Magnolia Electric Co

Chuck T.

My wife and I were in the middle of a house painting project and realized we needed a high mounted exterior security light replaced ASAP so as not to hold up the painting crew. We called Magnolia and explained the situation. Ertan (a super nice guy) volunteered to pick up a replacement fixture at Home Depot that evening and install it the following morning at 7:30. He followed through exactly as promised and did a very professional job at a fair price. In talking with him, we learned that, in addition to being an electrician, he was trained as an electrical engineer so he obviously knows his craft!

For our future electrical needs, Ertan is our ""go to"" guy. Highly recommended!

Peter S.

I came across Ertan originally through Angies list were he was top rated a few years ago. I have been using him ever since for our 3 unit building. Always on time and very reasonable on his pricing. IMHO, he's the best.

Rachel R.

I needed a bath fan replaced and Magnolia gave me the best quote (and answered their phone!). They came on time and were straight forward about pricing and what had to be done, but in a nice way. Ertan was very friendly and personable. They were quick with the job and left the bathroom clean. I love my new bath fan!

I will be using Magnolia again if I ever need any more electricity thingys done.

June G.

I called the company after reading the good reviews in yelp on Friday. Ertan came on Saturday to fix my circuit breaker and the switch in my living room. He is professional, polite and truly a good electrician and even more importantly, he charged reasonably. I will recommend him to all my friends and to everyone who ever need a good electrician.

Thanks Ertan!

Dylan C.

Ertan did a great job rewiring our Kitchen. Quick, efficient, and a genial guy to boot. We'll use him again.

Andy S.

One of my circuit breakers tripped and wouldn't reset. I called Ertan on a Sat morning and he was here within an hour and a half (when two previous electricians I had tried didn't answer the phone or were booked solid until Monday). He diagnosed the problem quickly (a faulty electrical outlet in the bathroom) and fixed everything in 30 mins. Overall, service was fast, efficient, and friendly. Total charge for parts and labor was a very reasonable $85.

Ertan told me my building has weak circuits (apparently the building codes became stricter in 2000 but my building got in just under the wire), so this might be happening again. Luckily, now I have a go-to electrician.

GARY J.

Our house is a pre-1905 duplex that we were converting from a TIC to condo's. The SF city inspectors issued a report of repairs that needed to be completed. We had to make all the repairs in the report. And then the inspectors had to come back, re-inspect and issue a certificate of completion. We passed inspection (on a very tight budget) all thanks to Magnolia Electric and Ertan Atalay! When obtaining estimates, many contractors (we got 10 other bids) looked at the report and turned it into a very complicated job that would have cost two and three times as much as Magnolia's bid. Ertan and Magnolia kept it simple, devised intelligent and creative solutions, clarified work with inspectors, advocated for us tirelessly with the city inspection and permit departments, saved us tens of thousands of dollars, and turned a potential nightmare into a very simple and smooth process. Ertan worked as our general contractor overseeing the entire project and as our electrician. Above all, Ertan guided us through this very, very complicated process. Regarding specific electrical work, Ertan wired the common space to an independent electrical panel, installed flood lights, added a circuit to the kitchens, wired thankless hot water units and communicated with the inspectors, among many other smaller but numerous things the city inspectors wanted done. He always, always looked out for our best interests. (As a side job, while all the other stuff was going on, he wired our entire flat for stereo speakers.) His honesty and understanding of the process was worlds beyond other contractors. For example, one electrician said the inspectors wanted four new circuits in the kitchen; another said the inspection required about 18 new outlets in each flat. In contrast, Ertan was right! We only needed one more circuit in the kitchen (Ertan confirmed it with inspectors before starting work to avoid unnecessary work and cost) and only one new outlet in each flat. As general contractor, Ertan went far, far beyond the call of duty. He coordinated all inspections and obtained all permits. Plus, among other work, he rebuilt the lower flat staircase and brought the upper flat staircase up to code. His knowledge of the building code was outstandingly precise! Other contractors looked at the report and overinterpreted it; others were befuddled by it. For example, three other contractors wanted to tear down the entire top stair case and rebuild from scratch, a $25000 job, at least. Ertan did it for $3600. Other contractors said we needed architectural diagrams for the lower flat stairs, making it a $10000 job all told. Ertan did it for $3700 and was correct in knowing the city did not require architectural plans. The stairs look great!
Member Comments:
The job went great from start to finish. From our very first meeting, Ertan always explained things very thoroughly and clearly, he was always punctual, he always kept us apprised of his progress and his schedule. We were on a very tight budget. Throughout the entire project -- building, electrical, and other home improvement -- he was always very sensitive to our concerns about cost and did everything possible to keep them down. He provided written estimates and out of four estimates, he didn't once go over bid. Ertan was also very considerate. As the work was going on, my wife and I adopted our newborn daughter and my mother was visiting for an extended period. It was touching how hard Ertan worked to control noise so as not to disrupt our newborn's naps or to disrupt my mother's trip. Also, Ertan was very creative in his solutions. On the second story rear staircase, we needed to reduce the rise of only two stairs -- out of about 25. Ertan used a synthetic material that was thin but strong to reduce the width of the landings. This is remarkable since we obtained about six bids from building contractors. The majority of them did not know how to do this without tearing down the entire staircase and rebuilding the whole thing. Others said they would try but they could not make any promises. They made the project very daunting. Ertan inspired calm and confidence -- and always delivered.

patrick b.

WOW! Ertan is awesome. I had called three different electricians and had been waiting a week to just get a quote. Out of frustration I hoped on Yelp and found Magnolia. I called at lunch time and by 5pm the work was done (and at 1/2 the price one other electrician had quoted me)!

As a bonus I got some tips on what the best time to visit Turkey is (Ertan is from Istanbul). The work was professional and I will definitely be using him again.

Cecilia L.

Ertan is da man! I've called several electricians recommended by my HOA. They either never returned my calls, or they don't do small residential jobs. Fortunately I found Ertan here on Yelp. I was lucky that he has time on the same day that I called. So he showed up right on the dot, exactly when he said he would be here. He's very professional yet friendly. He's so experienced, it only took him minutes to fix 4 of my outlets, the power to the garage, and a dishwasher that lost power. I'm so impressed I'm going to post his contact info at our club house. Don't look any further if you need some electrical work done, Ertan should be on your speed dial!

Andy R.

We first contacted Magnolia Electric based on the excellent reviews posted online. We were not disappointed.

It became apparent early on that Ertan has a wealth of experience. We thought we might need a complete rewiring of our home and, a less scrupulous contractor might have played along, done everything we asked and given us a hefty bill. But Ertan didn't. He provided a very helpful consultation, during which we discussed various options. We talked about what work should be done versus what could be done; what made sense and what didn't; we talked about the level of disruption, the costs and the benefits of each option. Armed with these insights, my wife and I decided to contemplate our electrical upgrade a little longer. Ertan was good enough to drop by for a second consultation a few weeks later, whereupon we agreed the exact scope of the work, a start-date and an estimate for the total cost.

Ertan and his colleague Jim completed all the work with a minimum of fuss and mess, taking about a week. At the end of the job, we had everything we had requested. (This comprised about 20 new wall outlets and GFCIs, several new circuits including a dedicated 220V circuit for the dryer, some rewiring of lights and switches, and relocation of one ceiling fixture.) Patching of walls and ceilings in the areas where work had been done was first class. All work was carried out with permits and there were no problems at either of the inspections. (In fact, the inspector at the final inspection told me, ""you gotta a good guy here!"") If there were any unforeseen problems during the course of the upgrade I wasn't aware of them and we came in right on budget, the final invoice matching the estimate.

Throughout the job, Ertan and his colleague were professional and courteous and (per our request) were mindful of keeping doors to the street closed so as to safeguard our cats. Without question, we will look to Magnolia Electric for any future electrical work we require. They're truly outstanding.