Hey everyone, I'm looking for some rough estimates on the costs involved in bringing power to my garage from my main electrical panel in the house. I plan to hire an electrician but will take care of all the non-electrical work myself. Just to give you some specifics:
- I'll be doing all the trenching myself.
- The garage is about 120 feet away from the house, and it's currently unfinished. I'm after a 60A service with one 240V outlet.
- Please include costs for all labor (excluding trenching) and materials like conduit, cable, panels, wiring, etc.
2 Answers
For a 60A subpanel installation at a garage 120 feet from your main panel, you’re generally looking at costs between $1,200 and $2,500, provided you're handling the trenching part yourself. Electricians typically charge between $700 to $1,500 for labor, depending on where you live and the complexity of the job. Material costs can run from $500 to $1,000, which includes things like 1.5 to 2-inch PVC conduit and the necessary wiring for a 240V outlet. Consider going for 100A service if you plan on powering heavy tools or an EV in the future!
I recently tackled a similar project and put together a detailed list of the materials I used. For your setup, you might need:
- Conduit: about $400
- 100 feet of #6 wire: around $450
- Breaker: $100
- Interior wiring: $200
- Boxes and accessories: roughly $800
Also, remember to plan for a GFCI outlet as required by code, and it might be a good idea to lay an extra conduit for future projects. Trust me, having that extra conduit available is super handy! And just a heads up, trenching is tough work without machinery!