cheapest way to wire a 18x20

[makgreens]

i want to wire my garage before winter hits so i can work on my hot rod and not have to run a million extension chords out of my house
i think ive figured out how to run the initial power from the houses box since the wiring will have to go through the crawl space
and be run above gound unfortunately

whats the cheapest way to wire up my garage
i want to atleast have a 220 hookup and a few 110s
i know it all depends on my residential box and i think i have 2-4 open spots

 

[Kevin54]

Why can't you run out of the crawlspace and then go underground to the garage, then back up the wall to the box? I would not want wires above ground if at all possible. Besides that, to go overhead, you will need two mast pipes and two weatherheads, plus going through the eaves of the house and garage if single story. If you use a service entrance elbow you can go from the crawlspace into the ground, use direct burial cable, then at the garage use another service entrance elbow and come up from the ground into the wall.

 

[jmh21586]

Cheapest way???

A: The right way the first time.

 

[jmh21586]

Whatever wire you run from the house to the garage, use underground rated wire. Bury it later if you have to. Not too much later though. Then put another service panel in the garage so it has it's own breakers for everything. Then you can do what you want. Wire one outlet if thats all you have money for. Getting power to the garage is the expensive part. After that wiring really isnt all that much $$ or hard to do.
2-4 open slots doesnt really mean anything. I have a 200 amp to my shed and it only used up 2 spots in my house service box. In my shed I have another service box with umpteen open spots. Don't try to have all the breakers for your shed in your home. That would be stupid.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Go to HD or Lowes, and buy a 100 amp panel kit. It will come with all the breakers, and the main breaker will serve as your emergency shutoff, which you will need for code. Run overhead line or trench. Hook up two GFI outlets under the panel and get inspected.

Now you have power. Wire the rest when you can afford it. Buy some construction lights, and run them around the shop like party lights. You will have lots of light for very cheap. A few hundred in material, plus the wire to the house, plus an electrician to hook it up. This will get you through the winter.

Buy a twenty dollar book on wiring, and read it. If you help the electrician wire the service panel, you will probably figure out that you can wire the rest yourself.

 

[Dawgfan]

I put in a separate service from the transformer. The minimum bill is around $19 a month. It got up to $30 something last winter with the heat pump set for 60 degrees.
Ours is a farm shop so power is tax deductible. It was easier to have a separate bill.

 

[makgreens]

well are there any electricians near me that could come wire it up?
i honestly dont wanna fool with someone out of the yellowpages
and my buddy who was supposed to wire it up flaked out on me

 

[vintagedrags]

well are there any electricians near me that could come wire it up?
i honestly dont wanna fool with someone out of the yellowpages
and my buddy who was supposed to wire it up flaked out on me

Remember this, cheap is not always cheaper. If someone says they can wire this up cheap, they are putting you and your garage in jeopardy!! Trust me when I say it will be worth the money to have it done right the first time!!
By someone trained to do the work correctly!!