Detached Garage and Shop Power

Quick answer

Powering a detached garage, shop, barn or shed means a properly sized feeder from your main panel, usually underground in conduit, to a subpanel in the building, then the circuits you actually need: lighting, outlets, 240-volt for a welder, compressor or EV charger, and heat. We handle the load calculation, trenching coordination, conduit, subpanel, circuits, permit and inspection, with a fixed price before we start.

Shops are the North Idaho hobby

Rathdrum, Athol, Hayden and Post Falls are full of 30 by 40 shops and pole barns. The most common mistake we fix is a shop fed by a single 20-amp circuit from the house that trips every time the compressor kicks on. A 60 to 100-amp subpanel is the right answer for most shops.

What we install

An underground feeder in conduit from the house, with the trench sized and located to code. A subpanel with its own grounding electrode system. General lighting, LED high bays and exterior lights. 120-volt outlet circuits and 240-volt circuits for welders, compressors, table saws, kilns and EV chargers. Heat circuits for shop heaters or mini splits. Power for a well pump, gate or RV pad if the building shares the run.

Sizing the feeder

We calculate the actual loads you plan to run, add room to grow, and size the feeder and subpanel once, so you do not have to dig twice.

Permits

Detached building power requires an electrical permit and inspection in Idaho and Washington, including a rough-in inspection before the trench is backfilled. We schedule both.

How it works

Call or book online and tell us what the building will run. We visit, check your main panel capacity and the route, and give you a fixed price. We coordinate the trench, run conduit and the feeder, set the subpanel and circuits, and pass rough-in and final inspection.

Call (208) 352-0662 or book online for detached garage, shop or barn power in Kootenai County and the Spokane area.
Frequently asked questions about garage and shop power
How much power does a shop need?
Most hobby shops run well on a 60 to 100-amp subpanel. If you weld, run a large compressor and charge an EV in the same building, we size up. We calculate it before we quote.
Can I dig the trench myself?
Often yes, and it can lower the cost. We tell you the required depth and route, install the conduit, and have the inspector look before you backfill.
Can you add power to a shop that only has one circuit?
Yes. Upgrading a single-circuit shop to a proper subpanel with real capacity is one of our most common jobs in Kootenai County.

Verify our license yourself

Problem Solved Electric holds Idaho electrical contractor license 072429 and is licensed in Washington. Look up either license on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses website or the Washington Labor and Industries contractor lookup.