Full rewire..........costs

[CB™]

Hello all

First of all I would like to point out that I'm new so go easy

I live in the north of England in a three bedroom town house. I've recently decided to modernise and I thought while I'm at it I may aswell start with a full rewire.

After a lot of thinking I got a friend to come around and give me a quote, after explaining to him what I wanted done, he contacted me a day later and gave me a price of £1600.

Can anyone tell me if this is a good price I seem to think it is, but my Dad seems to think otherwise(bearing in mind that my Dad is as tight as cramp )


Here is a list of what I need

14 Sockets@ £35 each
12 lights@£35 each
7 Switches@£35 each (2 double 1 triple rest singles)
Also my friend said he would fit any new light and fittings we chose to go in all of the rooms.

A shower cable running in
A light in the loft to be fitted
2 security lights outside
2 smoke alarms
1 mains box + breakers
earthing from pipework to mains box
plus materials etc

Labour is included in the £1600

Can anyone tell me if I am getting a good deal.

Your replys will be appreciated

 

[plugwash]

sounds fairly cheap for a full rewire job

its the labour thats expensive rewiring involves a lot of work cutting chases in walls etc

 

[Porker]

I've always been a bit bemused as to the term 'rewire' because it seems to mean different things to different people. I have been in friends houses that have had a 'rewire' and the decoration (walls) has not been touched. Surely a rewire is replacing all the cables and configuring in line with current standards? If this were the case, in this instance it would seem cheap. I suspect that the job means something other than my interpretation.

What do the sparks on this forum do for a rewire?

 

[securespark]

A full rewire does indeed include the replacement of all cables, boxes accessories etc. But if you are rewiring a house and just replacing like with like, it is possible to do it with no (or minimal) disturbance to the decor.

Cables that are run in conduits or capping in the walls can have new cables fed into them using the old ones, thus doing away with any chasing in the walls. Then of course, there are the underfloor voids and loft spaces which can be used to run cables around the house in. I have actually done a rewire where very little in the way of disturbance was necessary, but this is often impossible if you want to supply areas that previously had nothing in the way of wiring.

 

[CB™]

I've always been a bit bemused as to the term 'rewire' because it seems to mean different things to different people. I have been in friends houses that have had a 'rewire' and the decoration (walls) has not been touched. Surely a rewire is replacing all the cables and configuring in line with current standards? If this were the case, in this instance it would seem cheap. I suspect that the job means something other than my interpretation.

What do the sparks on this forum do for a rewire?

I want every wire in the house replaced with new.

It needs doing it hasn't been done for 25+ years.

I've give my friend the go ahead anyway £1600 sounds reasonable for a full rewire etc.

 

[il78]

£1600 sounds reasonable to me.....

Make sure your friend can provide you with an installation certificate following the rewire.

 

[benjiman]

Is an installation certificate really necessary? A friend and myself re-wired my house. Neither of us are electricians - just very competant DIY persons.

All wires have been changed as has CU etc etc. All carried out without any shortcuts. No bodge jobs etc.

 

[dingbat]

Is an installation certificate really necessary?

Yes. If you want to comply with the Wiring Regulations you must provide an Electrical Installation Certificate, along with a schedule of tests and inspections. (And you should also attach all the required labels and produce a schedule of ciruits as well)

At the moment even a lot of sparks don't bother with the paperwork, but come January things will start to tighten up in that regard.

 

[AdamW]

Surely it is only necessary if you want to use the selling point "full rewire". No surveyor is going to remove the electrical accessories, say "Hey, new cables! Where is the certificate?!"

If you are doing it purely for your own benefit, you don't need it. How are they ever going to know (assuming you are using red and black)?

 

[dingbat]

No, you're not listening. A lot of people say that they always work to BS7671, but in order to do that, testing must be carried out and certification issued.

As very few DIY-ers will go to the expense of buying and maintaining expensive test equipment it follows that almost no DIY electrical work can be guaranteed to BS7671.

Home surveys are a complete waste of time anyway. Even a very expensive 'full structural' will come adorned with caveats and entreaty to pay for further 'specialist reports'. As to, 'who needs to see it anyway?' there's the crux of the matter - who is going to police it?

Only a fraction of the home improvements that are requred to be notified to building control ever are, mainly because Joe P is entirely (and innocently) ignorant of those requirements. As a tradesman you tread a fine line quoting regs at customers who fear you are simply trying to frighten them into having unnecessary work done when their neighbour reckons it shouldn't cost more then fifty quid. (Sigh) Roll on Part P...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Roll on Part P...

 

[D J Fryer]

£1600 sounds great if you are getting the job done, tested and certified. I haven't got my invoice in yet but I am expecting just over £2.5k for my re-wire by an NICEIC approved firm - same as your, 3 bed house and garage/shed but down south in High Wycombe.

 

[CB™]

£1600 sounds reasonable to me.....

Make sure your friend can provide you with an installation certificate following the rewire.

The rewire will be fully tested and certified, plus I will be loking to move in a few years so the NIC certificate will be a big help.