Hello everyone,
I have been a silent reader until now and would like to share my experience. We are building with a local general contractor and have included a certain number of power outlets and light points in the package. We spent several hours with the electrician going through the shell construction, and the following offer was created.
I’m sharing this with you as information about current prices (Aachen area). I would also appreciate any feedback if you notice anything. Here is a summary:
- Additional power outlet €55
- Additional light point €50
- Cat 7 wiring in 6 rooms (always double outlets) €1,728
- Satellite system + wiring in 6 rooms €3,150
- LED spot 5W €50
- Stairway orientation light €96
We originally wanted to discuss photovoltaics separately. However, the electrician has already included part of it in the offer.
The spots and orientation lights seem quite expensive to me, especially since the light point is charged separately.
Best regards
Christian
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I have been a silent reader until now and would like to share my experience. We are building with a local general contractor and have included a certain number of power outlets and light points in the package. We spent several hours with the electrician going through the shell construction, and the following offer was created.
I’m sharing this with you as information about current prices (Aachen area). I would also appreciate any feedback if you notice anything. Here is a summary:
- Additional power outlet €55
- Additional light point €50
- Cat 7 wiring in 6 rooms (always double outlets) €1,728
- Satellite system + wiring in 6 rooms €3,150
- LED spot 5W €50
- Stairway orientation light €96
We originally wanted to discuss photovoltaics separately. However, the electrician has already included part of it in the offer.
The spots and orientation lights seem quite expensive to me, especially since the light point is charged separately.
Best regards
Christian
ypg schrieb:
By the way: in the utility room I could almost use 8 power outlets, and in the bedroom I would miss a two-way switch if you’re already investing a lot.We still haven’t finalized the bedroom setup; we’re still considering options.Overall, I’m a fan of indirect lighting. Especially in the evening, we rarely have the ceiling light on, and when I get up to use the bathroom at night, I don’t necessarily want to turn on a bright light. The electrician offered me switchable night lights for a steep price of €96 each.
Here, I’m thinking more of recessed lights with motion sensors, which I want to source and install myself. I had something like the "Paulmann 92923 LED recessed light with built-in motion sensor, fixed 2.7W LED, glossy white" in mind, costing about €20 each.
What does the electrician need to prepare for this? A junction point inside a flush-mounted box that isn’t switched off but basically always on? As you can see, I’m not very knowledgeable about electrical setups.
I was thinking of quantities like:
- Guest WC 1
- Ground floor hallway 2–3
- Staircase 4–5 each
- Upper floor hallway 1
- Bathroom 1–2
Does anyone have experience or other suggestions?
M
MachsSelbst3 Jun 2024 13:25Alright. The electrician, of course, wants to make money and uses a mixed calculation. He charges a flat rate of 55 EUR per outlet, whether he has to install an entirely new cable or simply expand a basic outlet to 2, 3, or 6 (which you can do yourself if you have the proper training, even if the walls are already wallpapered, painted, tiled, or similar)...
For the emergency lights, he needs to run a cable to each one and intends to install a switch for them as well. That costs more.
So, I don’t think it will be significantly cheaper for you if you ask him to just install the flush-mounted boxes and pull the cables without the switches. He’s not stupid and knows exactly that you want to install the lights yourself; he will still make his margin from you... what else can you do? If you want it done, you have to buy it from him...
For the emergency lights, he needs to run a cable to each one and intends to install a switch for them as well. That costs more.
So, I don’t think it will be significantly cheaper for you if you ask him to just install the flush-mounted boxes and pull the cables without the switches. He’s not stupid and knows exactly that you want to install the lights yourself; he will still make his margin from you... what else can you do? If you want it done, you have to buy it from him...
MachsSelbst schrieb:
For the orientation lights, he needs to run a cable to each one and then control them with a switch. That just costs more.
So I don’t really think it’ll be much cheaper for you if you tell him to just install the flush-mounted boxes and pull the cables without the switches. He’s not stupid and knows you’ll install the lights yourself anyway, so he’ll still add his margin... what else can you do? If you want it, you have to buy it from him... I don’t really understand your point. For example, for the staircase, the electrician and I originally planned five orientation lights, all controlled together by a switch from both the ground floor and the upper floor. That costs me 5 x €50 for the connection points and additionally 5 x €96 for the lights. Plus the two-way switching.
Now I decided against switchable lamps, so I want to save the cost of the two-way switch and the €96 per light. The €50 per connection point still remains of course. So where exactly does the electrician make his margin?
For me, the question is rather: does a connection point look like the junction box here, or is it a terminal block, or just a cable coming out of the wall? I need to clarify that with him. Or should I use a socket outlet and basically discard the frame later? The socket outlet costs me €55 from him.
CD_MD90 schrieb:
Good point. So far, we have planned one double socket each for the bedrooms and home offices, and two in the living room. See the green marking.
Now that you mention it, I would also consider network outlets plus an access point mounted at ceiling height in both hallways, see the red question marks. Also one in the garage, but since there was already preparation for an electric vehicle charging station, something was planned there anyway.
Our exterior dimensions are 7 x 12 m (23 x 39 feet), that should be enough, right? Do you have a recommendation for an access point? An access point should be installed where the highest speed is needed. On the ground floor, I wouldn’t place it near the stairs but rather in the living area. What kind of stairs will you have? If they are concrete stairs, there will be a lot of steel, which is not good for Wi-Fi. On the upper floor, I find it tricky. If you place it in the middle, no one might be completely satisfied. At least I would keep the access points away from the stairs. I would prepare the attic, but maybe the Wi-Fi from the floor below is sufficient. Whether you need Wi-Fi in the garage is debatable. For me, good Wi-Fi on the terrace would be more important.
Personally, I am a fan of access points with Power over Ethernet (PoE). I use a Fritzbox, but Wi-Fi is delegated to UniFi access points. There are other access point manufacturers as well. Now the question is where to put them: on the wall or ceiling. Proper access points are mainly designed for ceiling installation.
M
MachsSelbst5 Jun 2024 23:54CD_MD90 schrieb:
I don’t really understand your point. For example, the staircase: originally, the electrician and I planned five orientation lights, all controlled together by one switch on the ground floor and one on the upper floor. That costs me 5 × 50 € (about 5 × $54) for the connection points plus 5 × 96 € (about 5 × $104) for the lights, plus the two-way switch wiring.
Now I have decided against switchable lamps, so I want to save on the two-way switches and the 96 € (about $104) per lamp. The 50 € (about $54) per connection point remains of course. So where does the electrician make his profit here?
For me, the question is whether a connection point looks like this socket here, or with a terminal block, or just a cable coming out of the wall? I have to clarify that with him. Or should I have a socket installed and basically discard the frame later? The socket costs me 55 € (about $60) with him. Yes, you are right, I apologize.
A connection point is just a cable coming out of the wall. Unfortunately, that does not invalidate my argument.
The electrician charges you 50 € (about $54) per connection point. Usually, he can’t really overcharge there... one connection point means one cable, regardless of length. For the spotlight, he also has to install a mounting box and the lamp—it’s all bundled into 96 € (about $104). A high price, yes.
You would need to ask how much a connection point plus a flush-mounted box would cost...
And here’s my suspicion—you probably won’t get that much cheaper than without the lamp (minus the cost of the lamp itself).
In that case, the socket would actually cost you less... but whether he’ll do it that way for you...
He knows that you only have the sockets installed to later throw away the frame and install a lamp.
I could understand if the electrician refuses to do it that way.
M
MachsSelbst6 Jun 2024 00:05hanse987 schrieb:
(...)
Personally, I’m a fan of access points with PoE power supply. I have a Fritzbox myself, but the Wi-Fi is handled by Unifi access points. There are other access point manufacturers as well. Where should these be installed? On the wall or the ceiling? Proper access points are mainly designed for ceiling installation.Good choice... In every test, FritzBox Wi-Fi has consistently been outperformed by other solutions. My Telekom Speedport 3 covers the entire ground floor, whereas with a FritzBox, you would probably need at least two access points here... Unbelievably, you can sometimes save money with Telekom as well...
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