which cost more for me to do?

[Piper]

Hi Everyone

I live in Ontario Canada and am going to be wiring my new 24x32 attached garage with living room above. This will add the garage space and as our house is a walk out basement with kitchen/living room on 2nd floor we'll have an additional 700 sq/ft of living space above. So, pretty big addition. My question is for those people who have contractor accounts with electrical suppliers like Torbram, Ideal supply etc. Do you think it's more or less expensive to purchase the electrical things I need at a big box store like Home depot or rona OR get a contractor account (if I can) at one of the electrical suppliers? I've read here that some electrical contractors have said Home depot fluorescent fixtures are cheaper at home depot than on their contractor charge account.

Does anyone know, in general terms, if contractor vs big box would be equal, or tipped less expensive 1 way?

Piper

 

[trainer]

I found that home depot was near the top as far as price goes when i was wiring my garage.
My local Home Hardware and Timb'r Mart stores had better prices.

Shop around for fluorescents, and even call a contractor or two. You may even get a deal on some used ones. I got an awesome deal on t-8 fixtures through E-bay

If you haven't bought copper wire in a while , then prepare yourself..

 

[W-Cummins]

Unless you purchase a lot of stuff at the wholesale supply, you will not get a good discount. So you will find that if you only purchase a few $k per year you will not get much discount... On the other hand they will have lots of stuff that the big box stores do not have....



William...

 

[z28toz06]

http://www.lightmart.com/

 

[mjribeiro]

I used a lot of Home Depot stuff on mine - The one thing I didn't use from there was the main feeder line - The heavy guage wire at HD is so stiff - same guage and composition at my electrical supply store was so much easier to work in side the panels.

 

['51plymouth]

I used a lot of Home Depot stuff on mine - The one thing I didn't use from there was the main feeder line - The heavy guage wire at HD is so stiff - same guage and composition at my electrical supply store was so much easier to work in side the panels.

Not to mention that the main feeder was $1.40 cheaper per foot at a supply house than from Home Depot...adds up quick if you have a long run like I did.

 

[boiler7904]

You may not be able to set up a contractor account at a supply house (or home depot) without doing a credit check and having a current contractor's license. Contractor pricing isn't typically extended to people who are only doing a garage or room addition because it is such low sales volume.

That being said, a lot of supply houses will sell to the average guy off of the street. Pricing will depend on how much is on a particular order and how hard you push for a discount (if they'll give one) and how much you shop around.