topic Re: Electrical work; would this concern you? in Home

Electrical work; would this concern you?

SahmIam — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:47:19 GMT

If you found out that a home you were going to purchase had all electrical fixtures wired by the owner/friend of the owner whose ONLY knowledge was due to a wiring class at Lowes/Home Depot, would that keep you from purchasing the house?

Talking all indoor and outdoor light fixtures, ceiling fans, exhaust fans/lights in bathrooms, outdoor lights, electric fireplace inserts; things like that. TIA.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

BirdieGal — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:49:28 GMT

If I were truly interested in the house I would pay to have a thorough inspection done.

Or ask seller to pay for it.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

gypsy2 — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:51:24 GMT

My husband is a licensed electrician and he says yes you should be concerned.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

Kitlynn — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:53:49 GMT

I would just ask for an independent inspeciton of all the electrical wiring and request that you choose the inspector and the homeowners pay for it.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

SilleeMee — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:58:09 GMT

Yes, it would concern me. My homeowners insurance will not insure damages caused by electrical failures if they were installed or fixed by anyone other than a licensed electrician.

But then how would you know who installed the electrical stuff if someone didn't tell you who it was?

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

ccassaday — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:57:30 GMT

Not sure if it would concern me or not. A inspection may or not show if something was wrong. Sometimes you have to see inside the walls. But a inspection is a must. My dad has never had a electrical training and he had always done electrical at our old house when he could. He new what he was doing even without training. But I can see where this could be a huge concern because you don't know the person who did the wiring. Our house passed inspection when we sold it with no issues.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

jackthebear — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:59:49 GMT

@SahmIam wrote:
If you found out that a home you were going to purchase had all electrical fixtures wired by the owner/friend of the owner whose ONLY knowledge was due to a wiring class at Lowes/Home Depot, would that keep you from purchasing the house?

Talking all indoor and outdoor light fixtures, ceiling fans, exhaust fans/lights in bathrooms, outdoor lights, electric fireplace inserts; things like that. TIA.

yes

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

ccassaday — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:00:01 GMT

If your just talking hanging of a light fixture I think most people do that themselves.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

SahmIam — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:00:09 GMT

For those that suggested hiring an additional inspector to check it all and having the homeowner pay for it:

That could go either way. I've only seen a homeowner refuse to pay for it and therefore, the buyers either pay for it or walk away....they've always paid for it because they want the house so badly. In a few cases, the seller has refused it and well...again, the buyers simply removed that addendum and purchased anyway.

Our homeowners insurance won't cover damages IF the work wasn't done by a licensed pro. The thing is, how do you REALLY ever know? In this situation, the buyer asked and well....they REALLY want the house. I mean REALLY REALLY want it but the sellers are telling them "buy it as is".

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

I am still oxox — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:03:04 GMT

I would be very concerned, I would have it inspected at the owners expense. Also have a clause in the contract, that if the inspection fails, you can terminate the contact at no fee to you

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

faeriemoon — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:03:59 GMT

An inspection is not going to uncover mistakes made inside the walls.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

SahmIam — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:06:56 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
I would be very concerned, I would have it inspected at the owners expense. Also have a clause in the contract, that if the inspection fails, you can terminate the contact at no fee to you

You can't force a seller to pay for that. You can write it as an addendum and HOPE they'll agree but if not, you the buyer have to make a choice. You also can't just say they're responsible if...... The seller has to AGREE to it first. In a perfect world for a buyer that would be great but that isn't how it works in reality.

You have to ask yourself, how do we KNOW that ANY work was done by a pro unless we have the documentation? You don't. As long as it passes an inspection, that's it. Makes you think.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

SahmIam — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:07:36 GMT

@faeriemoon Exactly.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

Tigriss — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:08:39 GMT

INSPECTION! I would make sure the inspector knew that was a concern of mine and they checked it out. Wiring isn't difficult if it is basic and you aren't doing higher tech stuff, but people get lazy and don't cap off wires properly for future fixtures or when they remove a fixture and plaster over it. My father and I did the electrical/plumbing in a friend's log cabin, a tiny home before there were "tiny homes". It had a small living area with a small kitchen and bath on the opposite wall with a loft above. We also built a storage building and wired and plumbed it for a laundry room for me during college. Being from farming stock, we did a lot of that stuff on the farm, so there were plenty of skills to be learned. I wouldn't tackle a home these days without some education or someone that was in the field. These "connected homes" do require different wiring and things from your basic electrical conduit and breaker box. Just get that house inspected with careful attention to the electrical or you might be able to make the sale contingent upon passing an additional electrical inspection by a specialist. I would also write it into the sale contract if possible. That is what they get for skimping on it. They may or may not have even had a permit for the electrical to be done in the first place. That would be a huge problem. They have to get that inspected and signed off on before they can do the drywall and what not. If they rewired it on the down low, as in not new construction or a rehab, there may be permitting problems.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

Tigriss — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:13:44 GMT

Oh, you mean just changing fixtures and things like that. Those are super easy to do yourself and save so much money! If we are talking rewiring the whole house, that is a different story. Changing fixtures is easy. I do mine myself, as well as many of the family and friends. Once they see how easy it is to do, they start doing it themselves. Changing plumbing fixtures is also super easy and saves so much money. Toilets are easy too! We did install a walk in shower for my grandmother, but that did require more construction as we ripped out walls and had old plumbing to deal with. My uncles are certified in that, so we had certified people doing it with lots of family helpers and cooks. We turned it into a family gathering.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

dex — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:36:32 GMT

My husband plumbed and wired our whole house.He was a police officer at the time.He bought books to read and we were fortunate to have friends who were experienced.We passed all builders inspections and 40 years later that house still stands strong.My DH and my 31 yr old son both install new light fixtures,fans,change plugs and never a problem.They say that is simple stuff.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

Love my grandkids — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:13:09 GMT

YES!!!

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

Kachina624 — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:47:06 GMT

Not only is it unsafe, it's probably illegal according to the municipalities' electrical code. They require licensed electricians.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

dex — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:53:00 GMT

@Kachina624 Do they to change s light fixture?I thought you needed a licensed electrician if the job requires a permit.I am not saying you are wrong..I am just wondering.

Re: Electrical work; would this concern you?

SahmIam — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 23:15:48 GMT

@dex I'm finding it depends not only on the state but on the county. My in-laws had their basement finished off and had to have things brought up to code throughout the entire house; they had no idea and it added another $2000 to the price. They have permits for everything but they know ****** well that NONE of the their neighbors did this when they had Cousin Bob or Uncle Elmer finish their basements.

If you just change out a light fixture but do something wrong, a fire can start. A ceiling fan can crash down you you while you sleep; a pipe can burst while you're not home. Yes, these things could happen if a pro did it but then you'd have some recourse.

It's an interesting situation and when you sit down and start looking at work around your home and others....unless you know the true history, you're simply running on assumptions.