Posts tagged electrical

Spec homes , this article is going to be about Spec  homes the builders that build them and the electrical deficiencies that are often found in new Charlotte homes . The first thing that you may notice when approaching builders or already built homes is that most of the things that you would consider absolutely normal and standard are in fact extra . Most Charlotte home builders will not include very basic electrical wiring in the homes that they build  . Some classic examples of this would be the fact that most Charlotte home builders do not put overhead lights in the bedrooms  . I have also seen this in living rooms .

The national electrical code states that when someone is building a home they must provide an electrical outlet for lighting purposes  . Translated this means that all they have to install is a switch on the wall , and then connect to switch to a receptacle down low that you can plug a lamp into . This is an easy out for builders when they are constructing Charlotte homes , as they do not need to buy light fixtures on the finished phase of the job . As well they do not have to pay the electrician to wire the light and install the light box in the center of the ceiling  . Another classic ways that builders  save money during the construction phase on Charlotte homes is by installing one florescent light fixture in the center of the kitchen ceiling . Fluorescent lighting is a substandard light quality even though many people are pushing florescent lighting as being a green technology . It may be green and save electricity however when it comes to the actual light that is being put out by that florescent bulb it is definitely substandard .

A standard fluorescent bulb puts out about 20% of the colors that are found in incandescent lighting fixtures and natural sunlight . This again is a another way for the builders to save money while building Charlotte homes . They simply put this one florescent fixture in the center of the kitchen . The fixture usually costs about $25 and is less than attractive . They did this so that they don’t have to pay for the obvious choice which would be recessed lighting . As well you will find that most homes do not come with undercabinet lighting . While these items are not very difficult at all to install after-the-fact . Providing you use a qualified professional . Many people do seem to think that it is virtually impossible to install these items after-the-fact . Nothing could be further from the truth .

Another common way that Charlotte homebuilders skimp on their construction costs when building Charlotte homes , is they only put one outlet in the garage area . Obviously most men would like to have more than one outlet in their garage area so that they can have a 4 foot high by perhaps 10 foot long bench that they can put tools on and do some work of some sort . As well many times you may have to plug in a car charger work charge your cordless appliances such as a Dustbuster or whatnot and one receptacle certainly is not adequate for the job . Another classic way that Charlotte builders skimp when they are installing the electrical in new Charlotte homes is in the laundry room area where usually one receptacle is all that is installed for the washing machine . If the laundry room is big enough to iron and then it certainly should have a dedicated circuit ran to it so that you can plug in an iron and iron your clothes and your laundry room . That is after all what it is for . Another way is in the kitchen area many times instead of installing 80 over the stove microwave the builder will simply install a vent hood . The main problem with this vent hood is that it is powered off of the general lighting circuit and there has not been a dedicated 20 amp electrical circuit ran to the kitchen area for a microwave that may be put in the future . Sometimes you even see Charlotte homebuilders it installing 150 amp services in the Charlotte homes that they build . This is a real disservice to the customer .

However with the falling interest rates and the highly competitive housing market that we are currently in the midst of ,  the home buyer does want the absolute lowest price per square foot . It is my recommendation that if you’re looking for Charlotte homes , make a thorough investigation of exactly what it is that you’re getting for your money . Whether it be electrical plumbing the roofing or any part of the home . Have a thorough home inspection done and get the specifications on your home much as you would when you’re buying a new computer  .   Well that’s all I have on Charlotte homes for today and thanks again for reading my blog .   This is Tom harp Providence electric signing off of Charlotte homes . http://www. providenceelectricnc. com/