing my old repair man.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Wow - glad I don't live in Western Nebraska! I realize it's been ten years or so since the Great Recession, and skilled tradespeople are in short supply in a lot of places, but I don't quite see where you're coming from, being offended by a potential client who would like to get more than one bid on a project (assuming this isn't some $200 repair job).

I've been a homeowner for 35+ years, and have had occasion to deal with contractors quite a few times - siding (once), roofing (three times), HVAC (twice), concrete driveway (once), kitchen remodel (twice), basement finishing (once), bathroom remodel (twice), whole-house window replacement (once), sun-room addition (once). I have generally gotten at least a couple of bids on each large (from my perspective - say, $5000+) project. Sometimes I've gone with the low bid. More often, I've gone with the guy who is offering a better product, a better design, or shows credible evidence of better quality.

I understand the frustration of spending time working on estimates/designs and then not getting the business. But I've also had contractors waste my time. The HVAC guy who insisted on spending better than two hours doing an analysis of my house - measuring windows, checking insulation - and running it through a computer program to determine that yes, a 2.5 ton AC unit was what I needed - after the first two guys did a quick check of square footage and said, yes - the 2.5 ton unit you're replacing is the size you need. The siding guy who dragged me through a 45-minute sales pitch for his wonderful product, and then generated a quote that was nearly twice what it should have been - but if I would sign the contract today, he could offer me a 25% discount. The guy who gave me a really good quote on the basement work and said he could save me some money by not having to pay the building permit fees (wink, wink).

There are jerks out there on both sides of the transaction (and there are also a lot of plans out there for free-standing garages).

Not offended by a customer at all, but I can usually tell when a customer is tire kicking or actually ready to make a project happen. For the record, I do follow up with every single lead, no matter how big or small. Some follow ups take 10 mins, some take 40 hours. Experience helps me know which ones to invest my time in. I'm not always right though, had a guy late last year decide the rental he wanted to fix up just wasn't worth the expense after 20 hours of my time invested. It happens, but that's 20 hours that I didn't get paid for, plus took me away from other jobs. It's simply a protection from risk to pass the tire kickers on.

Homeowners would be surprised to know how much contractors know about the customer pool. Generally speaking, there is plenty of work for good crews, so the good ones start sharing notes with other good crews and trades that we work with. Pretty helpful to know, everyone has their strong suits, and it's good for the customers to, as the right crews usually get on the right jobs via recommendations from the various chiefs. We usually know who is looking at starting a project before they formally ask for bids because they've asked someone for pricing on something, who the right group of contractors and trades are for that job, and have discussed the project in depth amongst ourselves. Reliable core groups of builders develop that way, which is better for customers and contractors. That's why I say that good work costs the same no matter who does it.

Hiring a contractor is an interview process for both parties. Some people just can't work together. BTW, that HVAC guy that did the math, did it right.

[Tom Bender]

Homeowners need to protect themselves as much as contractors do, for opposite reasons of course.

If the guy has several recommendations call him and tell him that and that he is your guy if he can do the job. T&M will be ok. Chances are he will then give you good service.

[Jim Becker]

I'd pick the HVAC estimator who does the calculations over any HVAC estimator who just guesses or merely says that what's there is already the correct size...and I did just that when our addition went on in 2008. That firm is still my HVAC firm.

My comment toward the original question is that my own experience has not been great with multiple trades and response to requests for quotes. Everyone is busy and many are more inclined to stick with the larger jobs. I actually have a roofing repair need right now and fortunately have a friend in the business. He generally does high end work/big jobs and told me the other day that he has to actually schedule a 2-3 week period every few months to be able to fit in smaller jobs like mine. He literally blocks the business calendar specifically for that so he can do the 1-2-3 day jobs that come from mostly existing customers as well as others that come in. Even though we are good friends, it can still take a week or more for me to be able to get him here to look at something because dawn to late in the day, he's running his crews.

The few times I've engaged with a plumber or electrician, it's been like pulling teeth, even if it's someone I've used previously. For that reason, I tend to so my own work unless I know it's something I can't handle or am not comfortable to handle.

[Michael Yadfar]

Ok thanks, now I know that this is normal for contractors. I may end up doing it myself, it does look easy and there’s plenty of YouTube videos. My biggest fear is opening the main panel, and I live alone so if I got electrocuted there would be nobody to call an ambulance. I could maybe find someone just to stand guard while I do it.

[Tom Bender]

To add a sub panel

Step one, pull the meter.

[Jerome Stanek]

To add a sub panel

Step one, pull the meter.

That should be the last thing after you get the sub panel and installed but before you take the cover off the main panel.

[Adam Herman]

over the last few years i have found a few good contractors, one of them is now a friend and lives in the apt. attached to our home. most of my experience has been call 3 or 4, one or 2 call back, i end up with 1 quote about 50% of the time and 0 the other 50% of the time. if i get a quote, i tell them i want to do it and schedule, and about 50% of the time that person ends up actually showing up and doing the work. the other 75% i just end up doing myself.

last experence was stump grinding. ended up renting a 38 hp unit and doing 2 at my place and 3 at a friends. because my guy never showed. sometimes it is amazing what a homeowner can rent from a local place with no qualifications.

[lowell holmes]

Look around for new home construction and see if there are any electricians that can fit you in to their schedule.

[Bill Carey]

Really good contractors are usually swamped. Even if they don't mind smaller jobs. The other thing to realize is unless they are large enough to have several employees that they either have to take time from other jobs to look at your project or do it in evenings when they aren't getting paid. Often times you can find qualified capable electricians who moonlight on the side from their day job. Ask at electrical supply houses and even at the big box stores. It's more likely they can steer you to contractors that are looking for smaller jobs.

This is a possibility, but be aware that with a licensed contractor (or at least a reputable one) you are also paying for insurance, material waivers, permits, etc. If you get a guy moonlighting and he kills himself working on your panel (that's generally cheaper than if he just gets hurt) the lawyers will be have a field day. And if his work is not up to code, you'll be paying for repairs after a home inspection when you try to sell.