Can I do my own outdoor lights but get a leccy to finish?

[Solly]

Hi folks,

I'm currently doing a big bit of landscaping in my back garden. Something I've always been keen on is having lights in the back garden but I know there are rules and regulations that prevent you from wiring up your own electrics.

I respect the rules and regs and my own safety but I was wondering if it is possible to do my own wiring up to a point. So for example I would like to install lighting a the bottom of my garden which is 60 foot away from the house where I would like the switch. I want to install the lights, wire them together and then build a trench back to the house where I can then have an electrician connect it to the main supply and install switches.

Does this seem plausible or should I just leave the whole thing to the experts?

 

[sparkyspike]

There's nothing wrong with doing most of the work yourself. The main thing is to get an electrician round first. It will be well worth it. He can design and complete the work - providing there's something in it for him.

 

[Zambezi]

As Spike says it is doable but you will need a spark to tell you what size/type of cables to use and where to run them etc.

 

[Solly]

Good thinking fellas, I have a mate who's a sparky so I'll get him round to give me the initial advice.

Cheers for that.

 

[rebuke]

That's fine, as long as your mate is going to be the one doing the actual terminations etc and certifying it, if not (i.e. you're planning on getting a different spark in), then you may find that the other spark isn't happy with the routes your mate told you to use, or wants to see it at a different stage of completion etc...