Wiring house & shop

NTG · Dec 7, 2018

I'm interested in building a house and shop on some land. I have not contacted the power company yet as I wanted to get some advice on how to route the power into my property and if I have any options available to me. The entrance to my property is funnel shaped with about a 300' road leading into the gate. On my attachment, point 1 is where the end of the county road meets my private road, point 2 is where my private road leads into my property, point 3 is where my shop will be located and point 4 is where my house will be located. The distance between point 2 and point 4 is approximately 470 feet if the wire would be cheaper going that way first. My question is does it matter if I take power to the shop and then to the house, or do you have to go to the house first and then to the shop? The house will be around 1600 sq ft and no unique power needs. We'll have I guess "standard" HVAC, stove, water heater, dryer and well pump connections, so I guess 200A would do it. The shop won't be anything really unique either. It'll be about 1300 sq ft and I'll be running only 1 power tool at a time like a table saw or planer, or maybe 2 at a time like a dust collector while the tool is running. I would like to be able to run a 240v welder, but just a "standard" buzz box stick welder. It'll be just pretty much a "hobby grade" shop, not a commercial enterprise, so maybe a 100A deal? Maybe 40-60A would do it, I don't know. I *will* feed some stuff out to outdoor outlets, lights, etc for animals, coops, pens or whatever, but that probably won't be much of a draw. I'm a "one man show" so the odds of running anything much simultaneously that would overload the system is very doubtful. Ideally, I'd like to put a little utility building just inside my gate and then trench everything myself as I have time so I don't lose any more trees than I have to. If the power company brings the line in overhead, I think it's a 15-30' wide lane they have to have and I'd rather not cut that many trees down if I can help it. However, depending on how much they're willing to run for free versus what I have to pay for, that may sway that decision.

If anyone can look at my map and at the power company sheet and tell me what I'm looking at, I'd appreciate it. I'll answer any questions I can. I'm not planning on doing this work myself, I'll be hiring an electrician, I just wanted to educate myself as much as possible before approaching the power company. The older I get (translation, the grumpier LOL) the less I'm willing to take what a single employee of any company tells me as "the gospel". I'm certainly not going to argue with a rep from the utility company, I'd just like to be able to bounce ideas off them if they only see "one way to skin a cat" if you will. Thank you.

View attachment AP Install Rates.pdf

texasranger556 · Dec 7, 2018

I'd personally stick with 100 amps to the garage. If you decide one day to get a plasma cutter, you'll appreciate having the margin to run a decent size air compressor at the same time as the plasma cutter without tripping breakers.

GSVette · Dec 7, 2018

In powering my property, I ran power to a Service base with an additional set of lugs for running power to another building so that both the shop and the house will share the meter.

I chose to install a 400 amp service as it really didn’t add all that much to the cost. I have a 175’ run from the junction box to the service entrance at the shop (all underground) and will have another 250’ or thereabouts run to the service entrance for the house. My planning is 200A shop (provisioned to spawn 100A to barn) and 200A for house.

oosik · Dec 7, 2018

This must be a common trait here in Spokane, GSVette. I installed a 400 amp service with 200A to my cabin, which I call my shop, & 200A to the house. The last power pole is only about 8 feet from the cabin - that run is overhead.

Thank God, I listened to my neighbor - the run to the house( 80 feet) is buried and in heavy wall plastic conduit. It didn't show at that time - 1982 - but have later seen that I have a wonderful population of pocket gophers. My side yard looks like a practice field for the Army's light artillery brigade.

Yes - when I talked to Inland Power and Light - - they advised that 400A service would be not that much more than 200A

KennyG · Dec 7, 2018

I think I would go with GSVette's approach. I have an older house/barn and have 200 amp service, taking a 100 amp sub off to the barn. It works but I don't think I have any margin. If I upgrade to a 220v air compressor, welding and running the compressor at the same time could be iffy with surges and other normal loads. If I was building new, I would definitely go 400 with a 200 amp sub.

oosik · Dec 7, 2018

NTG - - give an old fart a break. Please put paragraph breaks in future posts. I get lost.......... Thanks

ovrszd · Dec 7, 2018

oosik said:
NTG - - give an old fart a break. Please put paragraph breaks in future posts. I get lost.......... Thanks

That sounds like a reading problem.

Diggin It · Dec 7, 2018

NTG said:
I'm interested in building a house and shop on some land. I have not contacted the power company yet as I wanted to get some advice on how to route the power into my property and if I have any options available to me.

You may be going at that backwards. Getting information on how others have done similar things is fine, but YOUR utility may have a certain way of doing things. At that distance of separation between the buildings, they may even require two separate services, meters and of course, bills. Best to get in touch with them before getting too deep in plans and options

ovrszd · Dec 7, 2018

I believe you need to start by talking to the power company. They will offer suggestions, solutions and variables based on your location and costs. We may suggest methods that your power company will not do.

I'm in the midst of a build now. The power company went underground from the powerline to my site, 350ft. There they set a 400A transformer pad and meter setter. The setter contains two 200A disconnects. That cost me $1250.

My shop and house are close together with the meter setting sort of between them at the backside. Buildings are only 50ft apart.

I buried 4O wire in 2" plastic conduit using long sweep elbows to the shop. The shop has an outside conduit and elbow up about 6ft thru the wall into the back of the main breaker box. It's a 200A. The wire was expensive at $1.15 per foot times 3.

The house uses the same size/type of wire and conduit. Difference is it stays underground into the house.

This worked great for me. Was cost effective. Clean installation with no overhead to worry about. Both buildings on one meter.

Curious why you want your two buildings so far apart?

My current homestead has the two buildings 200ft apart. That's a hard trek in the dark when it's raining or snowing. I vowed this time to make it easier. I'm 67. When I'm an old man I want easy.