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Re-wire or upgrade electrical in 2nd floor brownstone apartment?
9:25 PM 04/28/2012
Hi folks. We have just purchased a second floor apartment in a park slope brownstone. While it passed a basic home inspection, our GC has uncovered some shady looking electrical work, and additionally we want to reposition and add a couple outlets and switches. We have been told that an electrician is not allowed by. Law in NYC to touch any old wiring without bringing the entire apartment up to code. This means re- wiring the whole place. A couple questions:
1. How can we get a reliable opinion not from an electrician who is bidding the job?
2. What is the demo involved in rewiring ceiling light fixtures? All of the baseboards have been removed so we gather that most wiring can run through the base of the walls, but are worried about more demo and plastering / repair.
3. We have been quoted 11K for the entire 1200 sqft apartment, 8 rooms including GFI's, 4 220's , all light fixtures , outlets, switches, new splice box and panel. licensed, permitted with inspection and sign off.
This is our first time with electrical so we don't know what to expect from the process.
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Bedford Stuyvesant, NY
We paid $15,000 to rewire an entire house with three floors plus a basement to code by a licensed electrician in 2009. Call WCK, get a second opinion. Cover your floors with rosin paper; the electricians should be able to patch the holes although they won't do it very neatly. If you have children, particularly young children, they should not be around while this work is going on.
12:29 AM 04/29/2012 | 0 Votes
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Brooklyn, NY
My apartment is 3 rooms. To change the panel and run some minor wiring. I was told told $5000 to $8000 for the identical job. 2 different individuals. Another thing is the meter won't be unlocked. I have the necessary power within the apartment. No permit was required. The quotes were highwasy robbery. Electricians are supposed to provide a major capital improvement form to erliminate the tax.
9:24 AM 04/29/2012 | 0 Votes
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Brooklyn, NY
PS. This is also my first time using an electrician. The pricing might have to do with being female and not knowing the technical aspect of the work. In other words I feel like they are trying to take advantage of me.
9:31 AM 04/29/2012
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I do not know that they are trying to take advantage of you. Licensed electricians charge a lot per hour, as I found out when I had some light fixtures and a fan installed. I know some people use handymen, but in a one hundred year old plus apartment, which sounds a lot like the one described by the op, I wanted someone licensed. I am a do it yourselfer... bought some books at home depot and did my own minor plumbing repairs, but did not want to take on electrical in an apartment that still had gas lines to ceiling fixture boxes, fuses, and cloth wiring. ask them to give you a detailed estimate including hourly charges for work and charges for each receptacle or item..then you will be better able to compare estimates.
2:10 PM 04/29/2012 | 0 Votes
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try medco. they are licensed and excellent electricians and quoted us $5-10,000 to re-wire and entire brownstone. I don't know that you're going to find someone to assess who's not bidding, the process is, get several bids, and learn yourself from that process. I bet you won't just pay 1/4 the price for a four-story house, but I'd imagine you can get the project done for $5-7,000 at worst. Since this is electrical work, don't go the handyman route. Make sure your person is experienced, licensed and insued. Put in plenty of capacity and you'll only do this once.
11:32 AM 05/01/2012 | 0 Votes
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Great advice - i am getting a bid from them tomorrow!
9:13 PM 05/03/2012
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Brooklyn, NY
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