Sometimes a job turns up while something else is already happening. A contractor pulling permits for a bathroom remodel finds the wiring behind the wall is older than anyone expected. A homeowner replacing a light fixture notices the box is warm and the wire insulation is brittle. Those discoveries are not inconvenient detours. They are the actual job, and the original task gets put on hold until the wiring situation is understood. We pick up the phone and get it handled. That is how most of the calls from Larkspur go: somebody starts with one thing and we help them work out what is actually in front of them.
When a small job has a bigger cause, we say so on the call. We ask what you are seeing, what the property looks like, and what you were trying to do when you found it. By the end of that conversation you know what the work involves, what it will cost, and what happens next. We are available every day from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Call (707) 289-5336 and we will walk you through it.
An outlet that has never worked since you moved in is easy to live with, right up until it is not. A switch that sparks when you flip it is the kind of thing people mean to call about and then forget. An exterior light that stopped working two seasons ago gets added to a mental list that never quite becomes a phone call. The reason to make that call now is not urgency for its own sake. It is that each of those symptoms has a cause, and causes do not stay contained.
An outlet with no power might be downstream of a tripped GFCI that nobody found. It might be a loose connection at the device, or at a junction box behind the wall, or at the panel. A switch that sparks is usually a failing device, but it can also point to a wiring fault at the box. An exterior light that stopped working might be a dead fixture, or it might be a circuit with a deeper problem. The symptom tells us where to start. The diagnosis tells us what is actually there. Getting those small jobs looked at is how you find out whether the answer is a fifteen-minute fix or something the house has needed for years.
Three-way switching, where a light or a fan is controlled from two locations, and multi-location switching with three or more points, are among the more common sources of intermittent faults in Larkspur homes. A switch that works from one end of the hall but not the other is rarely a bad switch in isolation. The traveler wires connecting the switches, the way the circuit was originally run, and whether a previous repair was done correctly all factor in. We trace the circuit and find the fault rather than swapping parts until something works.
A new appliance, a hot tub, or workshop equipment each needs a circuit sized for what it draws. A dryer or a range needs a 240-volt circuit with the right amperage for that specific unit. A hot tub needs its own circuit and a disconnect within reach of the equipment. Workshop tools, compressors, and welders draw high starting current, and a circuit that is undersized for the load will trip constantly. We do a load calculation before any wire gets pulled, and we confirm the panel has room to carry the new circuit before we commit to a scope.
Ground-fault protection is required in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and exterior locations, and arc-fault protection requirements have expanded to cover more of the home in recent years. Older properties in this area frequently have neither where the current standard calls for it. That matters at the point of sale, when a home inspection flags it, and it matters before that, because the protection exists for a reason. We install GFCI and AFCI devices at the outlet or at the breaker, depending on which approach fits the circuit.
A 100-amp service was adequate for a home with modest electrical loads. Add an EV charger, a home office, updated kitchen appliances, and the picture changes. A service upgrade to 200 amps involves more than swapping the panel: the service entrance, the meter, and the load calculation all factor in, and coordination with the utility is part of the job. Subpanels for garages, workshops, and outbuildings are a related need, particularly in a town where older properties often have detached structures that were never properly wired or were wired on a circuit that has since been stretched beyond what it was designed to carry.
Scheduling starts on the phone. We ask about the property, the symptom, and what access looks like, and we confirm a time that works before we hang up. For tenants in a rental, we work with whoever needs to be involved to make sure the visit is coordinated. For households where someone needs to be home, we confirm the appointment and give you a clear picture of what the visit covers before it is set.
Some problems will not wait for a convenient slot. A panel that is sparking, a burning smell that will not go away, or a circuit that has gone dead in a way that affects something critical are not situations to schedule around. We are available every day from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and short-notice calls are part of what we take on. When you call, describe what you are seeing and we will work out what the next step is.
For businesses and properties that stay occupied, we work around what the space needs. If a circuit has to stay live while we work on another part of the panel, that gets planned before the visit starts, not figured out on arrival.
Commercial work in a town this size tends to come from small retail spaces, professional offices, and mixed-use buildings where the electrical system has been modified over the years in ways that are not always well documented. Out-of-hours scheduling matters here, because a repair that requires taking a circuit down is not always something a business can absorb during operating hours. We plan those visits to minimize disruption and confirm the scope, the timing, and what stays live before anything starts.
The planning side of a commercial job is different from a residential call. Load calculations for a tenant buildout, panel capacity checks before new equipment goes in, and coordination around what the space needs to keep running during the work all factor in. Wiring work is checked against code before sign-off, and the job is scoped on the call so there are no gaps between what was agreed and what was done.
The price for any electrical job depends on three things: what the fault turns out to be, what has to be opened up to reach it, and whether the existing circuit or panel can carry what is being added. A straightforward outlet replacement is a different conversation from a rewire that turns up behind a wall that was not expected to be opened. We give you the price on the call based on what you describe, and we confirm it before the visit is scheduled.
If the scope changes once the work is underway, because something behind the wall is not what it appeared to be, we tell you before continuing. You are not handed a number at the end that grew without explanation. The rate is confirmed before anything starts, and what it covers is explained the same way.
Not every fault inside a home or building is on the customer's side of the meter. A partial outage where half the house loses power, voltage that runs low or unstable, and flickering that tracks across multiple circuits rather than one can each point to a problem at the service entrance or at the utility connection. We work through the symptoms on the call and help you figure out which side of the meter the fault is on.
If the fault is the utility's, we tell you that directly and walk you through what to report and how. If the fault is on our side, we scope the repair and get it scheduled. Either way, the call is not a dead end.
We cover Larkspur and the nearby communities of Corte Madera, Kentfield, Mill Valley, Ross, and Alto, as well as the broader Marin County area. Residential and commercial customers across the area are welcome to call. If you are not sure whether your address falls within our service area, ask when you call and we will confirm. People planning work in Larkspur usually check our full list of electrical services first.
Homes in this part of Marin County were built across a wide range of eras, and the electrical systems reflect that. Ungrounded outlets, undersized panels, wiring that predates current arc-fault and ground-fault requirements, and circuits that have been extended or modified without documentation are all common findings. An electrical safety inspection gives you a clear picture of what the system has and what it would take to bring it up to current standards.
A workshop typically needs circuits sized for power tools, which often draw significantly more current than a standard outlet is rated for. Dedicated circuits for larger equipment, 240-volt outlets for machinery that requires it, and adequate lighting are the common requirements. We scope the workshop's intended use on the call and size the circuits accordingly.
We need clear access to the panel to do the work safely. If the panel is blocked, the visit may have to be rescheduled. We ask about panel access on the call so you have time to clear the area before we arrive. It is one of the most common things that delays a job unnecessarily.
Intermittent faults are a real diagnostic challenge. We look at the conditions under which the fault has been occurring, check the most likely causes, and document what we find. If the fault is not active on the day, we explain what to watch for and what to note before calling back, which helps narrow the cause on a follow-up visit.
A full panel does not necessarily mean the project cannot move forward. We do a load calculation to see what the panel is actually carrying versus what it was sized for, and in some cases circuits can be consolidated or a tandem breaker used to open up capacity. If the panel genuinely cannot carry the added load, a service upgrade or a subpanel is the right answer, and we scope that as part of the same project rather than treating it as a separate call.
A wall oven and a cooktop each typically require their own dedicated 240-volt circuit, sized for the appliance's draw. Combining them on a single circuit is generally not appropriate for modern appliances. We confirm the appliance specifications and size the circuits accordingly.
The utility company is responsible for the wiring on their side of the meter. We identify when a fault is outside our scope and let you know who to call. If there is any question about where the fault originates, we work through that on the call before sending anyone out.
We assess what is there and let you know what we found before continuing. If the existing wiring is safe and code-compliant, we work with it. If it is not, we explain what needs to be corrected and what that involves before any additional work is done.
Call (707) 289-5336 and we will ask about what you are seeing, what the property looks like, and what you were trying to do when the problem turned up.
By the end of the call, you will know what the work involves, what it costs, and when we can be there. We are available every day from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. That is the whole process. It starts with the call.
Just as close, we take electrical work in: Mill Valley, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Lucas Valley-Marinwood.
Browse our complete list of towns.
Below is a plain-language look at the electrical work we handle in Larkspur and the surrounding Marin County area. Each row covers what the service includes, who it fits best, and one practical thing worth knowing before you call. If a job on your list is not here, call us and we will talk through what it involves.
| Service Type | What's Included | When You Need It | What to Keep in Mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breaker & Fuse Repair | Breaker replacement and reset diagnosis, Fuse box evaluation, Breakers that trip repeatedly, Breakers that will not reset | Homes with recurring breaker trips or an older fuse box | A breaker that trips once under a heavy load is doing its job. One that trips repeatedly on the same circuit points to a fault that needs to be diagnosed. |
| Electrical Panel & Service Upgrades | 100-amp to 200-amp service upgrades, Panel replacement and breaker upgrades, Subpanel installation, Load calculations and utility coordination | Older homes adding major appliances, EV chargers, or additional circuits | Panel upgrades in Larkspur often involve service-entrance work coordinated with the utility. Load calculations are done before anything is scheduled. |
| Electrical Repairs & Troubleshooting | Dead outlets and flickering lights, Tripped breakers and partial outages, Arc-fault and ground-fault diagnosis, Wiring faults and loose connections | Any home or business with an unexplained electrical symptom | A warm outlet or a buzzing switch is not a wait-and-see situation. Fault finding covers the full circuit from the panel to the device. |
Call (707) 289-5336 to talk through the job, get a price, and schedule the visit. We are available every day from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
(707) 289-5336