John,
Good topic.
I do quite a few residential wiring evaluations, usually people who have bought older homes and want to know whether the wiring is safe, and which improvements should be done first and which will get them the most for their money.
The evaluations involve visual examination, checking receptacle condition, polarity, and voltage drop, opening up the panel(s), and identifying the circuits. I've set up three levels of detail, each with a different price point: standard, comprehensive, and exhaustive or all-inclusive.
Using an energy comsumption meter is a great addition to the top-tier evaluation. I've found a tester that makes identifying the circuits incredibly fast and easy, the circuit mapper by Tasco. Not cheap, but it allows me to set up in the panel and then positively ID every outlet easily.
Anyway, with my evaluation, the client gets a report that includes the field data sheets, and a narrative writeup on finding and recommendations. I take digital photos of the noteworthy conditions and include them in the report.
I've done enough of these that I have a template and language that covers most of the conditions of concern that I run into, so writing up the report is no big deal.
I price the evaluations so that I make the same amount of money as I do on a service job of the same length.
The evaluations lead to other work about half of the time.
Cliff
