There are many types of home improvement that a typical person can do for themselves with a little time and effort – but electrical work is not one of them.  If your house needs rewiring or other electrical upgrades, you definitely want to hire residential electrical contractors in northern Virginia rather than trying to DIY it.

So many things can go wrong when an amateur tries to do their own electrical work that it’s truly not worth it.  For example:

Risk of electrocution.  Let’s start with the big one.  Virginia homes have high voltage running in their main lines, typically 220v-240v.  Combined with the standard amperage of modern lines, that’s enough to do serious damage to a person, or potentially even kill them – particularly if they already have other health issues such as heart problems.  

And sure, a person could shut down their power at the main box, but then their house becomes unusable.  It’s just not a good idea.

Fire dangers.  Another serious threat from DIY electrical work is the possibility of electrical fires.  This could potentially happen during the work itself, or later on due to poor wiring.  Electrical fires are one of the #1 causes of home fires in the US and hiring professionals to handle your electrical work makes it far less likely to happen.

Poor diagrams and documentation.  Even assuming a person can find enough research material to understand how to wire a house, that doesn’t mean they’ll have enough information to work on their own house.  Home wiring is often poorly documented, and sometimes isn’t even properly labeled.  It takes a professional with a lot of experience to be able to interpret home wiring when it lacks proper labels or colors, and an amateur could get themselves into a lot of trouble trying.

Failing inspections.  Most areas require a home to be re-inspected and certified by the city after having electrical upgrades.  The chances of an amateur electrician managing to pass inspection are extremely low.  We’ve personally had to come out and redo people’s DIY jobs for this reason – ultimately costing them more money than if they’d just called us in the first place.

Get Residential Contracting in Northern Virginia Today

If your home needs electrical work done, you want a qualified residential electrical contractor in northern Virginia – like RD Matthews Electrical Contracting.  We’ve provided top-quality work for over 25 years.  Click here to schedule an appointment or request a free quote.

• Residential Electrical Contractor in Northern Virginia