How an electrician may arrive at a number
Electrical prices in Montgomery are built the same basic ways as anywhere else, and knowing which method a quote uses can make it easier to read. Some electricians give a flat price for a defined job. Others bill time and materials: an hourly rate plus the parts used. Some charge a trip or diagnostic fee for a service call, and some credit it toward the repair. One electrician may use all three, depending on the job. Ask which method applies to yours, and ask for it on paper.
A flat price can be easier to budget, but it depends on a scope written tightly enough that both sides agree on what is included. Time and materials can fit a fault-finding visit, where nobody knows at the start how long the search will take. If you agree to hourly billing, ask for a cap or a call before the hours pass an agreed point.
The Electrical Contractors Act, before money changes hands
As the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors posts it, section 34-36-13 of the Code of Alabama, part of Alabama's Electrical Contractors Act, says that no person shall engage in the electrical contracting business, or perform work as a master or journeyman electrician, without a license from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed. Among others, that section exempts the owner of any premises, or the owner's employee, doing electrical work on those premises, and systems that operate on 25 volts or less.
Ask each bidder: "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?" Write the answer on your copy of the estimate.
Where a license reaches, and the permit and business license lines
The same Act (Code of Alabama §§ 34-36-13 and 34-36-16) provides that a person with a valid statewide license from the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors may perform electrical work in any county or municipality, if that person has the proper county or municipal building permit and business license. A person who holds a county or municipal license or permit instead may do that work only within the boundaries of the county or municipality that issued it.
Those words lead to cost questions as well as paperwork ones:
- Is any license you hold under the Act from the board, or from a county or municipality, and which one issued it?
- What building permit and business license, if any, go with this job, and who obtains them?
- Are any permit fees inside your price, or billed on their own?
- Is time on site for any inspection part of the price?
What stretches labor hours
The same task can take very different amounts of time from one house to the next. Things that can add hours include an attic with little headroom or deep insulation, a crawlspace that is tight or wet, finished walls between the panel and the work, plaster instead of drywall, and furniture or storage in the way. Ask the electrician which of these they saw on the walk-through, how they plan to route the wire, and how many openings in walls or ceilings the route needs.
When the panel is the job
Replacing a panel, adding a subpanel or enlarging the service brings in parts and steps that a single circuit does not. Ask what size of panel and service the electrician proposes and why, which brand and type of breakers go in, whether the meter base or the line from the utility is involved, and who schedules any disconnection with the utility. Ask how long the house will be without power that day and whether anything, such as a refrigerator or medical equipment, needs a plan for that stretch.
Devices and fixtures by grade
Outlets, switches, dimmers and covers come in grades and finishes that can raise or lower the parts total. So do light fixtures, ceiling fans and outdoor lights. Ask the bidder to name the grade of devices and the fixture models in the estimate, and to price any upgrade as its own line. If you supply fixtures yourself, ask whether installation is priced per item and how the labor warranty treats parts you bought.
Hidden conditions and the change order
An open wall can show a damaged cable, a buried junction or an earlier repair that nobody could see from the room. Ask before signing how that will be handled. Will work stop while you decide? Will the extra cost be written down and agreed first? What rate applies to work that was not in the estimate? A signed change order for each addition can help keep the final bill tied to what you approved.
When payments fall
Ask what is due at signing and what it covers. Later payments can follow finished stages, such as the rough wiring done or an inspection passed, rather than landing up front. Ask what the written warranty covers on labor and on parts, and for how long.
Setting estimates side by side
Two totals only compare fairly when they price the same work. Read the estimates against each other on:
- the pricing method and any trip or diagnostic fee;
- the answer to the license question and the name on each estimate;
- who obtains any building permit and business license, and whether fees are included;
- each circuit, outlet, switch and fixture, with grades named;
- panel or service work and the utility's part;
- wall openings, patching and paint;
- the rate for unplanned work;
- payment stages and the written warranty.
Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation from each bidder before work starts.
The closing file
When the job is finished, gather the estimate, signed change orders, any permit and inspection papers, the final invoice and the warranty in one folder. Ask the electrician to relabel the panel to match the new work, and take a photo of the labels for the file.