I need an old ceiling fan swapped out with a new one. So, the job is relatively simple. What’s a fair price for such a task (based on rates in the Mid-Atlantic region)? - Jinx
I had to have a certified electrician come in for some insurance work, and paid $60 an hour for it.
But if you’re just swapping out a new fan for the old, you could easily do it yourself. Or maybe you have a friend that will come over and give you a hand. Don’t pay a professional for something this easy.
This is a time and material job; basically a service call.
Rates vary wildly by region, and even by city. Hourly rates should be between $70 and $110 or so.
Should take about an hour or less, usually the first hour is a little higher. There may be a “truck” or “trip” charge also. Many contractors charge you the time it takes to get there.
Without seeing it, here’s my guess.
Travel to get there: .5 hours
On site: 1 hour
Trip charge $25
Material? $10
Total Bill: $124-140
Could be a little higher or lower.
If there are problems—like the old box not being the right box to support a fan for example—the time and price could be higher…
I think raindog is right on the money (ha!). But depending on where you live and what local demand is like, you may have trouble finding an electrician to come out for a job so small. It’s worth exploring whether you could do it yourself, or whether you have other little electrical jobs that need doing, so as to make it a bigger, and more attractive, job for the electrician.
Jinx - this is the kind of thing my husband does. He said probably around $75. He is NOT an electrician - he does home improvement/remodeling/handyman/tell him what you need and he can do it work.
I am a service technician. Mostly what I do is HVAC, although I do Electrical and Plumbing work as well. (I’m state licensed in all three) (I have 4 other employees)
Service Work is a specific part of contracting. No matter the type of contractor, some will do construction [only] and some will do service [only] and some will do both.
Whether you are calling a plumber, HVAC oe electrician, ask them if they have a service department or if they “run service.” If they don’t, they are likely more of a construction oriented contractor and little jobs like this are a tremondous hassle.
For service contractors, this is run-of-the-mill and they’re set up to run service all day long. Calls like this are just fine. If a guy is set up for service this is easy, and he’s on to the next call.