Are you planning to change old rewiring and replace them with new ones? If yes, then it is important to hire an electrician who possesses good experience and expertise in performing all kinds of electrical works with utmost care. After all, you want to be assured that the new rewiring is done with efficiency so that there might not be any short circuits or power failure in your home. Read on o know about 10 rewiring tips before you decide to start with the work.
- Start work with great care – Rewiring house in London requires careful planning and approach and all kinds of electrical installation works are subjected to legislation and regulation. Part P of the Buildings Regulations handles electrical safety in residential houses and covers considerable alterations as well as newer additions like extensions in homes.
- Know if rewiring is required – Homes that are not rewired or touched for more than 20 to 30 years usually require proper attention. This is because the wiring is probably risky and old wiring systems cannot meet the demands of present living. Besides, fabric cabling, old switches, rubber or sockets fixed to skirting boards indicate that your house requires new rewiring.
A modern consumer unit consists of residual circuit devices (RCDs) and circuit breakers but an old fuse box has fuses along with replaceable wires. If you have a fusebox that has wooden back, fuses and cast iron, then it should to be replaced.
- Plan before starting the work – Rewiring your valuable property can be quite messy on your part which occurs in two stages:
- first fix when cables and wiring have been installed
- second fix when everything is made ‘live’ or joined up when the front faces of lights, switches and sockets are fitted.
The wires can go under the ceilings, floors, through walls and so, floorboards can be lifted and ceilings cut into. If you want to position new switches and sockets at correct heights, then plaster should to be chased within, too. Hence, it is necessary to plan what is exactly going in each room before starting with the first fix stage so that you know where you require plug points, lights and other electrically driven items.
- Prevent the additions mid-way through – You can prevent by drawing your home’s planning with each room on a paper and then marking the positioning of sofas, kitchen unites and beds. After this, consider the switches and lighting as certain things under-cabinet and bedside lighting are easy to do when it is planned from the beginning but can be expensive later. When considering about feature lighting and mood, don’t forget about heat alarms, smoke, garden RCD safety sockets and external security lights.
- Take into consideration future proofing – When it is about electrical appliances, it indicates high speed Wi-Fi, mood lighting, television sets in the bedroom, surround system and kitchen gadgets. The electrical circuits must be able to perform the job and you must plan much ahead for it. Know if you are looking for ethernet cable to each room for uninterrupted Wi-Fi or you want speakers in the rooms or a security system.
- Try to move out if possible – Full rewires generally take place when the houses seem to be vacant. But, for homeowners it is quite possible to stay in a room while having lots of works to complete. When you cannot move out, dust-cover furniture and costly items should be kept in a different room as this is not the responsibility of the electrician. You may ask an electrician to install new consumer unit and prep your habitable room by using temporary supply of sockets.
- Know how electricians carry out the work – Mostly, the qualified electricians will work on a fixed-price basis for all kinds of residential works. After thus, they may add in some costs for making necessary alterations in the properties. Most of these include first fix supply and fit that consist of back boxes and cabling as standard and then discuss with clients about the specifications to make the second fix.
You may try to keep the costs low by hiring a friendly electrician who can help with lifting floorboards, chasing out plasterwork and making access easy to save your valuable time. When both you and your electrician know the division of tasks, the renovator can chase plaster out to where they want switches and sockets, purchase the lighting, sockets and switches and even help with the installation process. You can get good prices online however, a professional offers preferential trade rates and so, you must double-check for the best price.
- Think of doing the entire work on your own – It is quite possible to carry out all the works by your own. This will involve making a Building Regulations application for inspecting your work before and after the completion done by an accredited electrician who has a valid certificate for doing the work. Make sure you have someone before you may begin with the work as many professionals won’t sign off for others installation. There is some kind of risk involved with this method, both from a financial and safety perspective.
- Know the exact costs – The costs associated with rewiring which consist of first and second fix with standard switches and sockets as well as excluding light fittings, has to be somewhere between £1,000-£1,500 in case of a kitchen extension. The cost for rewiring a three-bed semi is £3,500 on an average though the price will differ based on where you stay. Other variables are the size of your house, how accessible/vacant the property might be and the standard as well as complexity of the finish.
- Understand your exact timings – A kitchen rewiring might require two days, a three-bed semi probably two days to first the fix and then the same again for the second fix. However, a larger property will obviously require much longer time than it has been expected.
These days, common search strings like, “rewire my house” will allow you to find a good electrician in your area who can help with rewiring your residential property with great care. Thus, you can be assured of staying safely in the house without unnecessary electrical problems.
