I do all types of electrical work for homes and some commercial properties. My
focus is residential customers who require Electrical Excellence, a step up from
the ordinary or average installation service. I prefer installing products from
well established manufacturers and built with quality as a defining term of use.
I couple these products with my attention to detail, and deliver a final package
worthy of its surroundings - your home or office. And remember, anything
electrical can be automated or integrated into a complete automation system, not
just the lighting.
I enjoy working within San Mateo County and San Francisco, most often
in Atherton, Hillsborough, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Woodside, San Francisco and a
few areas within the greater Bay area. I will work other places where
Electrical Excellence is a requisite. My time is valuable
to me, as is the time of most everyone I work for, so I will bill for travel time.
I have never asked anyone for permission to use them as a
reference and I doubt I ever will. All of my work is via word-of-mouth, so the
people I work for know at least one other person on our list as clients.
Anything that has a controllable feature is a candidate for an automation
scheme. I typically provide lighting automation with Litetouch or Lutron as the
preferred systems. If you are going beyond lighting automation (audio/video,
security, etc.), I like to work in conjunction with Audio Arts to insure a
professionally designed, installed, and integrated system. Having others, with
professional experience in their field, perform what they do best helps insure
Electrical Excellence.
I also do control design/build for some of Rollamatic's more complex control schemes, and at times
integrate this with Litetouch or Lutron.
There are times when an individual has an idea or a concept but needs help
finalizing the design. When a contractor is called and hears "I would like you
to come out and look at a kitchen I am planning", it means there is still a
lot of design work ahead. I like to ask if there are drawings.
If there are no drawings or design in place, it usually means I will spend a lot
of my time providing input and helping make design decisions, time that many people do not
seem to want to be charged for. If you want competent contractors to bid on your work, you need to have completed
as much of the design work as possible, whether by yourself, a designer, or an
architect . It may help you to review the California State
Contractor's License Board page about what you need to do before getting a contractor involved. Or, give us a call! I will be more than happy to lend some
guidance. If you would like to pay for design time, I will do design work.
Call us! Another great way is by references or recommendations from friends.
If someone you trust cannot recommend a contractor to you and you call a
contractor, ask for a list of the
last three jobs comparable to what you would like done. Absolutely go to the
California State
Contractor's License Board and check out their license number, verify the
owner's name and insurance, and see if there are any unresolved complaints.
You will need a service upgrade as soon as the calculated load of your home
exceeds the load rating of your service or when you begin tripping the main
breaker due to overload. A calculated load only takes into a consideration a
portion of your home's connected loads and a person's lifestyle may go beyond
the calculation. Typically a competent electrician may make
the initial determination, in that the calculations are based on existing code
requirements. However, once you get into the service size of most custom homes,
an engineer's stamped calculations is your greatest assurance of conformity and
safety. Aretae Electric is able to do all of the initial calculations for you.
If it becomes necessary, the information I gather and organize may then be used
by an engineer to finalize.
A loss of power or dimming lights due to overload is not always the primary problem with an
undersized service. Undersized services can also cause a voltage drop to the
extent electrically powered devices are damaged, such as motors in large
appliances. If you ever notice your lights dimming momentarily when a motor
is turned on, this may be an indication that your service is reaching or has
exceeded its ability to provide power at a proper voltage level.
The voltage must drop for the lights to dim.
Dimming may be an indication of the need for a
service upgrade.
However, there are times where the utility providing power
is not providing it at the level necessary for your service needs, either due to
undersized wires and/or a transformer being too far from your home. Some utilities will baulk at making
the necessary upgrades until they have forced the home/business owner to make
unnecessary upgrades to their equipment. Have a competent electrical contractor
review your service before you proceed with any work you will have to pay for.
I typically DO NOT charge established clients for estimates. However,
when I receive calls from people who do not have plans or designs, and who
need further design help, I must recoup the cost of coming out or sending
someone out. Very often the input I provide to such persons is
then passed along to other electrical contractors who then use the information
to perform the work with less effort on their part. I am not in a position
where I need or want to spend money with little chance of being awarded a
project, in essence paying to improve someone else's house. Therefore, I do charge a service fee to visit customers whose sole
intent is to solicit ideas and potential costs. If you would like to save a
little money, come to our office or email
me, I will be glad to reply.
I have found that my rates are only higher than those electrical contractors
whose sole goal is to get in and out of a jobsite with a minimal amount of
effort. Yes, they may save you money up front, but I am often asked to come in
and make reparations to the electrical system after they have left your job. I
have been here since 1985 and have an established clientele who understand that
a professionally installed system takes time and requires quality materials, as
well as wanting assurance of a safely operating home upon completion. I carry full bonding
and liability. I am not interested in doing any work
where the "cheapest" price is the main focus. My rates are actually
less than many noted high-end electrical contractors.
12. What is one of the main problems you encounter when troubleshooting?
One of the main problems starts with something initially allowed by the code and
is subsequently compromised by inept electricians, landscapers,
"do-it-yourselfers", handymen, etc; "shared
neutrals". First of all, what is a neutral? It is using what the code defines as a grounded conductor, or the
electrical wire (typically one of two, three (most often on a home), or four
wires, with no insulation on it if overhead, from the utility to
your home. It is attached to the ground, then all wires into your home that are
common to this wire have a white insulation on them (neutral) or green (ground),
or are bare (ground). The neutral makes a complete circuit, a path for the
electricity to move on. Every 1/60th of a second the electricity flows in on one
wire, through whatever you are turning on, then out on another, then reverses
direction the next 1/60th of a second, etc.
The code allows for the neutral to be "shared", in that one neutral may be used
to complete the circuit for one of each of the other wires coming into your home. This
is "OK" if the code is strictly adhered to. However, what normally seems to take
place is either someone comes along and "shares" it with circuits that
should have their own neutral somewhere else in
the house to complete something they are too lazy to bring the proper neutral
to, or too hindered by what someone is willing to pay them.
A greater problem arises when you want to add a
generator to your home but only want to feed certain circuits. ALL circuits sharing a neutral must be
added to the loads in a panel fed from a generator, e.g, if you have two
dishwashers on two separate circuits and they share a neutral, it is not safe
and is a code violation to move only one of them into the generator fed panel. I
have seen installations where the neutral stays in one panel and the "hots"
come from the generator fed panel.
17. Will you repair or replace any item you install in my home, for free?
This is most often no, because people do not include it in their request for a
bid. Please see #4 on the rates FAQ section of this page page, then review the
CSLB site relative to warranties. For someone that guarantees everything on
earth, please go to
http://www.cheapocontractors.org.
There is a rule of thumb on chandelier installations over dining room tables:
To make sure that the dining area has plenty of illumination,
mount the chandelier approximately 3 inches above the surface of the
dining room table for every 1 foot of ceiling height. For a nine
foot ceiling, that would mean the fixture should rest roughly 27-30
inches above the table. (http://www.simplychandeliers.com/dining-room-chandeliers.html
),
but I only agree to an extent.
If the ceiling is less than 9 then 24
is rather low, and as one approaches 20', well, maybe it gets a little
too high. I have found that 30-32 is good for shorter height ceiling.
As things move down or up it is often best is to sit down and measure
from table top to your eyes, then set the
chandelier so it does not obstruct your vision of those you would like
to look at while you talk. If you have taller friends (from the waist
up), then add a tad. Does this not sound scientific?
When you get into these homes with 20 foot ceilings, the 3 rule may
diminish as well, then you almost have to hang the item and look at it
before finalizing its installation.
So, considering hanging (or have hung for you) a mock-up, even a string
with a large wad of paper on the end (or make it a cool project for the
younger ones by having them make a semblance of a chandelier out of
paper and/or cardboard), tape it to the ceiling and sit at the table.
Move it til you like it, then assemble the components of the chandelier
that are required to hang it, like the chain, and make it so that the
overall length accommodates the distance you chose.
To open and close chain links, you use two pairs of pliers and rags. I
can easily do any or all of this
J , just let me know.
Higher and pay a competent planner/designer/architect. There
is not much I can recommend electrically. Art work, furniture location,
pathways, egress, and much more all play a part in lighting and power needs.
PLAN the furnishings and wire with the plan in mind. I have sometimes looped
power feeds in walls in the event Murphy beds are going in - no known size
and no knowledge of what goes to each side - to allow for cutting in
electrical outlets in the future. Minimally, we need to know what you think is
going to go into a room.
This SECTION is NOT meant for those
whom I do regular work for.
It is for those who recently started treating me
as though I should find it a privilege to work on their stuff, such a
privilege that I should be honored to donate money toward their home or
business. Hopefully, after reading it, you will either choose to have me
work for you (I do great work) AND pay me, or you will not call me.
After doing this a LONG time, I have probably heard
all types of reasons as to why I should do just this, however, I love my
family, I like eating, and I have to pay my bills; free work infringes
on everyone of these. Therefore, I do not provide work for free unless I
choose to do so of my own volition with no urging from others. When I do
any work or free, it will be shown as a credit on your invoice, so it
will be a surprise/gift for you. In essence I "trade" work for money
unless you want to come crawl around under my house.
I completely understand that many
people are under the false impression that once a contractor is hired
all kinds of things not specified in the contract are going to be cared
for FOR FREE!. Some contractors do this at great cost to themselves
and/or their families. However, I have also found that most people are very
understanding once they have an accurate knowledge of what a contractor
is bound to do and what should be paid for as an extra. Here are a few things
people ask or make comments on, showing a basic misunderstanding.
How many of you who are employed and have work
EVERY DAY also have an employer that wants you to work for free
because they have "given" you a lot of work?
I am worth what I get paid, just as I am sure you
feel you deserve your compensation for work efforts rendered. If
your employer has a lot of work planned, is there an expectation
that you will then devote a bunch of time for free because they are
going to "give" you more?
This is absolutely fine if every minute I am away
from my family, doing something for your home or business, you are
paying me for it. If I get stuck in traffic, this is not my fault. I
now endeavor to incorporate this into contracts, etc., but sometimes
I forget. If I have not included an allowance for meetings, and you
do not have it within the specifications, and you do not preface or
end your request with "We expect to pay you for this as an extra"
they absolutely are not included as part of the job, it is not a
requirement nor should it be an expectation.
"Be sure to get any warranty offered
by the contractor for labor and materials in writing either for work
done by the contractor or manufacturer warranties."
Please notice that the wording is
"Offered" not "Required". I warranty my labor, I do not make nor do I warranty
materials. If you want something more than the manufacturer's
warranty, such as me honoring their warranty, for any materials I
purchase, then you need to let me know prior to any bid. I will mark
the material up 30% instead of 15% and then "offer" you a warranty.
If you do not want to pay me to honor the manufacturer's warranty,
then I will charge you to remove and/or replace a defective item.
OR, you may go buy everything, not pay any markup, and assume all
responsibility.
If a plug or a switch or a cable TV outlet, or a
phone outlet, or whatever is on a drawing with NO stipulated
requirement as to its exact location, it gets installed at the most
convenient spot.
Specific locations must be noted prior to a bid
being made. Bids are based on information provided and items are
installed per the bid. No specific noted location? Then no specific
installation.
If you have made this a
competitive bid, where I must provide a price in competition with
others, and you do not provide concise specifications, such as
manufacturer and model number, then you force us all to find and use
the least expensive items possible. As an example, we all may want a Prescolite recessed can, but you only want to pay for an Elite. I
try and note at the top of my proposal what the materials are.
First I am not a bank. Second, it
is actually ok if you pay the state allowed interest rate, something
like the worst credit card on earth. I pay everyone that I use as a
subcontractor and I pay for all materials, why can't you pay me? All
payments are due upon receipt of invoice or per contract. This is
included in any good contract:
After doing this a LONG time, I have probably heard
all types of reasons as to why I should do just this, however, I love my
family, I like eating, and I have to pay my bills; free work infringes
on everyone of these. Therefore, I do not provide work for free unless I
choose to do so of my own volition with no urging from others. When I do
any work or free, it will be shown as a credit on your invoice, so it
will be a surprise/gift for you. In essence I "trade" work for money
unless you want to come crawl around under my house.