New kitchen install and wiring

[perrina]

Hi used a separate electrician company and kitchen installer on my recent new kitchen. They sent a kid round to do the elecs and for the first fix the kitchen installer was there. For the second fix the guy was there for the whole morning to fit in two single sockets and double socket into the back of the cupboards where the install guy had left the leads to the appliances. this guy did not know why the ceramic hob was not working...he did not know he had to wire it in. I am kinda ****ed as he ripped the back of the cupboard out pulling the wire through too.

I have now noticed an earth wire hanging out under the sink... was he supposed to bond this?

What in general is an NICEIC electrician on a kitchen installation supposed to do?

Cheers Kevin.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have now noticed an earth wire hanging out under the sink... was he supposed to bond this?

No.

What in general is an NICEIC electrician on a kitchen installation supposed to do?

Whatever the person project managing the job tells him to do.

By electing to get different trades in independently you assumed the role of project manager, which means it was down to you to specify to each party involved what their role was.

this guy did not know why the ceramic hob was not working...he did not know he had to wire it in.

Did you ever tell him that he would have to do that?

I am kinda p****d as he ripped the back of the cupboard out pulling the wire through too.

Then get him to fix that FOC.

The issue of poor work aside, overall if you decided that you would be in charge of the project then it was your responsibility to write the specifications for each aspect of the job.

If you were unable or unwilling to do that then you should have chosen a kitchen installer who offered a complete package.

 

[perrina]

I had the electrician (who were very expensive but a reputable company) and the kitchen installer round my house to price up and arrange the work, and all I said was "here it is my old kitchen put in my new kitchen, pointed to installer and said that you will do all except all the elecs so you the electrician will do all else

So...Me as a lay person am I supposed to go and take a course on F*****ng electrics installation to spell out every silly little bit of detail to what needs to be done. "Write a specification"!!??. Found out that he should also of recommended I install an RCD unit as well. Besides the point, I wanted a turnkey service for an electrician on the installation of new kitchen. I am a lay person and you can smell me a mile off, cant even wire a plug. I employed the best in the town on lots of recommendations on the basis that they would take care of all and now the job is done and only the minimum and to a poor standard.

Anyway the boss is coming round to sort it out as there is a list of things wrongs.

Anyway the debate here is what should an electrician independently employed as electrician on a kitchen install be expected to provide.

 

[jockspark]

if the electrician needed telling simple things like connect the hob there is something wrong as op said he is a lay person not a project manager he tells the sparks what he wants he shouldn't have to hold his hand or oversee every simple task also i agree in getting electrical contractor most kitchen fitters i would not trust to plug in the kettle never mind rewire the kitchen

 

[ban-all-sheds]

if the electrician needed telling simple things like connect the hob there is something wrong

Why?

How was he supposed to know that his job was to connect the cable to the hob and not just install the cable, control unit etc and leave the actual connecting of the hob to the person fitting it?

Either way is reasonable, but if nobody specified the scope of his work then he can't be expected to mind-read.

as op said he is a lay person not a project manager

Clearly not. So he shouldn't have tried to act like one, should he?

he tells the sparks what he wants he

But he didn't - that's the problem.

shouldn't have to hold his hand or oversee every simple task

That's not what I'm saying. The electrician obviously decided, not unreasonably, that his job was to provide the electrical infrastructure for the kitchen fitter to come along and connect to.

also i agree in getting electrical contractor most kitchen fitters i would not trust to plug in the kettle never mind rewire the kitchen

Fair enough, but someone has to project manage the whole thing. Arguably that should have been the kitchen company, but that wasn't what the OP decided.

He decided that nobody would be in charge. Simply saying "you do everything except the electrics, you do the electrics" is not being in charge, it completely ignores the fact that interfaces between the two trades need to be defined. He did not properly define the scope of their activities, and it went tits-up at the edges. That should not come as a surprise.

 

[jockspark]

if i go to rewire a kitchen i do the job complete i do my first fix positions ect
i work out with the client take the client preference add my advice this may be his first kitchen rewire . find out from kitchen fitter when it will be ready for me come back second fix connect hob .oven ect thats the way it s done
its a ****ing little kitchen not a £800.000 job project manager for what the sparks is the pro he sorts out the rewire thats why you get a pro
your comment the kitchen fitter to project manage the job if kitchen fitter
tried to tell me how to do the job he would finish the sentance on his back or on his own who the tradesman here

 

[ban-all-sheds]

if i go to rewire a kitchen i do the job complete i do my first fix positions ect
i work out with the client take the client preference add my advice this may be his first kitchen rewire . find out from kitchen fitter when it will be ready for me come back second fix connect hob .oven ect thats the way it s done

I see - I hadn't realised that there had never been a case in the entire history of the universe where it was the electrician's practice to do first fix, come back for 2nd and do all the accessories etc, but leave the connecting of cables to appliance terminals to the person installing the appliances.

its a **** little kitchen not a £800.000 job project manager for what the sparks is the pro he sorts out the rewire thats why you get a pro

I meant "project manager" in the generic sense, i.e. one person/company in charge of and taking responsibility for the project in its entirety. What the OP did was to hire two companies separately rather than, say, getting a kitchen company and giving them total responsibility and having them subcontract to other tradesmen as required.

When he did that he took on the responsibility of ensuring that each company involved knew exactly what the scope of their work was.

your comment the kitchen fitter to project manage the job if kitchen fitter
tried to tell me how to do the job he would finish the sentance on his back or on his own who the tradesman here

Can you really not see the difference between the person employing you telling you what he wants you to do and telling you how to do it?

If the kitchen company had got project responsibility, and had subbed the electrical work to you, would you really thump them if they told you that one of your tasks would be to connect a cable to the hob?