Volta Electric, led by Alejandro Ormeno, a currently licensed C-10 electrical contractor in California (I checked at the California State License Board website before we went into contract), provides high-quality electrical services with professionalism at a competitive price. The craftsmanship of Alejandro's work, his work ethic, and his ability to stay focused on what the customer wants, needs, and regulation mandates make Volta Electric an excellent choice for people with electrical needs in the Bay Area.
While I was deciding between three different proposals from three different electrical contractors, the only concerns I had about Volta Electric were its small online footprint. I'm glad that the limited online information about Volta Electric didn't deter me from entering into a contract with them. However, since online reviews are very important for some people, and a lack of many reviews can even be a red flag, I decided to write this review. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help Volta Electric stay in business for many years to come by gaining new and loyal customers like me.
We bought a house late last year in the East Bay. By Bay Area standards, it was move-in ready, i.e., recently painted, aesthetically pleasing, and with all appliances. A concerning feature of the house was the presence of Knob-and-Tube (K&T) wiring in the oldest section of the house, namely the living room, dining room, kitchen, and one bedroom. Additionally, based on the disclosures of the house, we knew that the electrical work in the oldest section of the house raised some concerns from the home inspector. Before moving in, I wanted to ensure that the electrical system in the house was as safe as possible for my family, and I also wanted to ensure that insuring the house would not be an issue for years to come. While we were in escrow for the house, there were not many options for insurance due to the K&T wiring. For those reason, we decided that the Knob-and-Tube wiring in our house needed to go.
I approached three electrical contractors for proposals on the project: one recommended by my realtor, the second one recommended by the person who completed the pest inspection included in the disclosures, and the last one highly recommended by a friend. I received proposals for the work from all three companies, and after careful review, I decided to go with Volta Electric. My decision was partly because he came highly recommended by a trusted friend, but most importantly, because Alejandro was extremely knowledgeable and understood the importance of strategizing and reducing the number of wall openings required to complete the project. He also understood that I wanted a FULL Knob-and-Tube replacement, which involved no compromises in terms of leaving any of the old circuits with K&T behind. Alejandro was extremely honest about the potential complications of a project of this nature, where sometimes it is not possible to know how costly things will be until you start opening up walls.
Volta Electric was extremely professional and neat. They took the time to protect all the floors and appliances that I was unable to move out. Additionally, they isolated the area they were working on to avoid dust reaching the other sections of the house. At the end of every workday, the house was left clean and organized. Alejandro kept me informed of his progress and notified me if there were unforeseen circumstances that were going to impact the cost of the project. Sometimes it was in my favor, sometimes not, but I really appreciated knowing as things were changing. In addition, he made good recommendations on what I could add in order to leverage work related to the Knob-and-Tube project. Since some walls were now accessible, it was much cheaper to run new cables to add things. I ended up adding a wired doorbell, two wired smoke detectors, a light, and a receptacle on top of my chimney for our future TV. When I had questions, Alejandro took the time to explain things in a way that was easy for me to understand.
Alejandro was the point person with the permits; however, I was present for both city inspections, the Rough and the Final. Both inspections were short and smooth, and we "passed" both on the first try. Alejandro had no problem addressing the inspector's questions and concerns, and at the end of the final inspection, the inspector praised him for being on top of things and for doing such a good and organized job and then saying "You have no idea of the bad electrical work I inspect all the time."
In conclusion, I had an exceptional experience with Volta Electric. I am very happy with the work they completed in my house and how they completed it. I feel that their craftmanship, professionalism, knowledge and honesty are worth their price. At some point, I will upgrade the Main Service in my house, and I know that Volta Electric, if they'll take me, will complete the job. read more
