Knowing is half the battle, and not knowing when to hire a professional electrician could mean the difference between needing a $20 wall outlet or needing to call the fire department because faulty wiring caught fire. Only a professional who has been trained and who has the experience will know what to look for and properly check your electrical problem. Doing it yourself is not just cheap, but reckless—it could end up costing more for a DIY fix in the long run.
Not all electricians are created equal, some are fresh, enthusiastic, but lacking in experience, qualifications, or proper equipment. That goes for any trade profession, really. Before you go digging through the classifieds, you can make the search a bit easier on yourself by preparing a list of qualifications that should be met before calling them for an estimate. Simply print out of checklist to check off as you’re going through the classifieds, so that you don’t forget a major red flag or missing skillset because of how friendly and well-spoken the prospective electrician is on the phone.
You could go straight to classifieds in the paper or online, but the fastest and easiest way to source an electrician is through family or friends. Call them first to get their recommendations, or advice against ones they’ve used. Once you’ve got a few good recommendations, then you begin your research and discovery process with interviewing.
Step one, never respond to a classified ad online that does not notate that they are licensed and insured in Colorado. Never settle for someone who is just simply licensed to work, you will be left on the hook if they damage anything, lest you take them to court, which is a huge stress that could simply be avoided by being more careful with who you hire.
Obviously, you should check their credentials, but while you’re at it, see if you can learn about the types of projects or jobs that they have done in the past. Experience is a great way to separate two electrician candidates who are similarly priced. As far as minimum requirements go, you’ll want to hire someone who has at least three years under their belt, and preferably one whom can offer a twelve month guarantee after their work is finished. That means if anything goes wrong with a part or if your problem persists, then they will come back and fix it for you, free of charge. This tells you when an electrician is confident in their skills, no matter how big the problem may be.
Cost will be the first thing you’ll be looking at when filtering through electricians, but it shouldn’t be looked at as some binary litmus test. Electrical work is going to be expensive, whether you like it or not, if you’re going to hire someone who is licensed and bonded. Yeah, you could hire cousin Sal to do it for you for half the price of the average electrician listed online, but you really don’t want to have to deal with a problem of encountering an “oops” in the middle of a repair. Besides, these types of situations can create lasting rifts in family if there’s a lot of money involved.
Get multiple quotes, be realistic about your budget, and look at the big picture when purchasing services for what appears to you as just a “minor repair” job.
After you’ve gotten the basics out the way, put aside a few minutes to go through their feedback and comments left online or via referral numbers that you can request from them. They shouldn’t have any problems connecting you to recent customers if they are confident in their work. Now, just because they are okay with giving you reference numbers doesn’t mean you should save time by not calling them. You might learn some valuable information that can help you decide between competitive electricians that you have lined up.
If you want a quality referral right off the bat, for an electrician in Colorado Springs, visit wireworkscoinc.com. You’ll quickly realize why they come recommended after reading their reviews and credentials. You need a highly qualified professional to make sure you get the job done right the first time, don’t put your home or its value at-risk.
