If you’re planning on remodeling an older home, there are a number of things you should consider—especially as it relates to your electrical system. We talked in an earlier blog post about things to consider when buying an older home, and now we’re going to talk about things to look out for when remodeling older homes.

One of the first things to consider when remodeling an older home is whether your existing electrical system is equipped to handle the load that new appliances will place on it. You’ll also need to think about the effect of adding square footage and new lighting on your system. You may need a heavy up before you even start your remodel, which can add unexpected costs.

The most cost-effective thing to do before remodeling your home or constructing a new addition is establish an electrical wiring diagram early during the design phase (or better yet, call Kolb Electric and have us do this for you!). An electrical wiring diagram will help you answer a number of important questions, including:

Whatever you decide to do, make sure all of your plans are part of your design work. It will save you significant costs later on, even if the components for the system will be purchased some time down the road.

But it doesn’t stop there—there are other things to think about as well. For instance, consider what one home office workstation requires:

There are others that aren’t listed. Make sure your plans have taken into consideration the outlets and power requirements of these devices.

Don’t forget the outside of your home. Since you’re already upgrading your electrical system, now would be a good time to get your home electrical system ready to handle some outside tasks. These include outside perimeter lighting, fire and burglar alarm systems, motion-controlled lighting, and card access systems.

Call Kolb Electric for addition or remodel wiring!

Benjamin Franklin, in his time, invented many things that he never quite understood but the one that changed our lives forever was electricity. Electricity pretty much rules our lives to this day. It is impossible to imagine our lives without the little technological advances we use in our everyday lives. From a toaster, to a smart television to Wi-Fi, without these, life would, as some say, cease to move forward.

While electricity is extremely beneficial and useful, it is equally as dangerous. If you are facing an electrical issue at home, you might be tempted to manage it yourself to save the money you would otherwise have to spend on calling in an electrician. You should know that the professional electricians are there for a reason.

They know and understand the dangers that come with the job. They are licensed and have proper training, which you do not. Working with the wiring of a house is much like brain surgery: one wrong move and the entire body can get paralyzed.

Now that paints quite a picture, doesn’t it? It is quite hectic to find an electrician when there are countless people out there that claim to be a master in the trade but actually do not even have a license. They do it just for the money. This has made electricians underdogs. Essential as they may be, they are underrated.

Before discussing how much you should pay an electrician, it is first important to understand what an electrician does in the first place and also why you need to hire one whenever there is an electrical problem. Now, let’s suppose that you walk into a room and flick the switch on. You expect the room to be instantly lit. But what would you do if the lights don’t come on? It is common behavior that many would immediately assume the power went out and check if that is the case.

If it is not, they call an electrician. It is important to keep in mind that a qualified electrician is the only one you should call for any kind of electrical job, which can range from installing small light fixtures to total rewiring of the house.

If you hire an unlicensed electrician for the job, you would be compromising on the quality of the work done and there would be safety hazards as well. One should know that electrical work, much like any other job, requires training. In most cases, an electrician is required to complete 5 years’ worth of education as well as roughly 10,000 hours of on-the-job training to get a license.

Surprised now, aren’t you? These electricians are taught vigorously how to work safely with electrical systems as well as how to abide by codes and laws, which is something an uncertified electrician would never know.

This job brings many hazards with it and so electricians are superheroes that put their lives at stake to bring your life to ease. In Oregon, an electrician on average makes $42,000 a year, which is fair considering the risks. Not to mention, they have spent the best part of a decade honing their craft to obtain their license and they have to make up for the time and cost involved in that. So, as you can see, the price they charge is worth paying because you get the best possible service.

So, before you think about how much you should or shouldn’t pay an electrician, think of the dangers that come with the job and what you would have to go through if you didn’t have an electrician to fix your problem, be it a high-voltage one or a low-voltage one. Hence, it won’t be wrong to say that they are competent professionals who possess certain skills which the average homeowner in Oregon doesn’t.

This is why it is important that you call an electrician every time you face an electrical issue at home. If you try to repair the problem yourself, you put your wellbeing at risk. Not to mention, any mishap with the electrical system can lead to a fire breaking out. In fact, your inexperience can actually cause more harm than good, resulting in you spending more on getting the work done than you would have to in the first place.