Bidding

[Energy-Miser]

You can not make that wage here ,average wage for residential wireman is between 12-17 /hr with little or no bennies the majority pay around 12 and some get box nailers for 10/hr or less

Actually for residential it is not much more than that here either. Ok, with a J-man license and a lot of experience you could be pushing $20 / hr. Commercial electricians get paid better. Helpers don't make that much around here either.

 

[Rewire]

We have many condo projects going here most Ec hire 8-9 guys to nail on boxes and pull wire and pay one guy well to oversee them most of these box nailers have no other expierience and when the project needs fewer men they are sent packing many believe they can wire a house so they bid their labor at 20 bucks an hour which is twice what they were making and usually twice what they are worth .

 

[brantmacga]

rates here start @ $2.00/ft for code job and top off around $3.25. Most of my jobs average around $5/ft after recessed lights, tv's, tp's, etc. . .; Pay starts around $7/hr w/ no benefits and peaks around $14/hr. This is all residential. Commercial electricians average not much more. I went to apply w/ a large commercial/industrial company after I got my license. Starting pay was $8/hr, no benefits. There is very little money in new residential work here. If you charge what it actually takes, you'll never get any work. I get bids rejected every week because "X will do it for $2.05, why can't you?"

 

[peter d]

Pay starts around $7/hr w/ no benefits and peaks around $14/hr. This is all residential. Commercial electricians average not much more. I went to apply w/ a large commercial/industrial company after I got my license.

Why even bother, you can work at McDonalds and make that. I thought we were a skilled trade?

 

[aline]

Originally Posted by brantmacga
Pay starts around $7/hr w/ no benefits and peaks around $14/hr. This is all residential. Commercial electricians average not much more. I went to apply w/ a large commercial/industrial company after I got my license.

Why even bother, you can work at McDonalds and make that. I thought we were a skilled trade?

No doubt. My dope smoking high school drop out son with no driver's license makes more than that working at Artic Circle flipping burgers.

And to think I've been telling him he should learn a skilled trade so he can make enough to live on.

Never mind son you're doing just fine.

 

[Dominator]

rates here start @ $2.00/ft for code job and top off around $3.25. Most of my jobs average around $5/ft after recessed lights, tv's, tp's, etc. . .; Pay starts around $7/hr w/ no benefits and peaks around $14/hr. This is all residential. Commercial electricians average not much more. I went to apply w/ a large commercial/industrial company after I got my license. Starting pay was $8/hr, no benefits. There is very little money in new residential work here. If you charge what it actually takes, you'll never get any work. I get bids rejected every week because "X will do it for $2.05, why can't you?"

damn, and here i'm thinking i'm getting paid peanuts.

i started out as a 1st year @ 9.37, bennies included i'm union.

 

[SpiderMT]

I don't even pay the greenest employee less than 12 bucks an hour. The most expensive house i've done finished out at about 11 dollars a square foot. There are guys that will work for 2-3 dollars a square but i don't even try to compete with them.

 

[Energy-Miser]

I don't even pay the greenest employee less than 12 bucks an hour. The most expensive house i've done finished out at about 11 dollars a square foot. There are guys that will work for 2-3 dollars a square but i don't even try to compete with them.

Where are you out of?

 

[SpiderMT]

California, Central Coast area. Near Santa Barabara. Cost of living is pretty high in our area, everything costs more so you have to earn more. And the $11 house was a one time thing, big custom at time and material and I'll bet we wired the house three times before it was done with all the changes. Average would probably be in the $6-8 range.

 

[Energy-Miser]

California, Central Coast area. Near Santa Barabara. Cost of living is pretty high in our area, everything costs more so you have to earn more. And the $11 house was a one time thing, big custom at time and material and I'll bet we wired the house three times before it was done with all the changes. Average would probably be in the $6-8 range.

Ok, thanks. We did a custom home, with smart home automation, all done in #12 Romex, and lots of it. We did not do the service, but did the generator, pier and pool powering, lots of changes, etc. I believe it came to around $12 / sq. ft. but it took for ever, so not sure if I made any money on it.