A $2,000 panel job quoted at $8,000. A $20 outlet sold like a wiring emergency. I spent forty years wiring homes and fixing what other electricians got away with charging for — this is every real price, every red flag, and the exact questions that keep a quote honest.
Everything from forty years on the job — panel literacy, the real Working Price Sheet, and the exact service-call script — in one guide you keep on your phone for the next time a truck's in your driveway.
"Look for the smaller answer before you pay for the larger one."
— Roy DaltonStraight from the book's Working Price Sheet — the fair price for the work itself, next to what typically shows up on the invoice.
| The Job | Fair Price | Typical Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic service call | $100–$200 | $200–$450 |
| GFCI outlet replacement | $140–$220 | $250–$450 |
| Pigtail repair (aluminum wiring) | $125–$225 | $250–$500 |
| Correct breaker replacement | $150–$300 | $300–$700 |
| Same-size panel replacement | $2,000–$4,000 | $4,000–$8,000 |
| Whole-house rewire | $8,000–$18,000 | $15,000–$35,000 |
One caught upsell pays for the book many times over.
Get the Playbook — $39 →Every chapter follows the same rule: identify what's actually wrong before you price the fix.
How to read a breaker panel from outside the cover — and what "normal" actually looks like.
Double taps, tandem breakers, and the $20 part behind a lot of $12,000 pitches.
Aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube, and the honest difference between pigtailing and a full rewire.
GFCIs, dead outlets, and the five-minute check that saves a service call.
A full-house safety walkthrough you can do yourself, room by room.
Outdoor circuits, generators, and EV chargers — done and priced right.
The exact questions that separate a real diagnosis from a sales pitch.
The full Working Price Sheet, the Print Pack, and how to keep any quote honest.
A panel safety checklist, a service-call defense card, a parts buy-list, and an annual inspection calendar — ready to print or keep on your phone.
Smart Home Wiring & Whole-House Backup Power picks up where this one leaves off. Playbook owners hear about it first.
"A diagnosis is not a mood; it is a test, a failed part, and a reason."
— Roy Dalton
Roy Dalton spent 40 years as a residential electrician, including the last 15 years running his own small crew before retiring. Over that career, he saw inflated panel-replacement quotes, unnecessary safety inspections, and scare tactics aimed at homeowners who didn't know enough to push back.
Roy didn't retire because he was tired of the work; he retired because he was tired of watching good people get taken advantage of. He now puts that experience to work teaching homeowners how to recognize a real electrical problem, understand what's safe to handle, and ask better questions before they spend the money.
▶ Watch the channel →Read it for seven days. If it doesn't show you how to save several times its price, reply to your receipt and I'll refund every cent — no questions, no forms, no hard feelings. The book either pays for itself, or it's free.