▪ Of course, the electrician handles the installation of high-voltage wiring inside the house, receptacles, switches, and circuit breaker boxes. But did you know the electrician is also usually in charge installing these items: door bell and chime, ceiling fans, light fixtures, outlets for all appliances (including washer/dryer)?

▪ Your electrician will ask you what size of service you want in your house. Without going into too much depth, the prevailing school of thought is that you should install a larger service than you need presently. This is in case you want to finish some rooms off later or need more power for any reason. It doesn't cost that much more to get a higher service now, but it costs a lot more to go back and add it later. I have150 amp service in my five bedroom house, but I probably could have gotten away with 100 amp service. Ask your electrician to explain what this means exactly.

▪ I didn't think ahead and my electrician put my electricity meter box in a very unattractive, highly visible location next to the driveway. It cost me $600 to have him move it to the back of the house, and I was left with a big hole in my wall where the wires had been. Save yourself at least $600 and plan the location of the meter box ahead of time! The same is true for the outside air conditioning unit ("condensing unit").

Rewiring old house - Electrical Issues - Part 2

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University