Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire who needs college, got a quote from an electrician

$1000 for an hours, That's ways too much. So many lazy people that want more money than they care to work for.

There's always the option of doing it yourself if you think the price is too high. Sometimes it's not as outrageous as it seems when you get into it yourself up to your eyeballs and still end up calling somebody to finish up the job. As already stated, a Journeyman Wireman is a good card to be packing if you have to make a living working. Been carrying one for 36 years now.

I agree, but that requires discipline and some sort of a work ethic, both severely lacking in most of the modern yoot raised by single moms.

For sure. My son chose to pursue a career as an electrician. He knew that college wasn't the answer for him. Spent his senior year attending vocational school and continued in that program for an additional year.

By age 24 he had bought his own house, and now, at age 31, he tells me he still loves going to work every day. Not many people can say that.

Salaries in the trades will only increase. The lack of interest is creating a labor shortage that has a lot of us concerned. We’re down from 5 to 4 crews now simply due to no qualified applicants, causing us to turn down work.
It used to be most “men” , no matter their career, could perform most home maintenance duties. These days not only are they not able, they’re not willing. I’m amazed how many folks pay to have their lawns mowed.... Obviously the OP’s job requires a professional.

he doesn't want the job so priced himself out of the race.

Happens all the time in the trades.

Yup!!

Plumbers, electricians, AC techs down here make 40 to 50 bucks an hour. Most make 100,000 a year. I have a masters license, backflow license, waste water license, CDL, operate excavators, certified welder. Skilled labor doesn’t come cheap.

Could be he has plenty of work. If you have plenty, you bid high. If you get it, good, if you don’t, no big deal. Get more bids on your project.

Been in the game a long time remodeling.
If I was younger might change paths.
It amazes me, have two long time friends pushing 200k
Doing lawns, mulching and fall cleanup with 2 months off to hunt!

I’m a JW Electrician by trade. As I see it based on your description, he really doesn’t want the job. Probably too busy.
As for the aluminum wiring, I have installed them on huge industrial and commercial jobs for feeder wires. It’s common practice these days due to the cost savings and presents no danger if installed correctly.
I would insist on permits and inspections. It protects you and is absolutely required on a job this size. He doesn’t want to jump through the hoops because as I said earlier, he’s too busy and doesn’t want the job.

I was thinking the same thing, large gauge is just fine, its when you get to the small stuff at outlets that you have to stay on top of, but tons of houses have it and its not like entire neighborhoods built in the 70s are burning down.

Aluminum four ought will be fine for 200 amp service. Just make sure you use dielectric aluminum wire compound on every connection. The rural co-op will be feeding your meter base with the same. His insurance may not honor any damages without permitting and inspecting if that ah-sheit thing happens.

Oh, you betcha......

Most high school graduates today have to go to college...they’re not smart enough to work in the skilled trades

A good friend is a pharmacist that runs a drug store. He's got two guys with MBA's working the cash register up front for $12 a hour. Meanwhile as others have noted an electrician, plumber, etc. is earning a fortune because there aren't enough of them. A big part of the illegal problem is caused by shortages in the trades, there aren't enough Americans that want to go into the trades so we end up with a bunch of illegals doing most of the contracting around here.

I graduated college in 1990 with a BS in chemical engineering but never used the degree. I went into the military to fly, after ten years in there I got out then got hired on at a good airline and it's been a great, well paying job. I'll be the first to admit I got lucky. I'd hate to be graduating college today, most BA/BS degrees won't get you a job and a good number of Masters & PhD's are worthless. Universities in the U.S. have become a racket, a cash cow where they pump as many kids through as they can while milking them for hundreds of thousands of dollars as they rack up student loan debt. Meanwhile they're loaded up with countless useless administrators making $200,000 a year and never ending campus building projects that would make the Roman forum look like section 8 housing. They're just degree factories, sign here for your student loan and pay your $1000 a semester meal card, $3000 a semester dorm room, and $10,000 a semester tuition to get your degree in diversity studies. Kids have been taught from day one that they have to go to college in order to succeed and get into the middle class, but the majority of four year degrees won't do that. Thirty years ago when I graduated they would, you could count on getting a decent, if not great job straight out of college. Today that's not so, a BA/BS degree has been devalued to the point where it'll get you about what a High School diploma would 30-40 years ago.

Power companies go with the cheapest option and don't care if their line fries on the pole.

I'll go as high as $1600 to have it done, if I can't get it done for that, then I'm going to build a frame around the pole. All I'm trying to do is mount a gable to my house and the meter pole is up against where I want to mount the gable.

Then I'll bite the bullet later on if I enclose the carport. I'm just not prepared to spend an additional $2600 on a $6K project that doesn't add any value.

Honestly I thought it was a $1K job. But that's what I get for still thinking its 1995.

The US has not supported technical schools in any way shape or form for many many years. Everyone has to go to college or they are a failure mentality is the rule. It's going to bite us in the azz.

KFWA, I would try to get a couple more estimates. Mention you'll pay cash and don't mind having it done on weekend if they prefer that. Not a really technically involved job. Not sure about Ohio, but in KY if you enclose the meter base and meter, the Co-OP has right to have possession of key to gain entry to meter. It would work out better for you if you're able to go ahead and get it moved. Good luck with your project.I wouldn't mind helping you if I was closer and we weren't working 12 hour days ourself right now.

Really....
What is the weight difference between spans on transmission and distribution lines?

Of all the apprentices I have worked with , 2 could read a ruler. But even they had trouble with common denominators.