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

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Quote:

---

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

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.

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 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.

---

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

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.

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

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 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.

---

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.