How much does it cost to wire a detached garage with electricity from scratch in Ottawa?

Running electrical service to a detached garage is one of those projects where the cost varies dramatically based on the distance from your house, how much power you need, and whether you go underground or overhead. Most Ottawa homeowners underestimate the total cost because they focus on the wiring inside the garage and forget about the significant expense of getting power from the house to the building in the first place.

For a basic electrical setup in a detached garage located within fifteen metres of the house, including a 60-amp sub-panel, overhead lighting, six to eight outlets, and an exterior light, most Ottawa electricians charge between $3,500 and $6,000 for the complete job. This assumes an underground feed, which is what the Electrical Safety Authority and most Ottawa inspectors strongly prefer over overhead wires for new installations.

If you need a 100-amp sub-panel to support heavier loads like a welder, air compressor, car lift, or future EV charger, the cost rises to between $5,000 and $8,500 for the same distance. The panel itself costs more, the wire gauge is heavier and more expensive per foot, and the conduit and trench work need to accommodate the larger cable.

For garages farther from the house, the underground trench is where costs escalate quickly. Trenching in Ottawa typically costs $25 to $50 per linear foot depending on soil conditions, and the cable itself adds another $8 to $15 per foot for a 60-amp run or $12 to $22 per foot for a 100-amp run. A detached garage sitting thirty metres from the house with a 100-amp feed can easily see the underground portion alone cost $3,000 to $5,000 on top of the panel and interior wiring.

What You Need Inside the Garage

The interior electrical layout depends on how you plan to use the space. A basic package with four LED shop lights on the ceiling, outlets on each wall spaced every twelve feet as code requires, a weatherproof exterior outlet with a ground-fault circuit interrupter, and a dedicated circuit for the garage door opener costs roughly $1,500 to $2,500 for labour and materials inside the garage itself.

If you are setting up a workshop, you will want dedicated 20-amp circuits for power tools and at least one 240-volt outlet for equipment like a table saw, welder, or compressor. Each dedicated circuit adds about $250 to $450 to the total. A full workshop electrical package with multiple 120-volt and 240-volt circuits, task lighting over a workbench, and a dust collection circuit typically runs $2,500 to $4,500 for the interior work.

Adding a 240-volt EV charger circuit is increasingly common in Ottawa garage projects and is worth doing during the initial wiring even if you do not own an electric vehicle yet. Running the circuit while the electrician is already on site costs $400 to $800, versus $1,000 to $1,800 as a standalone project later. The federal Greener Homes Grant and various provincial incentives may offset some of this cost, though program availability changes frequently.

One cost that catches many homeowners off guard is the electrical panel upgrade at the house. If your main panel is already full or does not have enough capacity to support the new sub-feed to the garage, you may need a panel upgrade at the house, which adds $2,000 to $4,000. Older homes in neighbourhoods like Vanier, Hintonburg, and Mechanicsville that still have 100-amp main service frequently need this upgrade.

The ESA inspection is mandatory for any new electrical installation in Ontario and costs around $150 to $250 as a permit fee. Your electrician should pull this permit and arrange the inspection as part of their scope of work. If a contractor suggests skipping the permit, that is a significant red flag.

Total project costs for a typical Ottawa detached garage electrical installation range from $4,500 to $12,000 depending on distance, panel size, and interior complexity. Getting two or three quotes from licensed Ottawa electricians who have done similar projects is the best way to dial in your specific number, and Garage IQ can help you understand what to ask for when you reach out.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Ottawa Construction Network connects Ottawa homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Homeupgraders
• RenoMotion Inc.
• Custom By Arie
• Eastern Residential Solution
• Steven Labelle - Your Complete Home Renovator