What a General Contractor Should Expect From an Electrical Sub on a Ground-Up Retail Build

A ground-up retail store looks simple from the road: a box, a parking lot, a sign. For the electrical sub, it's a long chain of steps that all depend on someone else finishing first. If you're a general contractor choosing who to hire, here's what we think you should expect, based on the stores we've wired across Central Washington.

The order things happen

The electrical work on a new retail building follows the construction. First comes underground: conduit for the service, for site lighting and for sign power, plus conduit under or through the slab for whatever the floor plan needs. Then rough-in once the walls are framed or the tilt-up panels are standing, followed by gear and panels set, lighting and power finished out, and finally testing and inspection.

The detail that trips up projects is the underground. Once the slab is poured, a missed conduit means coring or trenching, neither of which anyone wants. A good electrical sub reviews the plans before the slab goes in and asks questions then, not later.

Stores we've built with general contractors

We've been the electrical contractor on a run of new retail stores. That includes the Dollar General in George, Washington, with Alisano Corporation as general contractor, and the Dollar General in Moses Lake, also with Alisano, where we handled the electrical design and installation. We teamed with Collaborative Construction Solutions on the Mabton and Warden Dollar Generals and on the O'Reilly Auto Parts in Quincy. We were also the electrical contractor on the AutoZone in West Valley with Texas Alliance Group, where the scope included lighting fixtures, power outlets and electrical panels.

Other stores on our project list include Dollar Generals in Dayton, Mattawa and Nine Miles, and O'Reilly Auto Parts stores in Wapato and Burlington. The Moxee Dollar General is a current project, and the scope there includes building and site electrical work, lighting and controls, and utility conduit.

Schedule: the look-ahead is the contract

General contractors manage the job with a look-ahead schedule, and everyone on site is measured against it. Our About page puts it this way: general contractors work with us because we show up when we say we will, hold our own schedule against the look-ahead, and flag problems early instead of at inspection. That's a plain description of what a sub owes you.

In practice it takes the right people on site. Our foremen run crews in the field and turn drawings into installed work: layout, rough-in, and getting gear set and terminated. One of them also makes sure material, manpower and information are where they need to be before they hold the work up. If you're the superintendent, that means you have someone to call on site, rather than a number that goes to voicemail.

Flagging problems early

Every project has surprises. A conduit stub-up lands in the wrong spot. The utility's equipment isn't where the drawings say. A lighting layout conflicts with a ceiling element. What matters is how soon you hear about it.

What you should expect from your electrical sub:

• A review of the electrical drawings before underground work starts, with questions in writing.
• Early notice when material, utility work or another trade could hold up a milestone.
• Gear and panels labeled and organized so inspection goes quickly.
• A walk-through of the work before the inspector arrives, so we find the small items first.
• Clean closeout paperwork, so the project can finish without a trail of loose ends.

Flagging problems early takes some honesty on both sides. We'd rather have an awkward conversation on Tuesday than a failed inspection on Friday.

Owner-operated makes a difference

We're local and owner-operated. The person who walks your site is the person who prices the job, and the crew you meet on day one is the crew that finishes it. Nick Nalley handles estimating and project management himself, and Nicole Nalley runs the business side: contracts, licensing, insurance and the administration behind every job. For a general contractor, that means fewer handoffs and fewer people to chase when something needs a decision.

We hold an active Washington electrical contractor license and work out of Yakima. If you're bidding a retail or commercial project in the Yakima Valley or elsewhere in Central Washington, send us the plans or call (509) 571-1082. You'll get a straight answer on scope, schedule and price.