Had to rerun a whole house branch circuit after a DIY nightmare last weekend

I got a call from a homeowner in Bakersfield who tried to add a few outlets in his garage himself. He used 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp breaker and just tucked the connections behind the drywall without boxes. I spent about 6 hours last Saturday pulling out his work and replacing it with proper 12 gauge and metal boxes. The before and after difference was night and day in terms of safety and just how clean it looked. Cost him an extra $300 for my time and materials compared to if he had called me from the start. Has anyone else run into homeowners who make their own electrical work way worse than they realize?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesroberts26d ago

Play the other side for a second - sometimes homeowners just want to save a buck and figure they can handle a few outlets themselves without the markup. I mean, YouTube makes it look dead simple, and a roll of 14 gauge is like half the price of 12 gauge, so I can see how someone with zero experience would think they're being smart about it. Sure, it's dangerous and stupid, but that homeowner probably saw a $200 DIY project turn into a $500 job and walked away feeling like he got ripped off.

jana_hart1826d ago

YouTube made it look dead simple' is how I ended up with a breaker that hums louder than my singing voice, @jamesroberts.

morgan_martinez25d ago

Pulled up to a job in Fresno last month where a guy had tried to wire his new hot tub himself... used extension cords buried in the ground. Just ran them under some mulch and called it a day. He was real proud of it until I showed him the moisture damage and how close he was to shocking himself every time he stepped outside. Took me a whole weekend to dig up that mess and run proper conduit. He ended up paying triple what he would have if he had just called someone from the start.

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