MRIBob,
I came across this older thread by accident this afternoon, and I wanted to thank you for your knowledgeable and kind advice in response to my questions above,
If you are still around and reading this, what does "be sure to have him read some of the forum posts about how critical it is to have them installed with all [the] same phase...one of the best investments I did." mean? What is "phase"? Our two-storey 1850 sq ft house is approaching the age (built in 1991, we think) when I should have the whole house rewired, as we have light switches that no longer work, a sconce lamp that "blew" the last time we tried it (and there is no power to the lamp now), and funky wiring that the previous owner did on his own, although he had poor skills at best and little knowledge about what was correct when it came to wiring. The original builder did not run enough circuits to the two downstairs bedrooms, so that running a small space heater in one will trip the breaker for both. Our overhead kitchen lighting has visible runs of romex and needs replacing... it goes on and on, but you get the idea. Can you point me towards some of the forum posts you thinkI should read before I start calling electrical contractors in our area?
Thank you again for your generous help!
Mark Hubbard
Eureka, California
P. S. While I'm asking MRIBob these questions, responses from other forum members will also be received with gratitude.