Home/Operations/⚡ Electrical/Quoting a full house rewire for old knob and tube - how do you estimate the hours accurately?
Quoting a full house rewire for old knob and tube - how do you estimate the hours accurately?
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NailGunNinja13
·3mo·31 replies·32 participants
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NailGunNinja13⭐ ExpertOP3mo
50
Man, quoting rewires is killing me this year, especially with these old houses full of knob and tube that nobody wants to touch. I've got a 1950s ranch in the Chicago area that's got wiring running everywhere, and the homeowner wants it all updated to 14/2 Romex with AFCI breakers per NEC 210.12. I usually figure 4-6 hours per 1000 sq ft but then I always end up eating time on surprises like buried junctions or chasing neutrals. Saw a thread on r/electricians where guys were complaining about the same crap, and someone in the Electricians Network FB group mentioned using Housecall Pro for better material takeoffs. Anyone got a solid formula for padding the estimate without scaring them off?
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TarheelTiler⭐ Expert3mo
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Homeowners who wait till the insurance cancels always lowball the quote then act shocked.
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WrenchWarrior3⭐ Expert2mo
12
Exactly, and then they nickel and dime every pull.
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FixItFelix8👑 Legend2mo
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Insurance threats are the worst, upsell the whole panel while you can.
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PaintSplat👑 Legend2mo
11
Had one cancel on me mid-job over that.
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ShingleSlinger⭐ Expert2mo
8
Break it down by room, quote T&M for unknowns like attic access.
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RidgeRunner2⭐ Expert2mo
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Yeah, my template has a 20% contingency for buried stuff.
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LatexLegend👑 Legend2mo
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These DIY homeowners think it's a weekend project, SMH.
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BoxHaulerBob⭐ Expert2mo
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Tell me about it, showed up to one with half the walls open already.
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NailGunNed2⭐ Expert2mo
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I feel your pain, been there on too many rewires.
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ColorChaos🏆 Master2mo
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SharkBite for plumbing maybe, but for wiring? Nah, stick to proper boxes or get sued.
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SlateSlinger2⭐ Expert2mo
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Controversial take: I've used push-in connectors in walls and never had an issue.
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FixItFelix⭐ Expert1mo
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Use Bluebeam for digital takeoffs, saves hours on estimates.
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PipeDreamerPaul⭐ Expert1mo
10
Watched Dustin from Electrician U on YouTube, he breaks down rewires by circuit count.
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RoofRat123⭐ Expert1mo
18
Estimating knob and tube jobs is a crapshoot every time.
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LiftAndShift⭐ Expert1mo
9
Just bid high and let em negotiate down to your real number.
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WireWizardWalt👑 Legend1mo
9
NEC changes every cycle screw with your standard estimates.
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PeakPitcher🏆 Master1mo
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From the guy in The Contractor Fight group: always include a site visit fee upfront.
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TenYearVet27⭐ Expert1mo
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Site visits catch 80% of the gotchas before quoting.
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SparkleSteve⭐ Expert1mo
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But half the time they won't pay for it.
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GarageGuruGary⭐ Expert1mo
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Had a laugh when a customer tried to quote me back using ChatGPT.
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RollerRascal⭐ Expert1mo
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Quote the wire run footage at $2/ft including labor.
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PaintSplatFun⭐ Expert1mo
11
Me and the apprentice was laughin at a job where the old wiring sparked just looking at it.
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MulchMogul⭐ Expert27d
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Electricians Network is full of these quoting horror stories.
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HammerTimeHal⭐ Expert23d
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Never underestimate the time for fishing through plaster walls.
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VineVanquisher⭐ Expert21d
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Yeah, that stuff adds up quick.
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DoorOpenerDan2⭐ Expert18d
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How do you handle change orders when they find more knob and tube mid-demo?
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ShowerKing⭐ Expert15d
15
Same here, Chicago basements are the worst for hidden runs.
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WireWizard8⭐ Expert12d
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These old houses are a liability nightmare.
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FurnitureFury🏆 Master9d
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I hear ya, lost a bid last week cuz I padded too much.
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ZapMaster2⭐ Expert6d
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Always get 50% upfront on rewires over $5k.
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WireWhizKid👑 Legend4d
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Client called at midnight panicking over flickering lights, turned out to be the whole system.
