Electrical Upgrade Question

We are considering an electrical upgrade of our 3 family brownstone. Each unit has a separate electrical meter, and 2 of the 3 units are occupied by tenants; we occupy the garden and parlor levels. We do not have the money to upgrade the entire house at the moment. Is it possible and/or advisable to just upgrade the electrical for our owner’s unit, and hold off for now upgrading the tenants’ units? Thank you all for any wisdom.

afrodytka8585

in About Brooklyn 10 years ago

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michaelmilesryan | 9 years and 11 months ago

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yes and no what you dont want to do is extend old wiring with new but if you have three separate meters it sounds like it cant be that old because original wiring would have been impossible to separate into three systems though its possible parts of the old syten survive they will be identifiable as cloth covered wires in side light, switch, and receptacle boxes they had to have pulled new feeds from new meters to new panels but if they did leave old wires in walls then yes replace that while renovating and get it all i would just redo it where i wanted the new and abandon or demo the old but get it all. it doesnt matter about not doing the three systems at once they are separated

bedstuytownhouse | 10 years ago

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The basic answer is 5k / floor. We still have an open permit because our tenant made the switch to being self-employed and works from home. His business has completely taken off and we hadn’t wanted to disrupt that flow since they are looking to buy now so we expect to wrap this up in the next 6 – 8 months but it has been over a year.

afrodytka8585 | 10 years ago

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And how long the whole process took?

afrodytka8585 | 10 years ago

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Would you all mind to share how much this all cost? Thank you

bedstuytownhouse | 10 years ago

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Without question.

afrodytka8585 | 10 years ago

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Would this type of work Require a permit?

bedstuytownhouse | 10 years ago

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We did exactly what you described and used Paul at Lidmar who we found on this board via one of the OG posters that I always trust based on how wise and thoughtful their answers are plus its not the first referral from them we’ve successfully used.

thetinkerswagon | 10 years ago

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I have been recommending tom munetz. everyone I have sent to him comes back with good reports. Licensed, the full deal. if you call him, it helps me a tad if you mention my name. Steve

afrodytka8585 | 10 years ago

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Thanks. This is all tremendously helpful. Does anyone have a reasonably priced electrician who would be mindful of costs and planning for future upgrades?

thetinkerswagon | 10 years ago

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yes, see what rick says. I do my house piece meal. when we did our bathroom last year, I pulled the wire for the electrician. and i always use a three wire (always 12-3). the 12-3 will give you a wire for an extra circuit and you can just set it to a junction box until you need it. but when we did the bathroom, I pulled an entire extra 12-3 cable and left it coiled in the ceiling above the closet. so when I get done talking about how I am going to do this work and decide to do it, all I have to do is open the ceiling and snake that wire across the cock loft and I have the wire for 2 full circuits – more than enough electricity short of a/c units. it is also coiled in the basement near the box, ready to go. by doing this, you are saving yourself the trouble of opening walls a second time and snaking wire. the wire is cheap enough (comparatively to the other headaches and expenses) that you should always run a bit more than you think you will need. maybe even think about a heavy cable for each unit and either panels or sub panels on each floor. talk to the electrician about wire sizes for this – but I think it is #4\. always leave enough on the ends so you are not having to worry about hiding a junction box where one should not be (like in an attic). Steve

Rick | 10 years ago

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“Is it possible and/or advisable to just upgrade the electrical for our owner?s unit, and hold off for now upgrading the tenants? units?” I say, yes. Often it is done this way. Have an electrician do your apartment and run a thick cable for the upstairs apartment electric in the air shaft to be hooked up at a later date. That way you can have the work done for the rentals when you have turnover since it will be a dirty job with all the plaster repair. I find it best to have separate breaker boxes installed inside each apartment.