Kemly Electric

Kemly Electric recently completed a knob and tube decommission and home rewire (including new outlets, lights, car charger, fixtures, and fans). We are very grateful that we ultimately went with them to perform this work and are really happy with the outcome. Specifically, the work was completed by Tim (estimator/project manager) and Paul and Peik (active electricians). The work performed was very clean, detailed, and professional. Cut holes were minimal, dust was nearly non-existent at the end of the day, and communication was easy and clear.

We were prepared to have a home that was a dusty mess and resembled a piece of Swiss cheese at the end of all this but that is really not the case. They were even able to avoid damage to the half-wall wood paneling in our basement. I'm glad this is done, but if we had to do it again we would absolutely go with Kemly.

This is a long overdue review as Kemly has been a trusted go-to resource for many years now.

My first interaction with them was a complete home re-wire on my 1926 craftsman. I called 5 electricians and only 2 actually produced a bid. They were within rounding distance of each other so I just went with the one I felt most comfortable with.  

They replaced & relocated the breaker box and replaced all older wiring. As with many homes, mine was actually a mix of modern and knob and tube wiring. They inspected everything and gave me feedback/the option of what needed to be replaced and what was acceptable to leave (i.e. studs remodel of kitchen from just a couple of years prior). They also were realistic about adding/relocating outlets and other little add-ons later.

They kept me regularly up to date as to how the project was progressing and left the jobsite clean at the end of each workday. They accidentally broke the glass door of my oven while moving it and immediately ordered & installed a replacement without skipping a beat. (Accidents happen, and I appreciate that they just owned it and fixed it with no hassle)

A few months later, I needed an EV charger installed on the exterior of my home. They came by, listened to what I needed, and worked with me to formulate a functional plan.

When I needed to have a dining room light swapped out, I got on the waiting list for Kemly. They were booking 3-4 weeks out. But, as my job was small they called and got me in the very next week. They do have a 1 (or 2?) hour minimum so I asked if they could take a look at my under-counter lighting which had been on the fritz. Turns out the contractor who installed it used some janky wiring that hadn't held up well. They were able to fix the issue in about 15 minutes. Let there be light!

Kemly is always a class act. They show up on time. Do what they say they will. Provide accurate quotes/estimates and take care of your home while they are here.

There might be cheaper options out there but Kemly is a local, family owned company, who I know does great work. They've certainly earned my loyalty over the years.

I didn't end up going with them. This is a review for my communication with the estimator, David Otonicar. He was on time, professional, knowledgeable, and answered our questions while in person. Once he left he was singularly focused on writing up the contract. First email - David: just checking in regarding the count of switches that you would like to bid on replacing. I had told him I didn't want to do this cause the cost. I repeated this and asked a couple clarifying questions. He didn't answer. He just sent me a contract, which had on it another job we said we didn't need. This went back and forth, me asking questions, him responding with a new contract. I wasn't getting the clarification I needed to decide what to include/exclude from the contract. One item I asked about multiple times. 4th and final contract: Kill one live existing baseboard heating conductor, exchange the place of two switches that right next to each other, and kill two live outlets. The quote was over $700. The costs weren't itemized, which I know a lot of businesses like these don't do, but I felt like I was really in the dark.

In short, my guess is their cost is pretty competitive. Maybe on the slightly higher end but since my jobs were so small and for cosmetic reasons alone, I didn't feel like they had the time, patience, or energy to deal with me outside of squeezing as much money out of me as they could. Having worked with many contractors through the years, I don't think this is unusual but it would have been nice to get my questions answered.

I'm so pleased with the folks at Kemly. I own an old house, and the previous owners were horrible DIY types who did awful electrical work. So a simple electrical job, like replacing light fixtures, can get very complicated when you discover that the old fixtures were installed with badly positioned boxes behind them. The folks from Kemly quickly came up with several possible solutions, and were able to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Bottom line: I was able to choose a solution that worked for me,  my new lights got installed, and I'll need to do a bit of extra drywall work.

The Kemly scheduling folks are very clear in advance about pricing. It's not cheap, but the quality and the experience are exceptional. Scheduling is also handled well.

Thought I had blown a fuse or circuit in my kitchen from having too many appliances plugged in. Luckily all I needed to do was reset one of the outlets, thanks to quick troubleshooting and tips from the helpful, friendly and kind Stacy - Kemly service manager. Saving me time and money from calling for estimates and paying upfront service fees at a time when electricians have been super busy. Earned my business in the future Stacy - thanks again!

Part of the reason I went with Kemly to replace our old breaker and garage lights was because during the quote inspection, they talked me through what the process would be like instead of just listing what needed to be fixed. As someone still learning about home repair, I greatly appreciated that they took the time to explain WHY certain things had to be addressed and how.

And I'm so glad I went with them. Casey and Jonathan did a great job with organizing the wiring and replacing the lights in the garage and with replacing our old Zinsco breaker and globe meter. They kept me up-to-date on what they were doing throughout the day without my asking and let me know what the plan was for the next day when they were leaving. They kept up good humor (by evidence of their laughter and shaking of heads) in trying to map all of the breakers given that the old owners did some of their own work and didn't label the old breakers correctly. They were also very tolerant of my cat wanting to see what they were doing, which I appreciate.

Highly recommend!

Kemly Electric is super professional and talented.  James hung 2 lights that were difficult.  He actually fixed one of the lights.

We had Mike as our electrician for a repair and he was excellent.  I particularly appreciated that he called before he left the shop which is in Lynnwood to make sure that he had the right parts.  It's $275 for an hour of time which is pricey but isn't everything involving electricians and plumbers these days so I don't think their pricing is too far out of line with the Seattle area which is very, very expensive to live in.  I'm giving Mike a 5 star review.  I should also say it was fairly easy to book the appointment and they had options.

Totally COVID-safe.

This company was responsive and had good customer service. The person who came out to build the estimate met with my partner, and when I had questions, the folks in the office got the right answers for me.

Gabe and Marquise did the work on the house. They were delightful humans and very careful about the work. They were very thoughtful about communicating what would need to be done, where, and when. For example, when they understood I was worried about dust, they offered to put up plastic sheeting to keep anything from getting inside the rest of the house, and the work area was clean when they were done.

It's not often you get great work AND folks who are a pleasure to speak with, and these folks were great. I'd recommend them wholeheartedly.

We had our garbage disposal added and an air pump, fair pricing and quick service! They were friendly and easy to work with via email and phone.

We were in need of some major electrical work after a wind storm and was left without power. They came and were able to do the work two days later which was very fast compared to others we spoke to. They were very nice and did a great job.

Although the service wasn't terrible, the rates are outlandish. They installed 2 Nest outdoor Cameras. Pretty straightforward job, but they left jagged holes in the drywall. Not a very clean job. They charged us $225+tax. 7 months later the Nest stopped working and we troubleshooted it on our own. When we called we explained that we thought it was the cord and wanted them to come out and fix it. They came out and performed the same steps we did and said yep it's the cord. Sorry we don't have a cord. even though we provided the info prior to the appointment, explaining what we had done already (replaced camera, tested outlet, tested power adapter). He was there 30 minutes tops, according to our 1 remaining working Nest camera, and said he would come back and fix it when we got a cord. All good until I got an invoice 2 days later for $225 plus tax. I was told that I'd have to pay another $130 to get the cord run through two holes. So that's $355+ tax to fish a cord through existing holes. Then...when I disputed the rate, which involved two phone calls and 30 more minutes of debate, I got the bill down to $135 for one hour of work, despite him not being there an hour. They said I was paying for his travel time (the company is less than a mile from me) and cord research (it took me 5 mins on Amazon to get this special cord). It's not over though. Later that night they sent me a revised invoice from the initial install that I had paid 7 months ago, saying, Sorry, we undercharged you last year. Please pay $168 more dollars--we gave you 10% off.  I couldn't believe what I was reading. No company who wants to stay in business does this. Update We decided to replace the cord ourselves and it took 15 minutes. The advice is don't do business with them unless you understand and are willing to pay $500 to install $200 equipment.

We've used Kemly both in our condo unit and around our condo building several times, all with high quality work and professionalism. However, this week, their estimator went so far above and beyond what was asked of him, I had to leave a review. Adam was sizing up odd wiring in our old building for potential EV charging in our carport. He was responsive, he clearly communicated the issues at hand, and he was obviously knowledgeable. Our job was very small compared to many of their jobs, and I know for a fact that the company is extremely busy. Nevertheless, every step of the way, he treated us as important customers, and he seemed genuinely invested in us getting solutions to our electrical problems, whether we hired Kemly or not. It was truly a level of customer service that I've rarely experienced, especially in Seattle's booming construction industry. On top of this, he was just an all-around nice guy. I'd call Kemly back any day of the week, and you should too. These guys deserve your business.

We have had inadequate power to our irrigation pump for years.  Rachael (Project Coordinator) facilitated an efficient and timely appointment with Verne and Timmy (electricians) at a time when all subcontractors are swamped with work post-Covid recovery.  Verne was able to recommend a course that saved us a lot of money, yet delivered adequate power to the site.  They professionally and safely rewired and connected our new pump.  Did I mention that they are friendly?  Highly recommended.

Kemly replaced two electrical panels, added a car charger outlet, and reactivated several dead outlets in our 35 year old home.  The proposal was complete and the work was done with no change orders.  I felt the estimate was about right.  Kemly also worked to help us save a $2,300 Seattle City Light power shut-off fee. That took an extra trip to the house.  That effort was really appreciated.  

The electricans on the job were personable, knowledgeable and efficient.  The Kemly back office support with permits and job coordination was excellent.

One thing I appreciated on this project was that Kemly completed the work in a short period of time, from start through the final inspection.  That's a sign of a well-organized company.

This is the second job Kemly has done for us.  They are a very good, honest company and we'll use them again without hesitation.

I had a wonderful experience from beginning to end with Kemly. Scheduling was easy. My favorite was SAL! SAL is the MAN! he made quick work, he was really nice, patient and had a great sense of humor. I'd gladly call them again for any electrical work..you should too!
Sal changed a gas outlet to an electrical outlet, wired a circuit to the box and a lot of other magical stuff that I don't really understand. Sal's a wizard!

We had an issue with our meter, the hot wire lug was corroded. Isaiah and Jonathan did a great speedy job repairing it, thank you.

Completely changing my review after receiving a sizable invoice for the work they did last week. Thought I had found my electricians moving forward. Nope. I was wrong.

I wish no stars was an option . . .

Didn't fix the problem... charged us for the call.  And then keep trying to charge us again for the service call to come back out and it really the worst customer service I've had from any local electrician, locksmith, plumber or other service provider. Very cavalier about my being unhappy with the work or 2nd service call charge. Shari particularly rude.

Power went out to half our home overnight. Left a message before 8 am, and Stacie called first thing, noted one of their electricians were at another job three blocks away, and they were at my house 15 minutes later. The quickly identified the problem and fixed it, and also contacted Seattle City Light on our behalf to have them address an issue they were responsible to correct. Was very impressed with their professionalism, communication, quick response and resolution of our issue. Their pricing seems in line with others I spoke with recently who wouldn't be out for days. Highly recommend!

We've used Kemly for almost 20 years now across two houses. They've got superb senior electricians that have worked on everything from 110-year old knob-and-tube to modern LED recessed lights and motion-activated fixtures. They've been A+ in everything -- fixture advice, scheduling, doing the work, and after-sales care. Super-responsive, friendly, just a gem of a company. We trust them implicitly and you should too!

James from Kemly showed up to help with terminating some outlets and moving a switch that used to be on the breakfast bar to under the sink. From the get go he was very approachable and warm. I ran late to our place (it's our new home, we've not moved in yet) and forgot the keys, I'd to make him wait more till my wife showed up.

We finally went up and he perhaps got done in 40 minutes. He used the rest of the hour to go through each outlet in the home, educating me in the process and found a faulty circuit breaker on the board.

At the end he didn't charge me for the items he used from his van to install the new switch. Electricians are expensive in this area and I don't know why - keeping that in mind as a bar - an extremely professional experience at least helps justify the costs.

Some of my neighbors had used Kemly and highly recommended them, and they have great reviews here, so I called them to install two simple bathroom fan timers and a more complicated automatically adjustable timer for exterior lights at my house. The soonest they could do my work was on either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (two weeks out). I had stuff going on Christmas Eve, so we set New Year's Eve to do the work.

Their guy showed up on time and did my two fan timers first, then started on the exterior lighting timer. He worked on it for some time then tried to program the thing, even though the switch override would not turn the lights off and on as it was supposed to. He told me this, and said he wasn't sure if the timer part was working either, but he had to get to his next job. Yup.  He really did say that, and, of course, when sunset time came the lights didn't work.

I called Kemly on Monday and explained the issue and asked that they come back. The scheduling lady said the best they could do would be a week or so to come by again, which didn't make me happy. But OK, if that's the best they can do, gotta go with the flow!

A while later, as I was getting ready to leave for an appointment, she called back and said that Tom could come by sometime that afternoon. I told her that I really appreciated that, but I could not be home in the afternoon. She clearly was not happy, and told me she had moved heaven and earth to get him to my house today. I told her I was sorry, but I could not stay home that afternoon and wait for him. She said if that was the case, she'd see what she could do about next week. Later, after giving it more thought, rather than wait for Kemly to send the same guy back again, I called them and cancelled.

I had another firm, one that I had used in the past, to come out and take a look at the exterior lighting timer. They found that the timer had been wired incorrectly and redid it.

I'll pay Kemly's bill, as they did install the two simple timers, but I'll not be a Kemly customer again. If you use Kemly, don't let them leave for their next job until they finish yours.

their scheduler, stacie is friendly, professional & super responsive.  she got me scheduled for a week out (which is very good compared to the other electrician's i contacted) & also kept me on their stand-by list.  even though, i wasn't able to be home for one openings that popped up, the fact that she called me to check showed a lot of initiative.

as for the service technician (crap, i've already forgotten his name!), he had a cancellation the same day as my appt so he called to see if he could come by early (yay!) which really freed up the rest of my day.  he came, was extremely polite, very efficient & was willing to answer any questions i had with patience & professionalism.  

this whole process was like butter.

After calling 5 electricians, Kemly was able to schedule us to add outlets-one in a cabinet for a microwave and one under the sink for a garbage disposal. I am so glad those other 4 electricians weren't able to fit us in because Kemly was wonderful. From the customer service over the phone to the prompt arrival during our house call window, their service was impeccable. The cost was communicated and they came in just under what they said they would. They brought earplugs and were conscious about clean up. I will use Kemly for all my electric needs!

On time and fixed our bathroom vent super quick in our condo. Will definitely recommend them

Called Kemly Electric on a Sunday when my refrigerator stopped working.  The technician arrived promptly and was thorough with his diagnosis.  Turns out that there was a short in the electrical line behind the dishwasher that caused the fridge and the dishwasher to go out.  The technician was friendly and informative, explaining what happened to me.  He also helped answer a couple of other electrical questions I had.  The cost for an emergency weekend house call is $250 for the first hour, which I'm not sure if it's pricey or not but overall the technician fixed the problem and was customer service focused.

Kemly Electric is the best electrical service I have ever worked with.  The office staff and the technicians are top notch.  The communication between the office and the technicians is efficient.  Michelle, the scheduler, was very understanding and worked some magic to solve my timing issue so the house would have heat.  The electrician, Robert, was willing and able to step up to the scheduling challenge.  He had completed a job early and he was in the area, so he swung by.  He provided a temporary fix so the furnace would work until the crew was available.  The next day, there was an unexpected cancellation; and the crew completed the job 10 days earlier than scheduled!  The entire staff goes above and beyond.  They figure out a way to get it done happily!

Thank you....thank you!!!!
Miriam

I have had Robert with Kemly out to my house twice (2 years apart) to work on the power to the sub panel in my garage.  Both times Robert was quick, thorough and did great work.  I was charged the minimum that I was quoted over the phone prior to him arriving.  I will definitely use them again.

I had Kemly move my breaker box about 2 feet horizontally - which sounds easy but it's actually a ton of work. They did it right, repulling new 3/0 cable from the meter to the box and reterminating all the incoming wires. The job took the better part of a day.

My only issue would be cost. I feel like it was a bit expensive (over a grand) for what was done but it was in the ballpark. I think their prices are fair just not a great deal. They didn't cut corners on the work and clearly know their stuff so paying to have it done right is worth it.

We had a great experience with Kemly Electric to install a Level 2 fast charger for our electric vehicle. We were able to get a site visit pretty quickly (vs other companies said the wait time for even an initial visit was more than a month). Kemly sent out electrician Sal to help us out with an investigation/estimate and the install. Sal was extremely patient with us and responded to many calls, emails, and texts from us asking questions. We wavered back and forth on what we actually wanted for several weeks and eventually decided on installing the Level 2 charger and dedicated outlet. The installation itself was very fast and the total cost came in many hundreds less than originally quoted. Thank you Sal!!

I haven't actually had any work done by Kemly Electric... because after Joel Stewart came out to give me an estimate, he emailed me the next day to let me know that he'd contacted Seattle City Light on my behalf to shorten the wires running to our house and get them off our roofline, rather than raising our service mast. SCL did this at no charge within 24 hours. Because our meter location is no longer to code and would have needed to be relocated for this work to be done, Joel and Kemly saved me $4000! (I'd already had 2 other electricians out for estimates and they either hadn't realized or mentioned that our issue could be fixed on the SCL end.) When our house inevitably needs further electrical work, I will not use anyone else.

I run a childcare in Ballard and Kemly did a fantastic job of wiring our new school. Very happy with their services. Anne Kelly Executive Director Woodland Hall Preschool.

Can't say enough good things about Paul, who came out and solved an ongoing electrical problem with my outdoor lights that other electricians were not able to do!   Presented with a problem that is not straightforward, Paul just gets curious and intrigued with the process of problem solving.   Others in the past moan and groan and end up calling their supervisor to my house because they can't solve the problem.   I am so tired of electricians griping about the difficult location of my electrical box.  One guy in the past seemed close to walking out because of it.   But Paul just chuckled and went about solving problems.  Yes, they are expensive, but would have saved a ton of money if Paul, rather than others, had come out years ago.

I'd give this company ten stars if I could. Paul Jordan was my electrician. He was prompt, professional and very pleasant. He was also very efficient and was very gentle with the new fixtures he installed for me. I recommend this company and Paul to anybody who needs a residential electrician.

We've completed several projects with Kemly over the past year! They're professional, responsive, and reasonably priced. Most recently we had an urgent electrical need. The team acted quickly and ensured someone came out within a few hours to remedy the situation very quickly.  Specifically, Sal is excellent. It's wonderful to receive such reliable and professional service.

Kemly did extensive electrical work for us recently, requiring three separate visits. Paul, the electrician who did the work, was simply outstanding. He worked non-stop, he was a great communicator, and his work was of the highest quality. The staff at Kemly with whom I spoke were consistently polite and thoughtful. And the cost for all the work they did was very reasonable. Kemly is who I will choose from now on for any electrical work that I need. I couldn't recommend them more highly.

These guys are good.  

I had to mount my shiny new LCD TV and hide the cables.  I didnt know how to do it (hey, im a computer guy, give me a break!) and called these guys.  They came over and rigged it up and set it up.  If i had done it, it wouldnt have been so shiny and probably ended up in pieces on the floor.

They also helped run CAT6 throughout my house (computer guy, remember?) and did a great job.  Professional and quick.

They are a professional bunch, good prices and get the job done  (they also keep your new shiny items, shiny and new and not on the floor).

Seriously, as good as it gets. We had our 100 year old house rewired completely.
Provided prompt and accurate bid. Had better grasp of the breadth of our project than all the other companies that came to look at our project. Was on time, very flexible when I altered plans.
Fixed problems I didn't know I had.
Went way above and beyond to make sure my bathroom fan was properly ducted.
Electricians were patient and accommodating to our family (2 small kids under foot). Minimally invasive. Creative. Cleaned up work spaces everyday. Inventive fixes for surprise problems. Fair, very fair price.

Would recommend to everyone. Anyone. Came recommended to me. :)

James is very efficient at his job, very knowledgeable, very nice, very helpful.Highly recommended.

I didn't actually get to meet a Kemly electrician, because they were able to help me out over the phone!  I initially chatted with Jennifer, who was friendly and professional and gave great advice (that I unfortunately didn't follow).  I asked to be on the cancellation list anyway and they were able to fit me in the next day - I ultimately didn't need this appointment because I got around to doing what Jennifer told me to do and it solved the problem!  

The fact that Kemly is willing to coach customers through issues at the risk of their own business tells me that they are an honest organization.  I've heard great things from my other neighbors, and will be sure to use them for my electrical needs in the future!  Their service/follow up is great and they are very attentive.

As the owner of a general contracting company (CrescentBuilds.com) I am often the one our clients call in case of a house emergency.  I received one of these calls about a month ago (at 7:30 pm on a Tuesday evening) from a client whose power was out in their home.  I called up Kemly Electric and they were extremely accommodating.  They called our client directly, tried to troubleshoot the issue over the phone, and after not being able to fix it that way, were on the road to their house.  They had our clients up and running by 9:30 pm!
The clients were amazed!  They were fully expecting to have to spend the night in the dark and cold and have the issue fixed the following day, but with Kemly Electrics help, we were able to get them power very quickly.  

This is what the client wrote to me the following day via email:

August,

Thanks so much for getting an electrician out to us last night!

The electrician came out in about 45 mins after we talked, and just over an hour later we were back up with power.  And James (electrician) even called me this morning to make sure everything was working well.

Crescent Builds is definitely organized, and efficient!  Thanks again so much for connecting us to the electrician so late last night

Laura

Thanks Kemly, really appreciate your service!

August Bergdahl
General Manager - Crescent Builds

The electricians arrived on time, were very considerate, finished the work early, cleaned up after themselves, and did a great job.  When we discovered that evening that using some of the outlets tripped the new breakers, they returned the very next day to fix it.  They had incorrectly wired the breaker for one set of outlets, and another outlet had been incorrectly wired itself (not by them). The fixed both problems rapidly.  
My only real complaint was being billed for supplies we didn't use.
The estimator had been very patient with our asking for bids on several different options/configurations and with our many questions.  He made a few errors on the original bid (later corrected), and also made some assumptions about the DPD's requirements that I found (by contacting the local electrical inspectors for the DPD) were not correct.
When we finally signed the contract for the work, the price was based on having to use 15 Arc Fault breakers (more expensive than standard).  The electricians ended up having to use only 2 Arc Fault breakers and 13 of the standard ones.  But they still expected us to pay the full bid price (based on more expensive breakers), which we did.  Even with that, they ended up the same as the middle-priced bid we'd received (and less than two higher bidders).

Update - Owner of Kemly called to address the issue noted below and has satisfactorily addressed the issue, therefore I am upgrading the review from a 1 to a 3.  I still do not think the electrician's work was good, but appreciate the owner calling to address and rectify.  

Original Post
I will not use Kemly for future work.  I scheduled an appointment to have 3 ceiling fans I purchased from Seattle Lighting installed; Seattle Lighting referred Kemly.   The electrician showed up late, said he was told he was there to install 1 fan and that something happened with his truck, he didn't have all the equipment, so I would need to reschedule.  Irritating, but things happen, so I reschedule.  Same electrician comes out the second time and is approximately ~20 min late.  I ask that he remove his shoes prior to coming up the stairs to which he replies, that he can't climb the ladder without shoes.  I ask him if he has booties to cover his shoes and he says he'll need to go get them from the van.  After he returns with the booties, we go up and I show him where to install the fans making sure he knows where to install the remotes.  Electrician is working and seems to be taking care of selling something personal for quite a bit of time I thought he would be installing my fan, so I make note of this thinking they'll probably try to charge for this.  Electrician says he is finished, so I take a quick look and show him out.  The remotes were installed on the walls with one screw, so I had to install the second screw on each so they wouldn't spin as they did after the electrician installed them.  I received the bill and was charged a ridiculous amount of money for the 1st visit where the electrician came unprepared and more time than the actual install took, because (1) electrican was late & (2) spent ~30 minutes taking care of something personal.  I was able to resolve the billing issue.

After about a month, the weather starts heating up, so I turn one of the fans on and notice that when I turn the fan on, the light also comes on, and I have to turn the light off.  Not sure if it's the fan or what, so I monitor and then call Kemly to report the problem.  Same electrician comes out and says, no, I wired it correctly, it must be the receiver...electrician takes mounting brackets off so I can see the receiver, re-mounts fan, and I call Seattle Lighting with information.  I go to turn on fan now and it works as it should, so I call Kemly saying that this is not the receiver, it must not have been done incorrectly the first time, since now it works after receiver unit was placed back in unit after inspection.  Electrician calls me defending his work, talking something about capacitors, no control over something, so on and so forth.  Bill was for well over $250 for 10 minutes of time, to fix something that seemingly wasn't done right the first time.

Professional, prompt, reasonable most importantly - trustworthy

Experience #1 - I hired Kemly after a new home inspection report required repairs to my wiring to get them up to code.  My experience was very good, they were on time, explained everything including various options and pricing for each of the options and then made the fixes.  The cost came in under what I expected.

Experience #2 -  After  an hour or so of struggling with the wiring for a new ceiling fan, my BF called them with a question on the wiring.  Fed up and ready to call an electrician, when we reached Kemly and my BF explained the problem, the Kemly dude spent about 15 minutes guiding him through some simple steps to get the thing to work.  

Fan working, free advice, empowered with new wiring knowledge, we were pretty stoked. FIVE STARS EASILY.

Kemly Electric was fantastic! They were professional, reasonably priced and did a great job! The estimator was very helpful over email and phone and gave me a good price. The electricians (Robert & Robert) were knowledgeable, quick, tidy, and minimized damage to our existing walls. I would use Kemly Electric again in a heartbeat!

James Chartreuse is the best electrician in Seattle, bar none. I have been a repeat customer of Kemly for over a year and had them come fix multiple issues with my home electrical system after a very poor construction left me with multiple defects and code violations. They got into walls and fixed shorts, dead outlets, breakers, light circuits, installed new LED lighting and transformers for fixtures, and redesigned my electrical panel.  Their philosophy was always to do it right the first time, not to stab outlets like a lot of builders do these days which doesn't last, and not to cut corners like my first guy.  They were always fair, had high expertise in all things basic and advanced electric, and most importantly logical about how things should work and I wish I knew of them earlier. I highly recommend this professional company! It sounds like I work for them but I'm just an elated customer after the experience I had with my first electrician.

Kemly has been to my house twice for two different projects.  They are great!  On time, very competent, friendly, and do great work.  Brian's great to deal with and both of his electricians have impressed me.  Be aware, though, they've got a minimum fee for a house call, and its not cheap.  It's been worth it for the work they've done for me.  Highly recommend.

This is not in regards to their service but one of their drivers. Going I-5 South near Northgate one of their vans was tailgating me dangerously close. Mind you I was going 10 mph over and he could have gone around into the passing lane. Instead he chose to tailgate then when he finally went around he flipped me off while driving the company van. Very unprofessional behaviour and dangerously reckless driving.

Brian came out to give us a quote for replacing and upgrading our 1959 fuse box.  Brian scheduled quickly, arrived slightly early, and took time to explain our options and the pros and cons of each.  We scheduled to have them come out two weeks later, after closing.  We soon learned that replacing the electrical panel would be a condition for closing, which was only a few days away.  Brian expedited our appointment and made the difference between closing our home and losing our earnest money and house purchase!  Israel performed the work and was top notch, he was polite, tidied up each day, and was conscientious enough to apologize when he had to drill holes to gain access (even in our dumpy basement ceiling).  I feel much safer knowing that our electrical work was performed by such pros!

Super easy to work with. Making an appointment was simple. I had to reschedule because I had a conflict come up and they had dates available close to my original date. The electrician was friendly, welcoming, and made me feel comfortable. Quick installation, and left no trace. Will definitely use again!

We've worked with Kemly a lot in the past (5 years ago) and they've been great.  But I have to quibble with their rate structure for a repair visit.  A few weeks ago two of our outlets stopped working, including the one to the refrigerator.  They were gracious enough to come out on short notice (next day) but they noted it would be in between booked visits, so they may not make it, or wouldn't have a lot of time.  Turns out, it was only a GFI switch we didn't know we had (our bad!).  So the visit was all of 10 minutes to press the GFI button and confirm it reset the outlet.  That's the good news, they didn't make us feel bad for missing something so obvious (Granted it was in the garage not the kitchen!).  The bad news is we still got charged $120, which is their standard for a 1/2 hour.  I called to see if they'd be negotiable; I was happy to pay $60 for our goof and their time/trouble, but no dice.  $120 just seems steep for a visit that didn't prevent them from making their already scheduled appointments that day.
I'd hire them again for new wiring, etc. but not for repairs.

I needed to have my 52 T.V. mounted and, after getting 4 other quotes, settled on Kemly Electric. The representative (Mateo) was very nice and communicated well. He even confirmed the appointment a couple days prior.

Actually the reason I chose Kemly was because of their diligent initial correspondence and their good reviews on Yelp. Their quote was reasonable, at $200 and estimated at an hour's time, but their hourly rate was exorbitant at 120/half hour for the first half and $90/hour after that. (I had other quotes from electricians for $45/hour) I didn't sweat the hourly rate because of their good reviews.  My thinking was that at 90/hour these experts would be in and out in no time. I was quite mistaken.

The mounting job was relatively simple and probably could have been performed by a general contractor since there wasn't any actual electrical work involved. The mounting wall is backed by 3/4 plywood and a snorkel is already in place to feed the wires through the wall to their desired location 4' away. No need to hunt for studs, no cutting of the Sheetrock, no need to cut the power. You take a couple measurements, set the lags, feed the wires, remove the base of the TV, screw the mount on to the set, and hang it. I was clear about this when describing the job over the phone to Mateo and the initial quote reflected this.

The day of my in home appointment, I receive a call from Mateo asking, if they were able to install that day to just go ahead and do it. Wanting to be flexible to their schedule, and assuming the quote would be honored I agreed. I received another call from Mateo explaining that, since the TV was 52 the electrician would require a 'helper' - information that he had from our initial conversation, but I didn't sweat this at the time, but I should have. In reflection, this is really the sticking point for me, they should have known that this was a two person job and their quote should have accounted for this.

I must take partial responsibility for not inquiring whether I would incur additional cost, but when I hear the word helper, I think novice/day laborer, certainly not an additional journeyman electrician for a TV hanging job and certainly not an additional $60/hour. The reality is that the electrician needed another set of hands to lift the TV into place. Mateo even asked me if I would be able to help out.

Again, I must take responsibility for getting the bracket wrong. when they arrived we discovered it wasn't the right fit for the wall in lieu of the form factor and  the placement of the outlets. That was my bad. They had to come out and spend an extra half hour to discover that. I feel the need to caveat at this point, I don't expect services to be rendered for nothing, and my mistake cost them time. If, as was originally planned, the one electrician came out, finding that out would have been cheaper for me. The issue is that they never communicated the extent of the additional costs.

Having received a new mount, they returned and did a professional, slow job taking an hour and a half longer than originally estimated. I have a problem with this. I personally live by my word and when I say something will happen in an hour it happens in an hour or I take responsibility for it. When I received a bill for $538 I was quite horrified and realized this isn't the case with Kemly. Never was I offered a follow up quote, never was I told the expense of the second electrician, never was I told about having to pay for their parking, never was I told I would have to pay an added fee for their van, never was I told I would be charged for unboxing the mount. Again, I don't expect something for nothing, but an invoice of 250% the original quote is offensive especially since the two guys took twice the original time.

I called Kemly and spoke directly to the owner, Brian Kemly, who, when I brought this issue up, became very defensive. Rather than try to hear me out, he accused me of lying about the events that had transpired, expressed that I don't value the work of electricians and thus insulted his profession. He ranted about his expenses and how great the electricians were. All of which were irrelevant to the real issue - a gross discrepancy between the quote and the invoice with zero communication.

After an arduous conversation, he asked what would make me happy and I said $400, which he agreed to. I do appreciate this, and that is why this review isn't 1 star review, but I certainly have the mind having been called a liar. Again, I believe in paying for the services I receive, but if I had known it would cost me $400 and that I would have been personally insulted, I would not have employed them. Now that I know the exact nature of their business, I will never employ them again.

I have a rental house that had the electricity cut to it by a vehicle that somehow caught the powerline and pulled the whole meter and service off the house.  Needless to say the tenants were suprised to come home and find there house without power so I would say this fell under a semi emergecy.  I had to find someone to deal with this fast and I found Kemly.  I'll just say that they were awesome and totally took care of my problem and the teneants were able to get back in the house after just one night at a friends.  Electical work is not cheap and you have to have it done right especially if you are a landlord and this was done right and fast and I would say I paid about what I expected to pay so it wasn't that painfull.  Thanks guys.  I will recomend you and will use you again in the future.

Brian and james came over in a last minute pinch when my original electrician flaked. They were professional, quick reasonably priced, and entertaining to boot. I would most certainly hire them again.

We were extremely happy with the service from Kemly. We had an external light fixture repaired as well as an underfloor heating problem resolved (new thermostat required). Tom was highly professional, punctual, knowledgeable and efficient. We will definitely use them again and would recommend them highly. They do book out a bit in advance due to high demand for their services, but it was worth the wait.

I was referred to Kemly by a very reputable lighting company.  I waited for three weeks for an appointment, then was stood up TWO times.  They might be outstanding electricians, but for the life of me, I don't know how to get them to come to my home! [And I don't live in the outer banks...but in the middle of Seattle!!]

I just got the bill in the mail - the last thing I was waiting for to make a judgement about the work I had done.  I had a great experience with Kemly electric, and James, the lead electrician who performed my service.

This was the first time I've hired a contractor, and I was weary of all the anecdotal stories I had heard over the years.  Those stories showed me the things to look out for, and in the end it was never an issue with these guys.

My work was fairly straightforward - I had a light fixture that I had bought (a year ago) for above my shower, and I wanted it wired in and the fan in the bathroom replaced with a quieter and more efficient model.  Kemly was recommended by Seattle Lighting.  James showed up and took a look at what needed to happen and he gave me some options and ideas.  I enjoyed talking to him and he helped me understand the process and estimated the work at 4 hours.  I called the office the next day to schedule the work about a week later.  James again showed up and started the job and wasted no time.  He finished in 3 hours, everything is exactly as I wanted it, and he was amiable while he worked and when I would bug him with questions.  The bill came and everything lined up.  Five stars, thanks!

City light came out and announced they were changing out my meter, no warning or advance notice given...the reader pulled the old meter and declared the box unsafe. He took pictures, wrote up a report and told me to get it replaced, then he took my meter! NO POWER again, no warning, no advanced notice.

I have used Kemly Electric for our commercial properties so I gave them a call. Best move. James and Bill handled the situation, talked my husband through the whole process, and even made the call back to City Light for us. They also did it in less than four hours from first phone call to completion!

These guys are courteous, professional, and very timely. I would highly recommending these guys for any of your electrical needs - commercial or residential. Our upcoming residential rewiring project is going to these guys!!!

Jackie Houston
Slattery Properties

I like this company. I have had several electrical problems in the past and they have allways been on time and nice to work with. They do not try to over sell to you when they get inside your home. In and out and done. The last job they did was to put in a out side christmas light outlet with timer on the front of my garage, no more long extension cords.nice.

Kemly knows what they are doing.  We used their crew in our new commercial space.  The handled our ethernet, phone and power needs.  They were very thorough and asked the right questions to get the job done quickly and professionally.

I'm happy to recommend Kemly Electric. These guys are great! They are professional, diligent, and easy to work with. I've used them on several occasions for both my primary residence and rental. Every time, they exceed expectations.

Whenever one of their guys comes out, it's an education for me. They are patient, willing to answer questions and happy to provide recommendations. My house was owned by an electrical hobbyist and contained multiple areas of substandard work. They were able to help me prioritize projects for safety and by cost. More recently, they connected a heat pump to my panel at a significant discount over the furnace company's quote.

Thanks for the great work!

I've had two occasions to call Kemly and both times the problem was resolved quickly and at the quoted price. Also lucky to have James show up both times. He explained each problem in clear and simple layman's language and patiently answered any questions. He was professional and knowledgeable and solved the problem the first time...no return visits needed. He was also a reliable source of information and suggestions about a range of options I could consider.

I called Kemly to troubleshoot an electrical problem with the floats in my septic tank in August.  They recommended replacing the floats which they did.  They also recommended and completed an additional wiring upgrade to make it easier to replace the pump and the floats in the future.  The floats worked intermittently during the next month and a half, and I ended up having the floats replaced with a more reliable type of float.  The electrical work was fine, the problem was just the type of float.  It was helpful to have made the adjustment at the original installation to make it easier to replace the floats.  Kemly quickly refunded the cost of the floats originally installed.  Kemly was pleasant, responsive, and professional to work with.  They're recommendations were helpful, and they explained what they were doing.

Very quick and reliable. Good communication and we're very friendly.  Fred was able to find and fix our electrical problem within an hour.  Very satisfied.

I have had a couple of things done by Kemly.  Electricians were always friendly and knowledgable.  No issues with work.  I would recomend.