These days it can be hard to shop around to find a decent contractor.  Usually we all go by reviews, word of mouth and family experiences.  This is all good.  When you do find someone that is reliable and trustworthy the last step that you need to do is see if they are licensed and insured.

I would even recommend that if you have a project in your home that required different contractors, it is well within your power to ask your licensed contractor if each trade (electrical and plumbing) all are licensed and insured.  Why not?  Protect yourself and your home.

Licensed general contractors can perform a wide variety of work. It can be earthmoving, plumbing, electrical, foundations, framing, or roofing work. But general contractors cannot always work on everything.

I have seen, too many times, when you hire a contractor, for example, to redo your kitchen,  they have their own guys do the electric and the plumbing to try and keep costs down but it just hurts the homeowner in the long run.  I get calls all the time to come and fix issues that happened years before with a renovation due to contractors that believe they can do all electrical work.  I’m here to tell you that it is not the same.  They may know how to do the basics to get the job done quickly but what about those wires that are found in the walls that are just shoved back in because they don’t know where they go.  And what about the way they wire an outlet to prevent flickering in the long run.  What about choosing the right wire for the proper appliance or even the material in your walls.  There are different materials for homes that have aluminum studs or wood studs.  How about older homes that have aluminum wiring, that has to be treated differently than copper.  There are so many scenarios that I’ve seen where I get called in a year or two later trying to fix issues that could have been prevented, if only we got in the door during construction.  It actually would be cheaper because we wouldn’t have to troubleshoot the problem through finished walls.  During construction all the walls would be open with easier access.

Making sure that your contractor goes the extra step and hires the right trades only saves you time and money in the long run.  Knowing that the job was done right and to code only helps you and your home.

At Big Bear Electrical, we are trained in the up to date electrical codes.  We are licensed and insured.  To keep your license, electricians need to keep up on training and classes.  We are required to do that by the state.

It’s so much safer to make sure your contractor goes the extra step and allows the proper trade to do what they are trained in.

Give yourself some peace of mind, when you’re doing a renovation or a project in your home, ask your contractor to see the other trades license and insurance.  I would even say that if you are unsure if you need a licensed electrician to come in, you can always ask us.  Call us today, we don’t mind answering your questions.  We look forward to speaking with you.

Happy Building!