I had an emergency project that five other electricians I contacted either didn't want to bother with, or didn't have the resources to handle. I called some huge contractors that no longer do residential work. But then I asked them to recommend the best electrician with resources to do the job and the big contractor referred me to Jim Clap.
When I got started, Jim was able to work from photos and measurements that I e-mailed him to expedite the work. Within 24 hours, he'd worked up an estimate, and a day later, we signed a contract, paid the deposit and the day after that, materials were delivered.
My job required trenching to finish an unfinished underground electric service. Jim's excavator, Alex, came out to the property and assessed the project later that evening and dropped off a machine that could work in tight spaces that we had.
Within a couple of days, despite dealing with ledge (huge boulders under the ground), a suitable trench was dug and work began on installing conduit. A substantial crew of at least three electricians did the work and got this difficult job completed by the end of the day.
All through this, some concrete had to be poured, and prices had really shot up for these materials, so Jim negotiated a lower price for me by using his volume buying leverage and explaining my financial difficulty. He saved me hundreds of dollars just on the concrete that needed to be poured due to the ledge we were dealing with.
When it came to the inspection, a homeowner's worst nightmare, Jim was there to guide the inspection process and keep the inspector focused on the job. Since Jim knows all the area inspectors, mutual trust makes for a smooth inspection process. Jim was even able to negotiate a variance because the best and only practical meter location had a heigh clearance issue due to an overhang, but he got it all approved and built a safe installation. This is the benefit of hiring a medium-sized contractor--reputation, resources and pricing leverage.
Jim's close relationship with the power company again proved valueable, as he saved me many hundreds of dollars by negotiating to get my service reconnected without the usual fee.
The speed with which this project was completed, despite some unusual and very difficult conditions, and the smoothness of pulling every aspect of the project together from excavation to inspection, made me glad I'd chosen J&J Clap Electrical for this project. He's honest, tells you the facts, and has a heart. In speaking with other tradesmen, I learned that the price I paid was very, very reasonable for this job. Indeed, Jim stuck to his promise and didn't charge extra, despite going way over the number of man hours originally expected. read more
