I'm building my basement and I did some electrical rough-in myself as I had done some in other parts of my home and felt reasonably confident with simple wiring. The city would not issue me a permit however because it's a townhouse; they'll only issue permits to professional electrical contractors to do work in attached housing for safety reasons. I had done a lot of work already, so I called a few companies for help complete it properly, but many didn't respond or declined to help. I called Robart Electrical Services, they were prompt, efficient, courteous, upfront about scope of work and costs, explained to me some major changes in electrical code that recently took effect that I wasn't aware of, and had me scheduled the following week. The journeyman and apprentice who came were knowledgeable, and again prompt and efficient, working 6.5 hours straight through the day checking everything, bringing it up to code, added a subpanel, and had a really positive problem solving approach "how we can help" versus the other companies "why we can't help." I was concerned they would lecture me for attempting to do the work myself, but that wasn't the case at all. They pulled a professional contractor permit and I got the city inspection which passed without any problems, and the inspector said he always sees excellent workmanship from Robart Electrical. As a DIYer, I had not planned on paying someone else but given the circumstances (permit complications, code changes) I actually felt it was money well spent and very good value (13 man-hours plus the cost of the permit and subpanel.) I was very happy with everything from start to finish, and will use them again without hesitation if I ever need to.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,480.00
- Company Response
Thank you for the wonderful review. We understand that in today's economy, people need to save money where ever possible, and one way is to attempt projects normally done by certified trades people. Unfortunately, that has it's draw backs. The city of edmonton has implemented a fee that is chargeable for failed inspections. January 1st, the Canadian Electrical code came out with some major changes in residential construction that make it difficult for a home owners to get it right. It's always best to get some consultation and guidance for electrical projects, and that is something we have no problem assisting with.
Rob