A bloke called john I met in the pub. Said he helped his brother wire a house once and it didn't look too hard, so I thought why not! - he only wants £200 for the job and I do love a bargain.
We all do. My mother needed a new wet room. Electrician came and said he would fit a whole new consumer unit instead of a RCD for just wet room for £100 my dad run me up and said what do you think and I said yes for that price why not.
(Do remember this was instead of fitting a separate RCD and fuse)
However I regretted it after. I walked in while he was unsuccessfully trying to get the RCD to hold in. Not a meter in sight he ended up fitting an isolator instead of the RCD promising to return next day. We never saw him again.
I was left with the job of correcting the errors. I was lucky I did have a full test set and I also had the knowledge required to use it locate the fault and correct it. Also since mother was having the work due to her disability there were no Part P charges and the LABC did accept my signature on the installation certificate.
But the so called cheap job often costs more than doing it properly. We have heard on here of £500 bills just to get the work registered with LABC never mind what it cost to get it put right.
Reading the Part P document it says how you can DIY but in real terms that is for some one like me, who is not a scheme member but is an electrician it's not designed so an ordinary person can do the work.
Had I not had the required qualifications I would have been forced to pay an inspector selected by the LABC to check my work. Since the inspector was not part of LABC they could charge extra for his time. And after all that I would not get an installation certificate only a completion certificate so selling the house this could be a problem.
I am sure many could wire there own home but as to if cheaper than getting an electrician that's another question. When my test set when to be calibrated I went to hire one. Charge was £75 per week with a week minimum hire.
So with LABC charges and Inspectors charges and/or hire of test equipment it will likely cost around £700 on top of what you pay for materials. I would estimate to re-wire my house myself will likely cost £2000 and take me around 6 weeks. But to get an electrician likely £3000 and all done in a week. All it would need is a couple of fails with the LABC selected inspector and it costs more than getting a firm in to rewire.
Add a socket or two yes. Anything not requiring notification. But whole rewire even I would think twice.