PDX Electric

Competitive pricing, Professional service, Respect for your time and home
I needed to upgrade my homes electric service from 100 amp to 200 amp service. The first two places I called said they could send someone over that day between jobs to give me an estimate. Sounds great only they didn’t give me an estimate. They talked about the scope of work but didn’t give a dollar amount. When I called PDX electric to schedule and was told Marty does the bids himself I knew I was finally going to get a real estimate. The process was quick and the bid was very competitive. The work was done on time and the electricians were knowledgeable and courteous. They checked with me about my preferences on removing or leaving the old equipment. They replaced an outlet by the panel with a GFCI so I wouldn’t have a problem when the inspector came. When the inspector opened up the new panel he said, «Wow this is good work» I will be calling PDX Electric for any future electrical needs.

They came out to fix a motion sensor light. The tech called me 1.5 hours before the scheduled appointment window and told me he was at my house. I cut everything short and hurried home after giving him directions on what needed to be done. He left to pick up parts and came back about an hour later. When he was finished he handed me a burned out bulb and told me I needed to pick one up and change it myself. The light still doesn’t work. The bill was almost $ 400. This included a $ 65 minor permit fee. (Either the government or the company is ripping me off on this one.) I wasn’t provided a number for the permit and when I called the office was told that he had «run out» of stickers and one would be sent to me. I need to put it on the electrical panel. The light still isn’t working.

Blew a GFCI outlet in our only bathroom which unfortunately controls the exhaust fan. Had a technician come out late Wednesday. Of course the fan magically turned on whilst he was there and the outlet tested out fine. We sent him on his way without having him actually put the outlet back on thinking it was no biggie to do ourselves. You can guess what happened as soon as he left; both the GFCI connection and fan switch were no longer live. I spoke with the service manager, Stan, the following day and he sent a very pleasant gentleman out first thing the next morning. He spent some time tracing the loose connection to a broken outlet outside which happened to be on the same circuit. Our house just went on the market so he also took a few minutes to point out a couple of things that might come up on an inspection. I did have to pay for two service calls but they gave me the lower hourly rate on the second trip which I greatly appreciated. Will definitely call them back for any future electrical jobs.

The let-​down hurts more when expectations are based on Unilocal reviews.
I know diddly about electricity, so I read a few articles and watched a few youtube videos just to get some basic understanding of the project and basic questions to ask. Based on their Unilocal reviews, PDX Electric was my first choice despite the longer wait and higher estimate to do some electrical work in my kitchen.
PDX Electric charges $ 135 for the first hour and $ 95 for each hour thereafter. This seems to be the standard rate for Portland electricians. Thus, if the electrician is working in my house for 4 hours I can reasonably expect a bill and a value of $ 420 for labor, and if the electrician works for 10 hours I can expect a bill and a value of $ 990 for labor.
PDX Electric’s proposal didn’t provide an estimate of time it would take, so it was difficult to tell if the electrician would be on the job for 4 hours or 10 hours, but based on PDX Electric’s proposal of $ 1,242 plus permit fees it looked like they were estimating 8 or 9 hours of labor plus parts.
When I emailed PDX Electric for confirmation and to get an estimate on how long the project would take, Marty said the hourly rate is the same for all projects and that the «price includes the 1^st trip for rough and the 2^nd trip for trim plus materials.» I didn’t know what «rough» and «trim» meant so I asked, thinking there might be some confusion about the scope of the work since my walls are already open. The panel is in the basement about ten feet from where the new receptacles would go. Marty wrote back that «it means there is a trip for the rough wiring and a trip for installing the receptacles and switches.» There was still no estimate of the length of time for labor and I still could not tell whether we were looking at two trips in one day, two trips spread out over a couple of weeks, a total of 4 hours labor or a total of 10 hours labor.
After I again asked for clarification on the work, Marty wrote «My sincere apologies. Due to unforeseen circumstances, PDX Electric must remove ourselves from bidding/​working on your project.» It is difficult to not be cynical at this point. $ 990 for 10 hours of labor seems fair; $ 990 for 3 or 4 hours labor does not.
I think Marty did us both a favor.
Edited to add: PICs of the proposal have been added. The proposal says nothing about how long the «Base Bid» project (or any other option) was estimated to take. In short, the only way any customer can know whether they are being charged parts plus $ 95 per hour vs. $ 395 per hour when considering a proposal is to have some basic idea of how long the electrician would actually be on the project. Rather than answer my questions, PDX Electric withdrew its proposal.

What a let down, especially after all the good reviews. Needed overhead lighting installed in two rooms & selected two ceiling fans.
What went wrong– 1) the tech broke the shade of one of the fans & the $ 50 dimmable/​fan control light switch. So I had to go back to the stores & attempt exchanges.
2) Home Depot wouldn’t accept the return on the light switch so was out the $ 50.
3) paid $ 1500 for basically an incomplete job bc still had to wire the light switch & finish installing the ceiling fan
4) When changing the light switch from an outlet to the overhead light, tech didn’t wire something correctly & an entire circuit didn’t work for over a week while we waited on a service manager to come out. (Note the service manager was very friendly & helpful & said he suspected the owner would give us a call based upon my experience BUT never did hear from anyone)
5) For running the power up & overhead in one room the guy drilled the hole SO CLOSE to the wall & stud that we can not get this thing patched correctly. I understand they they don’t aren’t responsible for damage done to drywall & we knew we would have to patch it… but for the LOVE don’t put it in such a place where it can’t be secured!
Hindsight, the last good review was many months ago, so perhaps lately people have been having poor experiences & just thinking it was out of the norm & not want to give a bad review. Because that was my thought… until we started attempting to fix the holes & paint this weekend.

We needed a significant amount of work done, including a new panel. We had 3 companies come out and PDX was by far the best bid. The day of the job they showed up on time and got to work. When an issue came up with the panel instead of trying to upsale me they came up with a solution that kept the cost down.
The night following the work we lost half our power at about 930pm… I called Dave and he drove from his house in Forest Grove to mine in Tigard. He checked all the work and discovered that it was a problem with PGEs meter (not PDX electrics work). Dave was able to fix the issue until PGE came out and replaced their meter.
Thank you Dave and the PDX electric crew!

I needed all the old knob and tube wiring in the attic replaced before putting insulation up there. Marty and his staff were amazing throughout the process. They worked quickly to get me a bid and complete the job. The guys who came out were exactly the type of professionals you hope for when you start getting bids on a job. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

Description Of Work:
Replaced circuit breaker, switch, outdoor box, installed GFI, rain cover, found problem for short circuit. Also reparied an indoor GFCI
recepticle which was not working properly.
When the heavy rain came, we could not turn our outdoor lights on without tripping the circuit breaker. I attempted to troubleshoot the issue myselt, but stopped once I could no longer re-​set the breaker. I researched several reputable sources, including Angies list, for electricians and chose PDX Electric. I called on a Thursday, and they set me up with an appointment on Monday morning with an 8 – 10 am window. A live person answered the phone, and was very professional, friendly, and helpful. On Monday morning the van pulled up to my house at 08:00am sharp. The electrician introduced himself, and was also very professional and friendly. He was mindful to not wear shoes on the carpet. I explained the problem to him, and he immediately assessed the situation. He worked quickly, but carefully. He found a few problems which did not surprise me. The main issue was some buried electrical wire that someone taped off at the ends. This was shorting out. Also, the switch did not seem to be working properly. An electrical box was half buried in the dirt and needed to be replaced. I was so glad that he found the proplems, and fixed them properly. All of this work was completed in a little less than 2 hours. I am very pleased with the work, and would use them in the future. I would highly recommend them. –Chad

Your search for an Electrician should start and end with PDX Electric.
PDX Electric was one of four highly rated on Unilocal electrical contractors in the Portland area I contacted for re-​wiring my house and upgrading the electrical service to 200amps. Marty who came out to look at my project is experienced and knowledgeable. He had great solutions and was commited to earning my business. THANK YOU.
Out of the proposals I recieved, PDX Electric was the most competitive AND they were the first available to schedule the rough in and get it done.
Lynn who lead my project has 25+ years of experience and great to work with. He has been super responsive to my repeated requests. I can not imagine this is easy because I’m very picky and hard to please. Mike, Travis, and Jimmy who have accompanied Lynn are all great. People I have enjoyed having in my house.
Michelle in scheduling has been great at fitting my repeated requests with the team’s busy schedule. PDX Electrical has just been available and when I have needed them. As unimpressive as this may sound, it’s really a big deal. Having worked with another electrician in the past and countless other trades, this is a really big deal. No BS, no excuses, no drawing out your project to eternity, no nickel and diming.
PDX Electric has integrity and is responsive. In. Out. Done.
THANK YOU.

We needed our electric panel replaced as well as some other small electrical work done and received 3 quotes for the work. Not only was PDX the most competitive, but they also were the most educational during the quoting process. Rather than just tell me how much each project would cost, he spent the time to tell me my options, why it’s important, what the work would involve and helped to avoid unnecessary costs.
The electricians that came to do the work were timely, polite, and left the place very clean. They kept me informed of their progress throughout the day and did an excellent job – everything passed the city’s inspection as well without any problems.
We really appreciate the work PDX did and will definitely use them again in the future for any electrical needs!

Your website has a link that says «contact us for a free estimate» not «contact us for a free estimate on your new project, excludes troubleshooting». This is false advertising. You can even select ‘troubleshooting’ on the drop down as a reason why to contact you for a free estimate. I’m going to someone else who doesn’t rely on deceptive business tactics. If it’s not free, don’t say it is. This is dishonest.

I moved into a new house and when the washer and dryer delivery guys showed up they informed me they couldn’t set up the machines because the electrical source was the wrong type of plug (50 amps versus 30). I called PDX Electric and they were able to fit me in later that day, happily. (I should note here their phone person was extremely helpful and was the one who called me back when they had a same-​day opening). Their guy came out, fixed the problem, and also fixed a couple of other minor things (converted our kitchen outlets to GFCI, fixed a double-​breaker in our fuse box) — the price was great considering everything he did and how quickly he finished. So incredibly happy with these guys and their service — I will definitely be calling them again in the future.

PDX Electric was great, on time IN A SNOWSTORM, professional and reasonable prices. Dave was awesome, he installed our new dining fixture, changed some switches and lights. We picked this company based upon reviews, we are glad we did. They will get our business again for our next project.

I had lost power to a few rooms in my upstairs. No breakers were tripped. Called PDX electric and they were able to find someone to come out the same day.
Dave showed up within the window of time quoted. Then within minutes, he found a GFCI outlet hidden behind a dresser that had tripped. Since that GFCI wasn’t protecting any outlets near water, he gave me some good advice on how to fix the issue and a few other wiring problems in my old house. Very friendly guy! I’ll be calling them again for any future electrical work needed.

I just bought a new condo, and the home inspection revealed a lot of electrical issues with the place. Some were DIY mistakes by previous owners, some were OK under old electrical code but needed updating, and some were things that I wanted to add to improve the electrical service for all my home electronics.
PDX Electric came highly recommended from several sources: friends, neighbors, and my realtor. It was an easy decision to call them.
Marty read the inspection report, and then he met me at the new place to talk about what I wanted done. He was prompt and courteous, and he had a very reasonable written proposal to me that afternoon. Talk about fast!
He sent out a crew of three electricians, and they came in like a SWAT team to do every item on the proposal in a single day. They were great!
In fact, they were so great that we decided to go ahead with a bathroom remodel we had planned to do later. Marty came back to give me an estimate on the new project, and we jumped on it.
The same week, another crew of three electricians (shout out to Lynn, Dave, and James!) came out to to rough in all the new circuits for the bathroom: under-​floor heat, jacuzzi tub with a motor and extra heat, heated towel warmer, extra outlets, ceiling fan, and a light in the shower. Bam! Done in one day!
Every single person was great to work with. They always took the time to explain if I had any questions, and they were very sensitive about noise and the cleanup bothering me or my new neighbors. These folks aren’t just knowledgeable professionals; they’re a bunch of nice guys who look out for the customer. If you ever have any electrical needs, I give PDX Electric my highest recommendation.

As new and first time home owners with a home built in the 1950’s we knew there would be some projects that we simply could not do without calling in the professionals.
To our dismay, it wasn’t so easy to find the professionals or get them to call you back. That was until I found PDX Electric. Marty and his office staff were awesome! When I called in to set up our initial estimate the office was able to schedule a time quickly that fit our schedule. Marty was informative and understood our concerns for keeping cost down and wrote the estimate with options to include dream options and less expensive ones so we were able to build a package that worked for our budget. A family friend who is an electrician (not locally) reviewed the estimate for us and assured us the price was very competitive and even saying he personally would have charged us more.
Our project was estimated to take 2 days and the team was early both days and finished in a day and 3 hours the following day. They cleaned up after themselves and were gracious about our yapping little dogs.
Next summer we’ll be adding some more outdoor lighting in our backyard and I will without a doubt be calling PDX Electric to help us.
These reviews did not fail us and hopefully ours will help you in your decision making as well.

Wow… who’d of thunk! I phoned PDX electric this morning with an aberent electicial issue in the bathroom! Corey came over within 45 minutes… and not only fixed the wiring issue in the junction box… but also fixed similar issues with 2 lights in the kitchen. Within an hour — all the electrical issues in the house were fixed… Cory educated me the entire way… and the price was VERY, VERY affordable!
Cory — YOU ROCK MAN! Thank you!

I have been very frustrated by PDX Electric’s failure to communicate and ultimate, mysterious refusal to do the project they gave us an estimate for. On May 28, Marty came by our house to do an estimate on installing can lights in our kitchen and miscellaneous projects to prepare our house for sale. He was very personable and gave us a reasonable estimate, so my husband called him and left a voicemail asking him to do our project. He never heard back from Marty and proceeded to leave two more voicemails to no avail.
On June 24, we finally reached a woman in his office, and my husband chatted with her about the project and some changes we were thinking about the scope of the project. On June 25, however, we received a cryptic email from Marty informing us that «due to unforeseen circumstances,» he would not be able to do our project.
If he wasn’t interested in our project or had personal matters to attend to, he could have told us three weeks ago so we could have moved on with our lives. Instead, we wasted a bunch of time because we thought he was going to do the work for us. I’m sure he’s a very good electrician, based on all of the positive reviews, but I think he treated us unprofessionally by failing to return voicemails and blowing off our project.

Could not be more stoked on Marty, Linn and the rest of his team. We were moving our business and only had a few days we could be down. Marty was super responsive and said they would do whatever it took to make sure we were online when we needed to be. They did not disappoint!
They did a fantastic job with some pretty hectic 3 phase stuff we needed put in. I even messed up some of the specs on a piece of machinery and Marty totally sent the guys in on super short notice to fix my mess up. Our move was really stressful and we could not have pulled this off if it wasn’t for PDX Electric. Not to mention they were the lowest bid on the job.
Kudos to those guys! I seriously can’t say enough positive stuff about them!

Cory did some work in our house recently. Per my wife, he is knowledgable, efficient, cleaned up after his work, and is a very nice person to have in the home.
I found PDX Electric very easy to deal with over the phone. Thanks Unilocalers for another excellent recommendation!