Dad said yes to replacing the electrical panel. That is progress. It is not permission to sign a quote that says only “panel upgrade” and gives one large number.
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An electrical panel job can involve the panel, breakers, meter equipment, grounding, utility coordination, permits, inspection, labeling, drywall damage, and hours without power. If the contract does not assign those pieces, each one can become an extra charge or a reason the job is “finished” while Dad is still looking at an open wall.
The Missouri Attorney General’s consumer guidance tells homeowners to put the job description, price, and completion terms in writing and to make full payment only after the contract terms are met. The City of St. Louis also treats a service change differently from ordinary homeowner electrical work. Its permit guidance says a homeowner may not pull the permit for a service change. These are useful lines to carry into the estimate, not reasons to turn the kitchen table into a courtroom. The source trail is collected on the Sources page.
Start with the problem, not the box
Ask the electrician to write down why the panel is being replaced. Is the enclosure damaged? Are connections overheating? Is there corrosion? Is the panel full? Is the service capacity changing? Is the work required before another project can proceed?
“Old panel” is not a scope. Neither is “bring electrical up to code.” The contract should identify the observed condition and the work proposed to address it. If the contractor recommends additional work elsewhere in the house, require that work to appear as a separate line. Dad can agree to the panel without accidentally agreeing to rewire every room.
Take photographs of the existing panel, the label inside its door, the meter area, and the wall around both. Do not remove a cover yourself. The photos are a record of what the contractor saw and what surfaces existed before work began.
Make the quote identify the service
The contract should state whether the job keeps the existing service capacity or changes it. It should identify the proposed panel manufacturer, panel type, main breaker rating, number of spaces, and the breakers included in the price. If the contractor expects to replace the meter socket, service entrance conductors, grounding electrode conductors, bonding hardware, or exterior mast, those items belong in the written scope.
Do not settle for “all necessary materials.” Ask which materials the base price includes and which findings would produce a change order. A useful contract distinguishes known work from concealed conditions. It might say that damage discovered after the old equipment is opened will be photographed, priced in writing, and approved before additional work begins.
Ask whether the quote includes circuit identification. At the end of the job, every breaker should have a useful label. “Lights” is not useful in a house with several floors. The contract can require a typed or neatly written directory tied to actual rooms and fixed equipment.
Name who handles the permit and utility
St. Louis metro addresses sit under different cities, counties, fire districts, and utilities. Do not let the contractor use “St. Louis” as if it were one permit office.
Ask for the name of the authority that will issue the permit for Dad’s exact address. Put the permit holder in the contract. If the property is in the City of St. Louis and the work is a service change, city guidance says the homeowner may not apply for that permit. The contractor should be able to state whose license will be used and who will schedule the inspection.
The contract should also assign utility coordination. Ask who requests a disconnect, who confirms that the utility is ready, and what happens if the utility cannot reconnect power when expected. If the meter or service conductors are utility owned, the electrician should separate utility work from contractor work instead of quietly assuming the utility will handle it.
Get a plain answer to one useful question: “What must happen before the house can be energized again?” Put that answer in the scope or project notes.
Write down the powerless part of the day
Dad does not have to enjoy being managed. He does need to know when his house will lose power and what has to be moved before that happens.
Ask the contractor for the expected shutdown window, where workers need access, and whether the refrigerator, freezer, garage door, internet equipment, alarm, sump pump, medical equipment, or heating and cooling equipment will be unavailable. The contract does not need to promise an exact minute. It should say who gives the shutdown notice and who tells Dad when power is safe to use again.
If continued power is essential for any device, ask the device provider or utility about an appropriate backup plan. Do not let an electrician’s casual promise about an extension cord stand in for a plan.
Give Dad control over the parts that are his. He chooses where pets stay, which doors workers may use, and who may be in the house. The contractor controls electrical safety. Those roles can coexist.
Do not donate the wall repair by silence
Panel replacement can leave cut drywall, damaged paint, exterior penetrations, or abandoned equipment. The contract should say whether patching, painting, masonry repair, weather sealing, debris removal, and disposal of the old panel are included.
If the electrician does not perform finish work, make the exclusion specific. “Drywall repair excluded” is clearer than discovering afterward that Dad must find another contractor to close a hole beside the new panel.
Ask what remains visible when the job is complete. A photograph or sketch attached to the quote can settle more than a paragraph written after the argument starts.
Control extras with a change order
A change order is the side door that keeps an uncertain job from becoming an unlimited one. The contract should require a written change that describes the new condition, added or removed work, price adjustment, and effect on completion before the extra work begins.
There can be a narrow exception for immediate work needed to leave the electrical system safe. Even then, the contractor should document the condition and notify the person Dad designated. “We found some things” is not documentation.
Decide now who can approve changes. If Dad is signing the contract, you do not acquire authority merely because you are standing in the basement. Dad can ask the contractor to call you for explanations while reserving approval to himself. If someone else claims authority under a power of attorney, the contractor should see the relevant document and confirm that the proposed act falls within it. A family title is not a signature right.
Make the warranty point to a caller and a remedy
Ask for separate warranty terms for equipment and labor. The paperwork should identify the manufacturer documents Dad receives, the contractor’s labor warranty, exclusions, the process for reporting a problem, and who pays for a return visit when covered work fails.
“Manufacturer warranty applies” is incomplete. Ask whether product registration is required, who completes it, and what record proves completion. Keep model and serial information with the signed contract, permit record, inspection result, final invoice, and photographs.
Also ask what happens if a breaker trips repeatedly, a circuit is mislabeled, an opening admits water, or the utility refuses reconnection because contractor work is incomplete. The answer belongs in writing while everyone still wants the job.
Tie final payment to visible finish lines
Do not make “installation complete” the only payment trigger. The contract should say what Dad receives before final payment: completed installation, restored power, required inspection approval, accurate panel directory, debris removal, warranty documents, final invoice, and any agreed repair of disturbed surfaces.
Ask whether subcontractors or material suppliers will be used. Before the last payment, request appropriate lien waivers or paid receipts covering the contractor and identified subcontractors or suppliers. The exact legal effect of a waiver depends on the document and circumstances, so Dad should not treat a vague receipt as magic. If there is a lien notice, payment dispute, or pressure to sign unfamiliar language, a Missouri lawyer can review the actual papers.
If a salesperson first solicited and presented the agreement in Dad’s home, Missouri cancellation rules may apply to certain transactions, with exceptions including some emergency work. Do not assume every home contract has the same cancellation right. Read the cancellation language before signing and get legal help if the right matters to the decision.
Keep Dad in the contract
Dad may reject a proposal because it sounds like the house is being taken away from him one breaker at a time. Give him the short version first: what is broken, what will be replaced, when the power goes off, what the wall will look like, and what must happen before the last payment.
Then ask him which uncertainty he wants removed. He may care more about strangers entering the basement than panel capacity. He may care more about freezer power than paint. Put his concern in the written job notes. A good scope does not just control the contractor. It records what Dad agreed to.
If you need help sorting the local office from the family decision, use Local Help in St. Louis. For the larger playbook on consent, authority, and emergencies, begin at Start Here.
The next move tonight
Put the quote beside a blank sheet. Write these seven headings: reason for replacement, service and equipment, permit holder, utility coordination, shutdown plan, wall repair, and final payment conditions. Mark every heading the quote does not answer. Send that list to the electrician and ask for a revised written scope before Dad signs or pays.