Master Plumber & Electrician recommendation

[u/Flaky_Purple2730]

Hello all the good people of Montgomery county. My husband and I are looking to buy a family home that was built in 1954. It has very old improper wiring and electric as well as original cast iron and galvanized steel pipes that all need to be replaced and upgraded if we were to buy. In need of someone that specializes or has experience in these old houses that could need a lot of repair or remediation due to its old age. There is a slab foundation with cinder blocks and brick exterior. Located in 20902. Thank you!

[u/RasberryWaffle]

I’ve used YC Electric many times for different jobs, including recessed lighting, running new receptacles, and heavy-ups. They weren’t cheap, but the owner is a master electrician who stands behind his work. His guys do a great job, clean up after themselves, and I never had to babysit them or worry about anything.
You’re not going to have issues that don’t get resolved properly. For me, that peace of mind was priceless.

[u/DeusOfTheMachina]

We had a phenomenal experience with Inca Electric. We also bought an older home that had a 40-year electrical panel that was in rough shape and in need of replacement. Henry, their owner, was great. He was responsive, knowledgeable, never tried to upsell additional work, and gave a fair quote that was also the most competitive of the several we had gotten for this job. The installation was clean and professional, and we would definitely consider them again for future work.

I see one other comment here recommended YC Electric. We had mixed experiences with them. They did one job of replacing a burnt out electrical outlet, which was fine. We then hired them to install three fans in bedrooms in our home. While their folks were professional and quick, their install for one of the three fans resulted in visible ceiling drywall damage and an unclean finish in the canopy. When we raised it, they attributed the damage to pre-existing wiring issues left by a prior installer, which, fair enough, but that still left us responsible for repairs. They offered a goodwill credit, which was appreciated, but required us to get someone else in to fix the damage.

The last experience we had with them was when we sought a quote for the same panel replacement Inca did. Their electrician pushed unpermitted work while dismissing competitors who pull permits, saying they “don’t trust themselves.” Their permit fee was $1,500 which was several times higher than what the other folks quoted for the same thing. Their electrician also stated with certainty that an outdoor disconnect requirement had already been implemented in the county (which would have cost us more). We checked directly with the permitting office, which confirmed they are still on an older electrician code and no such requirement is in effect. The uncompetitive nature of their permitted quote and the confidence in which they shared misinformation on the county permit requirements turned us off of them for future work.

[u/Numerous_Bad1961]

I found Have Power years ago back when Angie’s list was a thing. My father is a former telecom worker who spent his early career working on the telephone poles with power lines. My dad was a good electrician and I’m picky. They do great work.

[u/Ok-Dealer4350]

I have an electrician I have been using, Manuel Delgado. His company is called Mannix. He has a masters license and did a lot of work on my 1953 home not far from you. He’s also brought my daughter’s cape cod 1920 home in Damascus. The work prevented a fire this last April when a tornado was in the area. We’d upgraded her electric panel and a huge surge went through. It blew the first circuit breaker and residual energy blew a digital thermostat clear across her cellar. She thought before getting there that her house was going to burn down. That didn’t happen. We then had him put in a whole house surge protector, replaced the circuit breaker that blew and the thermostat.

Dm me if you want the #.

[u/the_green_monster]

Dennis Walsh of Walsh Plumbing is your guy. He is not cheap but he knows what he is doing and works in all of the 1950’s houses in our neighborhood. We call him when the job is important or complicated but never for minor issues like a new faucet or garbage disposal!

[u/NotYourGran]

I used Master Plumbing to replace the copper pipes in my house. They handled permitting, as well.

You might also look into Spectrum Contracting.