How doable is it to add outlets to a finished house? I live in an older house and would like some additional electrical outlets.
I know its doable, but is it a breeze for an experienced electrician, or a hardship in comparison to exposed stud walls? Is it more costly than putting them in a new construction house?
Yes, it is doable to add outlets to any home. No, not necessarily a breeze for a seasoned electrician. It really depends upon where you want the new outlets (actually they are called receptacles). There are so many factors involved that need to be considered and without us knowing them it is difficult for us to guide you with more specific answers.
I looked back on your posts and do not see any for electrical to get an idea of your skill level so I have to assume you do not have much experience in electrical for the home. This will make it more difficult for us to tell you what would be required to have the receptacles added as first we would need to have specific questions answered first.
What I would suggest is that you call in at least 3 licensed electricians. Tell each of them exactly what you want to do. Let each one give you a "written" estimate. Each estimate should list the exact same work to be performed. This way you can compare apples to apples to get an idea of what it will cost.
Then once you get the estimates you can ask more specific questions here if you have them. We can also guide you a bit in some of the questions you should ask the electricians when they come to the house.
Be sure that the electricians are licensed and insured. Don't use a handy-man claiming they know how to hook up wires. That could lead to more costs in the end as it may have to be done again or cause issues for safety.
In the meantime if you want to ask a more specific question by all means please do so.
Yes, for me and most electricians installing receptacles on bare studs is far easier that working with finished walls etc. But again there are even other things to consider when working with bare studs and that list alone can be very long in itself.
When you have the electricians come give you an estimate let them educate you a bit as to not only what they have to do in order put in the receptacles that you want but why they must do it that way. This at the same time will give you a bit more reassurance of their skill and ability to perform the job correctly. Just going with the cheapest bid is not always the best way to do it.
In the meantime, if you give a bit more detail we can give you an idea of what may need to be done so when you do have an electrician come in we can guide you as to what some of your questions to the electrician should be and what some of the key factors you should be hearing in response to your questions from the electrician to gauge their ability.
and wa-la, there they were
Unfortunately just seeing a newly installed receptacle in the wall with the face plate on it tells no story at all to any electrician. What I mean by this is yes, it may look pretty and impressive and done quickly but without knowing the history behind the wall meaning the work done and for the reasons it was done there would be no way of telling if it was done properly. Again there are so many factors that must be considered first.
