Buying a 1920s double, insuring a house the carrier has questions about, or just wanting to know what is behind the plaster - a residential electrical inspection tells you what the system is, what is wrong with it, and what it would take to fix.
Tell us what the Buffalo property is doing and we'll take a look.
A general home inspector looks at the panel cover, tests a sample of outlets and notes visible wiring. That is a reasonable screen for a 1990s colonial. It is not enough for a house built in 1905 with three generations of electrical work layered on top of each other, which describes most of the City of Buffalo and a large share of Kenmore, Lackawanna and the Tonawandas. The report says 'knob-and-tube observed, recommend evaluation by a licensed electrician' and stops.
An electrical inspection picks up where that leaves off: which knob-and-tube runs are live, whether the service is 60 or 100 amps, whether the grounding is real or just a clamp on a painted pipe, what brand the panel is and whether it is one with known failures, and whether the 'updated' outlets in the kitchen are actually grounded or just look it.
The service: mast, weatherhead, entrance cable, meter socket, and the size and condition of the main. The panel: brand and model, breaker condition, bus condition, evidence of heat or water, double-tapped breakers, missing knockouts, and whether the directory is accurate. Grounding and bonding: the electrode system, water and gas bonding, and whether it meets current requirements. Branch circuits: wiring methods present, including knob-and-tube, cloth cable, aluminum and modern NM cable; open splices; junction boxes without covers; and circuits buried in insulation.
Devices: a test of every accessible receptacle for polarity, ground and GFCI function, plus a check of switches, fixtures, bath and kitchen fans, and exterior outlets. Where the house is a two-family, we also identify which panel feeds what and flag common-area loads on tenant circuits. Nothing is opened or repaired without your say-so; the inspection is a documentation exercise.
You receive a written report with photos, a description of each finding, its severity, and what correcting it involves. Findings are separated into three groups: hazards that should be corrected soon, code or capacity issues that matter for projects you are planning, and observations that are simply worth knowing. If you want a quote for any of the corrections, we provide one, but the report stands on its own and you can take it to any contractor.
Buyers use it to negotiate or to walk away with facts. Sellers use it to fix problems before they show up in a buyer's inspection. Homeowners use it to answer an insurer's questionnaire about knob-and-tube, aluminum wiring, fuse panels and Federal Pacific breakers, or to plan a heat pump or EV charger project that will depend on service capacity.
This inspection is separate from the code inspection that follows permitted electrical work. In New York, permitted electrical work is inspected by an approved electrical inspection agency on behalf of the municipality, and the City of Buffalo and surrounding towns enforce the New York State Uniform Code, which references the 2023 National Electrical Code for permits issued on or after December 31, 2025. Our inspection is a condition assessment for you, the owner or buyer; the code inspection is a pass-fail check on new work. We arrange the second kind for every permitted job we do.
If you are buying, ask for the inspection before the contingency period closes so the findings can be used in negotiation. If you own the house and are planning a heat pump or charger, the inspection doubles as the load calculation those projects require, and the report tells you whether a service upgrade will be part of the cost.
Questions
It depends on the size and age of the house and how many panels it has. A single-family bungalow is quicker than a three-story double with two meters and an attic full of knob-and-tube. We give you an expected duration when we schedule.
Briefly, if at all. Removing the panel cover and testing devices does not require an outage. We will tell you before shutting anything off.
Insurers ask different questions - some want confirmation that no knob-and-tube is live, others want the panel brand and service size. We write the report to answer the specific questions on their form and include photos. Whether they accept it is their decision, but the report is written for exactly that purpose.
No. The report is yours. We quote corrections if you ask, but you can take the findings to anyone.
Call the local line or send the form, and we will set up a free visit to look at the wiring, the panel and the problem.
Request a free estimate Call (716) 466-5182