Photos are how we promise a real price — not an estimate — without ever sending an electrician to your house twice. A 90-second photo upload saves you a $150 site-visit fee and saves us a wasted trip.
What we look for in each photo
- Your electrical panel (door open, label visible) — tells us your service amperage, panel brand, breaker availability, and whether you have a Federal Pacific / Stab-Lok we need to replace before doing other work.
- The panel surroundings — clearance from the wall, what’s above and below, where the conduit runs.
- The work area — parking spot for EV chargers, gas meter for generators, room for lighting jobs. Helps us measure wire runs.
- The route between panel and work area — finished or unfinished basement? Drywalled or open? This changes how long the install takes and whether we need to fish wire vs surface-mount conduit.
The math: why photos save you money
Without photos, every contractor either:
- Quotes a price range with a worst-case ceiling (you pay the ceiling),
- Sends someone for a $150 paid site visit (you pay that on top), or
- Quotes low and surprises you on install day with “additional work needed” (you pay more, plus you’re mad).
Photos let us do it the honest way: real number, no fees, no surprises.
How to take a good electrical panel photo
- Open the panel door but leave the dead-front (the inner cover) on — don’t expose live wires.
- Stand a few feet back so we can see the full panel and the label.
- Use your phone’s flash if the area is dim.
- Take a second close-up of the panel label specifically — we need to read the brand and the main breaker amperage.
What if I can’t reach the panel?
Tell us in a reply to the photo email. We’ll either quote with a clearly-flagged assumption or schedule a quick (free) walk-through, depending on the job.
Get a free Copper Bee quote or contact us with the details and we’ll write back the same business day.