How we price a storm repair
Every job is priced in writing, after a survey. We do not quote from a phone call, and we do not print a price list because no two houses went under the same water.
What decides the price
Five things move the price of a storm repair more than anything else.
How high the water or damage reached, and how much of the service it touched
The size of the service: 100 amp or 200 amp, and how far the meter sits from the panel
Whether the mast, the weatherhead and the meter base are sound or need replacing
Whether you raise the panel and meter above the flood line
Permit and inspection fees, which we pass through at cost
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn’t
The written estimate lists the meter base, mast, panel, circuits, permit and inspection on their own lines, so an adjuster or a lender can read it. The power company’s own charges and drywall, paint and flooring repair are not in it.
Included: survey, parts, labor, permit, the inspection visit
Not included: the power company’s charges, drywall, paint, flooring
What happens at the visit
One electrician comes for the survey and stays until the picture is clear. We photograph what we find and we do not price what we cannot see. If we open a wall and find more, we stop and call you.
The survey visit has a fee, stated when you book
It comes off the work if you go ahead
After hours
We do not take calls overnight. A call or text after hours is answered first thing the next working day. For fire or a person in danger, call 911 first.
Texts with photos are read in the order they arrive
Work outside the posted hours is by agreement, and costs more
When you get the number
You get the number in writing after the survey, before any work starts, and it is the number on the invoice unless you change the job. The estimate stays open for 30 days.
A change to the job is priced in writing first
You sign the estimate before we order parts
How and when you pay
A deposit orders the parts, and the balance is due when the inspector approves the work. We take cards, checks and cash, and we give you the invoice your adjuster asks for.
Deposit before parts are ordered
Balance after the inspection is approved
Your estimate
What the written estimate lists
The meter base and mast
New or reused, and why.
The panel and breakers
What stayed above the water and what is replaced.
The circuits
Which ones must be redone, listed room by room.
The raise
Its own line with the height, so you can choose it on its own.
The permit and the inspection
Passed through at cost.
What is not in it
The power company’s charges, drywall, paint and flooring.
Questions we hear after a storm
What does the survey visit cost?
The visit has a fee, and we tell you what it is when you book. If you go ahead with the work, the fee comes off the total. The estimate that follows is written and is open for 30 days.
Will you work with my insurance company?
We give you a written, line-by-line estimate and photos of what we found. Your insurance company decides what it covers, and we cannot say what that will be.
Do you do emergency work?
We do not take calls overnight. Calls and texts are answered first thing in the morning. For fire or danger to anyone, call 911, then the power company.
Ask for a survey
We answer first thing the next working day.