COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS
and C.E.S. PRODUCTIONS
"Solving home and business problems properly"

FAQs — Frequently Asked Questions

• What are your most common types of jobs?
• What advice do you have for potential clients looking to hire a provider like you?
• What important information should buyers have before seeking you out?
• What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?
• Do you have a complicated pricing system for your services?
• What do you try to make sure every client knows about your trade?
• Any inside secrets to share?
• What questions do customers most commonly ask you?
• Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
• What do you like most about your job?
• Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?
• How did you decide to get in your line of work?
• If you were advising someone who wanted to become an electrician, what would you suggest?

What are your most common types of jobs?

• Electrical upgrades — a single room or an entire house
• Electrical troubleshooting and repair
• Remodeling work that includes electrical system design and configuration
• Telephone system installation and wiring for small businesses (we do this at 50% of AT&T's rates)
• Finish Carpentry (e.g., moldings, baseboards, cabinetry, stairways)
• Drywall installation and/or repair (finished ready for your paint job or fully painted)

What advice do you have for potential clients looking to hire a provider like you?  

Be clear about what you expect and what you're unsure of.  Be willing to brainstorm options with us (we always seek cost-effective solutions, weighing costs versus benefits with you). Don't be afraid to ask questions at any time before, during, or after your project – miscommunication is usually the biggest problem in any endeavor.

What important information should buyers have before seeking you out?

Buyers should have a basic idea of what they want done, but detailed ideas are not necessary to meet with us.  A checklist of what your desires and ideas are can be very helpful and time-saving when it's time to get specific.  A good way is to list items in three categories:

1. absolute needs,
2. important but not vital, and
3. nice to have.

A realistic budget is necessary.  Although we are not expensive, good work is not cheap, and we can help you determine how to get the most value for your money.  We can even show clients how to break a big, expensive project into several smaller, more affordable projects with a specific, ordered path.

What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?  

Building Codes are long and complex, but they are there for good reasons in every case.  We are glad to answer any specific questions about Electrical Code and many questions about other Building Codes.  We always do all our work following known “best practices” which, to us, includes “to Code” or better!

Do you have a complicated pricing system for your services?

Our standard pricing method is Time and Materials with guaranteed quality work and best effort to stay within or below a specific budget.  Hourly rates vary by skill level, while materials pricing is standard.  Fixed priced bids are available if requested, but a variable percentage, depending on the project, is automatically added beforehand to cover the lack of flexibility.  Many problems may not be known until after a job begins, but they can be dealt with fairly to both client and service provider so long as communications are always open and honest.  This issue is covered in our standard terms in a way which should please any client for its fairness and equitability.

To avoid potential misunderstandings, all modifications after a Work Order is finalized require written Change Orders, agreed to, signed, and dated by both parties.  We provide a simple Change Order form to all clients just to make things easy for everyone, because we consider ourselves to be partners with our clients on their projects.

What do you try to make sure every client knows about your trade?  

• Circuit breakers are primarily intended to prevent fires by preventing overheating of wiring by excessive current.  They do NOT protect against electrical shock and death; that is the function of GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters).
• Building Codes are not your enemy but are there for good reasons, even though those reasons may not always be obvious.
• Wiring insulation colors have specific meanings, and wiring in which standard color codes are not used can be dangerous, or even deadly, both to clients and to future electricians!  Thus, wiring should only be done by qualified personnel (which can include knowledgeable homeowners who have studied proper wiring procedures).

Any inside secrets to share?

It is always a good idea to consider potential future expansion in electrical systems before new work or upgrades begin.  For example, the extra initial cost of installing the next larger size of wire to a sub-panel is a very small fraction of the cost of doing a size/capacity upgrade at a later date.  Almost all of the extra cost is in materials, not labor (which is usually the most expensive component in any electrical work).

What questions do customers most commonly ask you?  

The most frequently asked question always begins with "Why ... ?".  We are always willing to give complete (or brief, if preferred) explanations about anything within our areas of expertise.  We believe knowledge improves communications and customer satisfaction.

Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

1. More value for the money: We provide COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS.
2. All work is done "to Code" or better!
3. Always done right -- no half-measures or sloppy work (and no "collateral damage" by careless workers)

What do you like most about your job?  

Sense of accomplishment, meeting new people, making new friends

Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

Industry knowledge and practices are constantly evolving, so we make every effort to educate ourselves by reading trade magazines and browsing the Internet.  An absolute requirement is regularly keeping up with the latest Code changes (the National Electrical Code, or NEC, changes every 3 years, for example).  Green energy is a currently expanding field in which we are particularly interested and in which we already have considerable expertise.  The owner's philosophy is "he who is not busy learning is busy dying."

How did you decide to get in your line of work?  

In late 2001, changes in the economy made the owner's previously very successful career (IBM mainframe MVS-z/OS operating system consultant for over 20 years) no longer viable, so he looked for something more recession-proof that he also enjoyed and for which he already had some skills.  It was then just a matter of updating his knowledge with technical manuals and advice from experienced friends already working full-time in construction trades.  His best friend is a General Contractor in the East Bay.

If you were advising someone who wanted to become an electrician, what would you suggest?

1. Study, study, study, then get some practical, real-life experience applying what you have learned about the NEC (National Electrical Code) and other Building Codes.
2. Work as a helper to an experienced, ethical, knowledgeable electrician before going out on your own.  Be honest with him about your goals because, if you are honest (and are competent), he will pass on work to you in the future when he's too busy and will expect you to reciprocate as your business grows.  You will also be able to work together on large future projects that require multiple electricians.
   

NOTE:  You won't do yourself any favors by working for someone who isn't into doing quality work because you won't be learning the RIGHT way to do things.  It is amazing the number of Code violations we've found in work done by Licensed Electrical Contractors who were lazy or careless!  Intelligent and honorable people don't do that kind of thing.  Unfortunately, even though many of us do things the right way, there is a lot of incompetence and laziness in the building trades.  At Cost-Effective Solutions and C.E.S. Productions, we differentiate ourselves by being one of the positive exceptions; you should, too.

Cost-Effective Solutions / C.E.S. Productions
"Solving homeowner & business problems properly"

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