Silly Question?

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When rehabing a home, do you establish electric service?

Comments(9)

  • InActive_Account15th January, 2004

    Nope, Got myself a 25KW generator. Just kiddin'

    Actually, you could probably get electric turned on, it is a lot less expensive than a generator. But, make sure your breakers are all OFF when they connect service.

  • Tedjr15th January, 2004

    Depends on how much rehab and how close and friendly the neighbors are. Some jobs require months to complete and you will need service some way. If the property has been comdemed I have to get a temp loop set most of the time and run cords from there. Just to pain and carpet a condo I will look for a neighbor to run a cord for me for a few bucks. Do not tamper with the meter as you would be looking at fines and possible death.

    Good LUCK and Thank You
    Hope this helps some
    Ted Jr

  • thuntermi15th January, 2004

    Down there in Florida and Texas you can maybe get away without electricity for all/most of time. That is, if you like working by candlelight. Up here in the frozen North, though (5 degrees last night), I need electricity to run the furnace and keep the pipes from freezing.

    I don't think this is what you're asking about, but I'll mention it anyway -- Obviously, you'll need it turned on before you do any retail marketing. When I look at a house to purchase, and it has no power, I automatically have to hedge my figures to allow for the possibility that there are electrical and/or heating problems that I can't check. When selling the final product I would expect anyone looking at it to think the same thing. Besides, you naturally want the house to be inviting, etc.

    Since it makes my work that much easier, and I'll have to get power turned on before selling anyway, my vote is to turn it on right away. Especially in the winter.
    [addsig]

  • davmille16th January, 2004

    Buy an inverter. To me, they make a lot more sense than a generator. Much of the cost of a generator is the engine. With a inverter, you simply clamp it on to your car battery and plug in whatever you need to run. It is a much cheaper than a generator, no maintenance, and stores in a small space. Just do a internet search to find the best deal and know what wattage you need. The wattage depends on what you are planning on running. I usually am only running a saw, or drill, or some lights, so a 1500 watt continous duty was fine for me. I think I paid about $100. Its also a great temporary backup for your home freezer, refrig. during blackouts.

  • noel216th January, 2004

    I always get electricity turned on during a rehab - power tools, light to see, cooling or heating systems, check electrical systems, working after dusk.

    Good luck,
    Noel
    [addsig]

  • jonesoe3016th January, 2004

    Call local power company and get temporary power turned on. The electric bill shouldn't be all that expensive during rehab since you are not using the juice 24/7.

  • ELOCK16th January, 2004

    I was tought carpentry by an old carpenter, hand tools and hand nailing smashed fingers and all of that crap."NO MORE".

    Wouldn't even consider working without electric takes entirerly to much of my valuable www.time.Electric is cheap I'll shut the water off to save money but electric I have to have.

    ED

  • MikeWood16th January, 2004

    If at all possible turn the electricity on. It is much simpler to use the existing wiring to rehab the property and it will also allow you to check for electrical problems and make corrections as necessary. Make sure that you have all the breakers/fuse boxes off before the electric company actually turns on the power. I did it for my rental property and I did not use enough electricity to get charged over the mininum which was about $7 a month.

  • ItzMe17th January, 2004

    Yep...power up! You can check the systems and make sure everything is AOK.

    ItzMe

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