You're licensed. On most NYC residential jobs under 1,000 kVA, you file, so the drawings are on you.
The GC wants a number by Friday. The owner wants to know if the service will take a heat pump and an EV charger. And the drafting happens at the kitchen table, after ten hours on site.
Let's count what that costs you, because it's more than you think.
Where the money goes
1. The bid you lose, or the one you win and regret. Price from a walk-through and you have two choices. Pad it and lose the job to the guy who didn't. Or tighten it and win, then eat the extra circuits, the longer feeder and the service that turned out one size too small. Either way, the missing drawing paid for itself out of your pocket.
2. Your nights. Every hour at the kitchen table is an hour you can't bill and won't get back.
3. Your crew's day. No drawing means the crew stops and calls you: which panel, which circuit, where does the home run land? Two men waiting for one hour is two billable hours gone. It happens more than once a job.
4. The plan examiner. Every comment is another evening of redrawing, unpaid.
5. The next job. The GC remembers who handed over a clean riser and a material list, and who handed over a sketch.
Now your own numbers. On your last job: how many hours did you spend drawing? How many times did the crew stop to call you? Multiply by your rate. That's what you've been paying for drawings you didn't think you were buying.
The usual fix, and its bill
Hire an engineer. Stamped drawings start at $1,500. That's one NYC firm's own advertised starting price, and it's the first draft. Every round of fixes can be billed again. It's a fee your small-job bid can't carry, for a stamp that a filing under 1,000 kVA doesn't need.
The fix that fits your bid
Altheim & Sons draws it. You file it under your license, the way you already do.
One fixed price per building, all-in. You can put it in your bid today:
| Building | Full electrical plan set |
|---|---|
| 1-3 family | $479 |
| 4-10 units | $997 |
| 11-20 units | $1,897 |
| 21-40 units | $2,897 |
| 41-60 units | $3,897 |
Plan-examiner comments on our sheets are answered free for 90 days. No per-fix invoices.
Not sure about the service yet? Run the NEC 220 load calc free on our site. On our own sample apartment, adding up the breakers says 149.6 A. The code calc says 94.2 A, so it fits a 100 A panel. Want it reviewed? $197.
You file a lot? Pro Pack: prepay 5, the 6th is free.
What you hand over
- Directions for your crew: a riser with every meter, disconnect and feeder, and a panel schedule for every unit (load, breaker, poles, AFCI/GFCI). Your newest guy can follow it.
- A number you can defend: the service sized from the code, not from the breakers.
- A material list for your supplier, so you price from a list, not from memory.
- Professional sheets for your client. The GC and the developer see a contractor who has his job under control.
We prepare drawings; we don't stamp them. Jobs at 1,000 kVA and up, or over 600 V, need a PE, and we'll say so before you order.
The short version
You're already paying for drawings, in nights, lost bids and crew time. Pay once, at a fixed price, and get the hours back.
See real sample sheets and order: www.altheimandsons.com/order
A family business, founded by Arik Altheim, NYC licensed master electrician.
See your price before you send anything. Full electrical plan set, 1–3 family: $479, fixed price.
Questions
Who files the drawings?
You do, under your own license, the way you already file residential work under 1,000 kVA. We prepare the drawings; we do not stamp them.
Can I check the service size before I order?
Yes. The NEC 220 load calculation on our home page is free. A reviewed load calculation, checked line by line against your drawings, is $197.