A licensed master electrician for the high-stakes home jobs — panel upgrades, EV chargers, and whole-home generators — permits handled, inspection included.
Not always the cheapest quote — but we pull the permits, do it to code, and stand behind it.
No-obligation. No upsell. We look at the actual job before we put a number on it.
Why TriCoast for your home
Most homeowners here already know they have an electrical job. The hard part isn't what — it's who. You've heard the stories: surprise fees, "three ridiculous options," a quote that doesn't match the final bill, work you never asked for. We built TriCoast to be the opposite of that.
We lead with a load calculation, not a quote. Before we ever recommend a panel upgrade, we verify whether your panel actually needs one. If it doesn't, we'll tell you — that's the whole point.
We pull the permit and schedule the inspection, every job.
Done to current code, not a box-store retrofit.
We stand behind the work and pick up when you call back.
We check whether you need the work before we quote it.
Real credential, real accountability, TDLR EC #37785.
That's the trust spine behind every service below. You only have to learn it once.
Residential services
Pick the job you came for. Each page goes deep — pricing ranges, code specifics, what to expect — and inherits the permits-handled, warrantied frame above.
Start with the big three
A bigger, safer service — and the fix for a maxed-out, tripping, or dangerous panel. We replace insurer-flagged Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Stab-Lok panels to code and coordinate with CenterPoint.
$1,183–$1,972 typical Panel upgradesA properly permitted Level-2 charger that passes inspection — Houston requires a permit, and we pull it. We run a load calc first, so you don't buy a panel upgrade you don't need.
$552–$1,379 typical EV charger installationAutomatic transfer — no going out to fiddle with a switch in the middle of a storm. After Hurricane Beryl left ~2.2M homes dark for days, this is the job everyone wishes they'd already done. Sized, installed, permitted, serviced.
Generator installationThe rest of what we do at home
Whole-home surge protection plus the ground-fault and arc-fault safety devices code now requires.
Code-correct grounding and bonding so your system is safe and your other work passes inspection.
Recessed lighting, fixtures, and fans installed clean and wired right.
New circuits, added outlets, dimmers, and switch repairs — the small jobs done correctly.
Pre-sale and older-home inspections that tell you what's actually going on.
Permitted, inspected wiring for your remodel or addition — not a GC shortcut.
Full residential rough-in and finish, code-correct from the first staple.
Costs at a glance
Every price range we publish, in one table. Where we don't publish a range it's because the honest number depends on the actual job — those get a photo-backed written quote after we see the work, never a guess over the phone.
| Job | Typical price | Permit & inspection | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel upgrade / breaker replacement | $1,183–$1,972 | Yes — we pull it | We coordinate the meter pull with CenterPoint. Insurer-flagged FPE, Zinsco & Stab-Lok panels are our most common replacement. |
| EV charger installation (Level 2) | $552–$1,379 | Yes — we pull it | We run a load calculation first — many homes don't need the panel upgrade that gets sold with the charger. |
| Whole-home generator | ~$10,000–$15,000 | Yes — electrical & gas | Sized to your home's real load. The range moves with unit size and how far the gas and electrical runs have to go. |
| Surge & GFCI/AFCI protection | Quoted after walkthrough | Depends on scope — we confirm | Whole-home surge protection installs at the panel; GFCI/AFCI requirements depend on which rooms and circuits are involved. |
| Grounding & bonding | Quoted after walkthrough | Usually part of a larger permitted job | Often the hidden reason other work won't pass inspection — we check it on every panel job. |
| Lighting & ceiling fans | Quoted after walkthrough | Depends on scope — we confirm | Fixture swaps are simple; new recessed layouts and fan boxes on new circuits are wiring jobs. |
| Outlets, switches & new circuits | Quoted after walkthrough | New circuits: yes | Any service-call fee is disclosed when you book — the small jobs get the same written quote as the big ones. |
| Electrical inspection & testing | Quoted when you book | N/A — this is the checkup | Pre-sale and older-home inspections that tell you what's actually going on before you negotiate or renovate. |
| Remodel & addition wiring | Quoted from plans | Yes — we pull it | Permitted and inspected, so your GC's schedule doesn't stall at the electrical rough-in. |
| New construction wiring | Quoted from plans | Yes — we pull it | Full rough-in and finish, NEC-2023 from the first staple. |
Ranges reflect typical Houston-area jobs; your home's actual number comes from a written quote after we see the work. Deep dives: panel upgrade costs · EV charger costs · how Texas electrical permits work.
Local housing stock
Around Galveston Bay, when your house was built predicts its electrical problems better than almost anything else. Here's what we walk into most often:
This is Federal Pacific / Zinsco / Stab-Lok territory, and insurers know it — a flagged panel can hold up your coverage or a sale. Houses wired in the mid-'60s through early '70s may also have aluminum branch wiring, and two-prong ungrounded outlets are common. None of it is a panic — but it's exactly what a pre-sale or older-home inspection is for.
Mostly sound wiring, but the original 100–150 amp panels are 30–40 years old and were never sized for today's loads — an EV charger, a pool, a hot tub, a garage mini-split. This is the era where a load calculation before any upgrade pays for itself: sometimes the panel truly needs replacing, sometimes it doesn't.
Code-solid bones, but builder-grade panels often meet their match when the EV charger arrives, and most were delivered without whole-home surge protection — an easy add at the panel that protects everything downstream in lightning season.
Salt air eats meter cans, weatherheads, and exterior disconnects years ahead of schedule, and waterfront living adds its own list: dock and boat-lift power, post-flood rewiring, and the WPI-8 windstorm documentation your insurer may ask for after electrical work.
Not sure which bucket your house falls in? That's a five-minute conversation — tell us the neighborhood and what you're seeing.
How it works
This is what separates a permitted, warrantied job from a here-today retrofit. Every residential job runs the same way:
No guess-quotes over the phone. If your panel can already handle the EV charger, you'll hear that — before any upsell.
Straight pricing, an honest range, no surprise charges and no "good/better/best" pressure menu.
In Houston, only a registered master electrician can pull the electrical permit — a homeowner legally can't. That's us. The permit stays with the house.
NEC-2023, done right the first time.
Inspection is part of the job, not your problem to chase.
A real checklist that makes sure nothing's missed, a clean site when we're done, and a team that answers when you call back.
That last step isn't marketing. It's exactly what our customers describe (see below).
The real stakes
We don't sell on fear. But the real downsides of doing this work the wrong way are worth saying plainly:
Skip the permit and your insurer can deny a claim tied to it, an inspector can fail it, and a buyer's inspection can stall your sale. Fixing unpermitted work later routinely runs more than doing it right the first time.
Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Stab-Lok panels are known to fail — breakers that don't trip when they should. If your insurer has already flagged one, replacing it to code is the fix, not a maybe.
Beryl proved it — eight days without power isn't an inconvenience, it's spoiled food, ruined floors, and a family with nowhere cool to go.
These are the things you lose by hiring wrong — not reasons to panic-buy today. Done right, a permitted job is the cheaper path.
Proof
Both techs were very knowledgeable and professional from start to finish. They left the job site clean and all work was tested and reviewed with us before they left. My wife and I were extremely impressed. I would recommend TriCoast to all my friends and family.
TriCoast did an amazing job. Donald was so polite and his wife was very quick to reply to emails and requests. We were so impressed that we will be using TriCoast Electrical Services to handle all of our electrical needs in the house we are purchasing!
Donald is the best. He is very knowledgeable in his field and listens and answers any and all questions. Thank you for getting us all fixed up!
Service area
We cover the Galveston Bay / South Houston corridor — the mainland Bay Area cluster first.
Cities with deep local coverage
Surrounding communities we serve: Kemah · Seabrook · Nassau Bay · El Lago · Taylor Lake Village · Santa Fe · Hitchcock · Bacliff · San Leon · Bayou Vista · Tiki Island · Clear Lake Shores · Jamaica Beach · Alvin · Manvel · Pasadena · Deer Park · La Porte
Don't see your town? We likely cover it. See all service areas →
FAQ
Three: panel upgrades ($1,183–$1,972 typical), Level-2 EV charger installs ($552–$1,379), and whole-home generators (~$10,000–$15,000). Everything else is quoted after we see the actual work — a photo-backed written quote with any service-call fee disclosed when you book. The full comparison is in the costs table above.
Yes — this comes up constantly in pre-sale inspections. We assess what's actually there, bring it up to code, and permit the corrective work so it stops following the house. You get a written scope before anything starts. How Texas electrical permits work →
Yes. Panel replacements and service upgrades usually require the utility to pull the meter, and we handle that scheduling with CenterPoint as part of the job — it's not something you have to arrange.
Yes. A lot of pre-1980 housing around Dickinson, Texas City, and Galveston has aluminum branch wiring or ungrounded two-prong outlets. We assess what you actually have and lay out the options — from approved connector remediation to grounding fixes to rewiring the affected circuits — with straight pricing for each. Start with an inspection →
Both are routine here. Flagged Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Stab-Lok panels get replaced to code with the permit and inspection record your insurer wants to see. For windstorm coverage on the coast, we do the work so it supports WPI-8 certification, which runs through TDI-appointed inspectors and licensed engineers. Why those panels are dangerous → · What WPI-8 is →
No obligation. No upsell. We verify the work you actually need before we quote it.
One licensed master electrician for the jobs that matter most — permits handled, inspection included, and a workmanship warranty behind the work.
