Questions to Ask Your Electrician
Looking for an Electrician in the Portland, Metro Area?
Searching for an “electrician near me” online is a great place to begin your journey in looking for electrical service, but you don’t always want to go for the first result. You will also want to make sure they provide the services you need at a cost this works for you.
Beaver Electric understands how important it is when you have any contractor come into your home, and it is equally important for homeowners to know who they can trust. As a fully licensed electrical contractor who serves the entire Portland metro area, we ensure all of our electricians understand the importance of great communication with our customers. We aim to explain as many details of the work we will be performing as we can, both prior to getting started and all throughout the process.
Whether you are looking for an emergency electrician or looking to add additional outlets or wiring in your home, we understand many questions may come up and are always ready to answer them. We thank our customers for choosing Beaver Electric and work hard to ensure we maintain this level of customer service.
Things to Ask Before Contracting a Local Electrician
Are They Licensed?
In Oregon, all electricians are required to be certified by the state, and the company you choose much also be registered and licensed. Not only is this a requirement, but it makes perfect sense. The licensing ensures the electricians have gone through specific qualifications, including the proper amount of insurance and that they receive ongoing training. Working with unlicensed electricians can be very dangerous as this is a major safety concern for your home.
Are They Covered Through Insurance?
The reason a licensed electrician is insured is to protect them and the homeowner in case of any issues which may arise. Even though mistakes for electricians are rare, when they do happen it is important to know the company you are working with is fully insured. You should always feel comfortable in asking if the company can provide proof of insurance as required by the state. In you’re doing an “Electrician Near Me” search, you will want to check on this as you are looking at different companies to consider.
How Long Has the Company Been Around?
The experience level of a licensed electrician is important, but it is also important to know the company you are choosing has been around for a while. A company which has just started may not know all the challenges which may come up, and not have good processes in place to provide a great experience from the beginning to the end of a project. They may also not be aware of all the permitting which is required by the city or county to ensure all the electrical work is done by the proper codes. Each city and county have their own specific requirements and most of them have a follow-up after a job to ensure the electrician’s work was done to code. Doing electrical work correct the first time is the only option to sound electrical work. Beaver Electric has been around since 2010 and prides itself on serving not only our customers, but our community for over a decade.
How Long Will the Project Take & What Will the Costs Be?
You may be working under a timeline or budget. Even if you are not, you should always have a clear expectation of both how long the electrical work may take as well as the cost of the work to be done. You may need to coordinate other work being done so the timing may be even more important.
Beaver Electric provides both the timeline and the cost upfront when we are doing our estimates. We won’t start on any project without the home owner knowing exactly the timeline on when we will start the job, as well as how long the job is expected take. If it happens to take a bit longer to complete a job, you will not pay more than what we provided with our estimate on the electrical work we have agreed to perform. Our trucks are stocked with parts in case something is needed unexpectedly to help prevent any delays in completing our work.
Are There Any Guarantees?
When we do our work, we will assure you all of our work is guaranteed, but this is an essential thing to know when you are looking for any local electrician in your area. A guarantee is only as good as the company you have chosen, and electrical work is too important to leave it to a company who does not have any promises or guarantees, or who is perhaps not even licensed.
Who Does the Clean Up After You Are Done with the Work?
This is a pretty common question, and we say we like to leave it as good, if not better than when we got there. Of course, with contractor-type work, there will potentially be some cutting of holes, wiring, and parts used on the job. When we are job, we review the area we worked in ensure we have put back anything which was moved for us to complete our work. We also tidy up the areas where we were working to minimize anything you need to do after we finish. “A job isn’t complete until the clean-up is done” isn’t just a saying, but something we go by every single day.
This, of course, is not going to be the case will every electrician in the Portland area. Check their reviews online and ask the company directly if clean-up is involved in their job so you can know what to expect in the aftermath.
What About Reviews on Online?
Reviews on the internet give people an opportunity to share their experiences with a company and provide some insight on how the company treats their customers. At Beaver Electric, we are proud of our reputation and our reviews, and work hard every day to provide outstanding electrical work and customer service.
A Google search is a good place to start in looking for a company’s reviews as Google is one of the main places people leave reviews for contractors. Other review websites may also have a fair number of reviews, but even though the number of reviews may be important, the things people are saying about the company – or aren’t saying – are just as important. The BBB also provides some level of information about a company, such as when they started, information about the company, and any complaints (if there were complaints) along with a description of how they were handled.
Contact an Electrician Near You
Now that you are here, know we pride ourselves on ensuring all the questions we mentioned above, or we could not put these on our website. We service the entire Portland metro area and can help with any electrical repair, service, or maintenance required.
Save yourself time and call us at 503-992-0195 so we can talk about any questions you have as well as let you know what our current scheduling is looking like. We always prioritize emergencies as they do happen and work with our customers on their schedule to work to get the work done in a timely manner. You can always send us a request for information as well.