Studio flat

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Hello,


I’m in the process of converting my side garage into a studio flat, i would like to put a separate consumer unit so my tenant has the ability to power on/off in case of emergency etc..


There will be a few sockets, lights, and an electric hob/fan/fridge/washing machine.


What type of cable would I require to run between the 2 units?


Thanks
 
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That you are asking indicates that you should employ an electrician.

The work is notifiable to the Local Authority before you start the work - unless the electrician is 'registered' when he may do it upon completion.
 
i have no intentions of wiring this up myself but i need to run the cables etc so just wanted to find that bit out first. i will be looking for a sparky once everything is ready to connect up.
 
i have no intentions of wiring this up myself but i need to run the cables etc so just wanted to find that bit out first. i will be looking for a sparky once everything is ready to connect up.
You need to get an electrician on board first. If you 'run cables' before that, on the basis of your own ideas and/or advice from third parties (such as this forum), then you could find that an electrician was not prepared to 'connect up' - because of what cable had been installed and/or how it had been installed.

Kind Regards, John
 
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Find an electrican willing to work WITH you rather than get in the situation outlined above ^
 
In the main any outbuilding comes with three options.
1) The fused connection unit, so total limited to 13 amp.
2) The MCB or RCBO this varies consumer unit to CU and the maximum size varies from 32 amp to 70 amp. Only seen 32 amp limit in old Wylex and 70 amp with the old load master, but often 45 amp is the largest that will fit.
3) A henley block and basic same limit as main house. Often variation from this with an isolator but not a MCB or RCBO in the main CU.

There is a 4th where the same CU does main house and flat, this is what I have, so total of 14 RCBO's.

Number 3 needs same size cable that feeds the house or more, likely 25 mm² cable, where as number 2 you can get away with smaller cable, and number one will not suit you.

This is old so a little outdated however it goes through the considerations for an outbuilding.

We need to consider what earthing system to use, we need to look at the voltage gradient if not same as main house, and so distance from main house matters, and today the likelihood of charging EV's, and what happens if a RCD trips.

For a living caravan it is considered 32 amp is the smallest supply, just over 7 kW, and some homes only have 60 amp to start with, so you need to look at the existing supply first. With a caravan we have battery powered lighting so there is little danger if a RCD trips, not however with a flat, so likely the supply will come before any main house RCD.

So what you are looking at is design, and it may be using a gas cooker can save a lot of money, so it needs a lot of planning.
 
I... This is old so a little outdated however it goes through the considerations for an outbuilding. ....
We need to consider what earthing system to use, we need to look at the voltage gradient if not same as main house, and so distance from main house matters ....
I may be wrong, but I took the OP's reference to a 'side garage' to be referring to a garage attached to the house - in which case not an 'outbuilding' that might require thought about earthing systems and no appreciable distance from the main house.

Hopefully the OP can clarify - but none of that alters the advice that he should get an electrician involved before he does anything.

Kind Regards, John
 
Hello,


I’m in the process of converting my side garage into a studio flat, i would like to put a separate consumer unit so my tenant has the ability to power on/off in case of emergency etc..


There will be a few sockets, lights, and an electric hob/fan/fridge/washing machine.


What type of cable would I require to run between the 2 units?


Thanks
You will have included electrical arrangements in your planning application for converting a garage into a dwelling.
 
You should certainly get an electrian involved to check the fine details and connect/certify the installation and it's probablly best if you get them involved before actually running in the cables, but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea to have a spec in mind first.

Assuming the run length is not excessive I would suggest 16mm² 3 core SWA

You want SWA so the cable doesn't have to be RCD protected.
You could go two core but that then means relying on the armour as an earth which is something I'd personally rather avoid.
Sizes above 16mm² can be awkward because the terminals on domestic earth bars (both separate and in CUs) are only designed for cables up to that size.
You could possiblly go a little smaller but the savings aren't all that great and I'd rather have some margin.

At the source end I would suggest splitting the tails and using a switchfuse to protect the SWA. This keeps the two systems as seperate as they can possiblly be while sharing a feed from the DNO.
 
What size of garage is it that you're converting into a "studio flat" for tenants?
The main reason I have omitted to comment about the electrics as a single garage is unlikely to be anywhere big enough for a dwelling space.
 
The main reason I have omitted to comment about the electrics as a single garage is unlikely to be anywhere big enough for a dwelling space.

It's actually getting beyond a joke now what people think they can squeeze other people into and then charge rent.

Not that I know anything about this individual situation here but that's just a general thought from me.
 
It is (or will be) a Studio Flat.

Matchboxes are deemed big enough for Studio Flats.......

Guidelines are 37 sq m for a 1 person dwelling including kitchen space and shower room.

Bed space should be 2.5m wide min, and ceiling height 2.3m min across 75% of the space.

However, these numbers are not set in stone and smaller SC dwellings exist.
 

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