Dilemma, to have place re-wired or cosmetic job?

[mikhailfaradayski]

If you want to tart the place up for a couple of years then move on, then it might be worth selectively ungrading the electrics as suggested, in which case, the price might be a bit high, but i don't know the going rate for Berkshire. Its not really a fair comparison for a spark from another part of the country to say its too much/not enough. I would suggest that you get a couple more quotes to get a better idea.

However, if you plan to settle in the home for years to come, then you may well be in possession of the house at somepoint in future when it does want a rewire. If you wait until then, the re-wire won't cost you any less than it will now, but it will be far more inconvienient to have the work done.

If you consider that the cost of a part rewire + a PIR may take you (give or take a few quid) to the price of a complete rewire anyway it may just be prudent to bite the bullet and do it now. Its off the list of jobs for 50+years and you get piece of mind.

 

[Nefertari]

I'm inclined to agree with you Mikahilfaradaski,

this is going to be my home for a good few years or more. I'm spending out on new windows, fascias, soffits etc, kitchen, bathroom so whilst the place is in its undone state, I may as well get the structural stuff done all at the same time IMHO.

 

[LoveRocket]

I'd also agree with mikhailfaradayski on this one.

Your installation might not need rewiring right now, but it will do at some point in the future. 5 years, 10 or 15 even, but it will.

So as the place is going to be pulled apart and then redecorated, now is the time to get it done.

Get a full rewire, with plenty of sockets so you're not faffing around in a few years adding stuff, then that will be that for 40 odd years.

Get a few more quotes though!

 

[martinxxxxxx]

Id say rewire as you can get to choose where the sockets and lights go

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Good idea to put all wiring in conduit for ease of future changes. And if you specify metal conduit for switch drops, or BS 8436 cable it removes the need to have RCDs where you'd rather not.

Think hard about where to have sockets - it's difficult to have too many, and also about what circuits to have. The items on the list below won't all apply to you, but they are worth thinking about:

• Upstairs sockets
• Downstairs sockets
• Kitchen sockets
• Circuit for appliances
• Cooker circuit
• Non-RCD circuit for F/F
• Non-RCD circuit for CH boiler
• Dedicated circuit for hifi
• Dedicated circuit for IT equipment
• Upstairs lights
• Downstairs lights
• Immersion heater
• Loft lights
• Shower
• Bathroom circuit
• Alarm
• Supply for outside lights
• Supply for garden electrics
• Supply for shed/garage

Plus any peculiarities brought about by your house layout & construction - e.g. in mine because of solid floors and where the rings run, I have a radial just for a socket in the hall, the doorbell and the porch lights.

Unless you want to go to the expense of RCBOs throughout, the CU should have at least 3 sections, 2 on RCDs and one not into which you can install a mix of RCBOs and MCBs.

If you live somewhere where supplies are dodgy in the winter, have the lights, the boiler supply, and a socket in each room wired to a separate CU, or a separate section in a large one, that can be supplied by an emergency generator - lights, heating, TV and a kettle/microwave make life a lot more bearable.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

I was going to say all of that too, except had a baby on my lap. Gone night nights now though.

You have a wonderful opportunity to have the electrics just how they should be to suit your needs and not stuck in the 70s style with minimal amounts of sockets.

You're going to have to spend around 2k anyway, so just push the budget a little and build in a bit of future proofing. Get some quotes and ask for recommendations on design. It should have some of the elements in the post above. I think the RCBO route is the way to go if you have a big house?

Martin

EDIT Also cct for smoke alarms

 

[Nefertari]

Thank you all and esp to the last 3 posters. ban-all-sheds i'm going to print this thread out and highlight the points you have made.

One question, what's the F/F in your list? I'm thinking fridge freezer but what do I know about electrics

Martin, I think you have it summed up well, the house is a 3 bed semi, not what I would call large, but isn't titchy either - good luck with the baby, been there, done that, got the scars etc!

 

[RF Lighting]

Yes, it's fridge freezer.

It is nice to have a dedicated circuit for this so that a fault somewhere else on the installation will not cause you to loose the entire contents of your freezer.

I recently rewired a standard 3 bed end terrace with semi converted loft. We settled on the following:

Sockets Upstairs & loft (RCD)
Sockets Downstairs (RCD)
Hob (No RCD)
Kitchen Appliances (No RCD)
Oven / Extractor hood (No RCD)
Fridge Freezer (No RCD)
Boiler (No RCD)
Lights Upstairs & loft (RCD)
Lights Downstairs (RCD)


There are some spare ways in the consumer unit so it will be easy to install power to a shed or garage at a later date (not been built yet)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

EDIT Also cct for smoke alarms

I did have "alarm". Maybe I should change it to "alarms"...

One thing I ought to add is flood-wiring with Cat6 or Cat6a cable...

 

[RF Lighting]

Yeah, that is a good idea. I wired 2no. cat6 and one co-ax into each room of the house (except the bathroom) all back to a central point in the loft for a TV amp and small patch panel.

 

[LoveRocket]

RF Lighting: how did you avoid the need for RCDs on those cable runs? SWA? Flexishield? Steel conduit? (is most plater deep enough to bury steel conduit?)

 

[RF Lighting]

Steel conduit. It means chopping into the brickwork about 10mm, but a chasing machine makes light work of it.

The boiler is in a cupboard, so surface mounted in mini trunking.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

a chasing machine makes light work of it.

Makes dust too, doesn't it?

 

[Nefertari]

a chasing machine makes light work of it.

Makes dust too, doesn't it?

That's ok, there'll be loads of dust from taking down 2 walls anyway (1 upstairs the other down)

 

[RF Lighting]

a chasing machine makes light work of it.

Makes dust too, doesn't it?

Suprisingly a lot less that you would think.

I have mine hooked upto a decent vacuum cleaner, and providing you clean the filter after every 2 meters or so of chasing, it is a virtually dust free job.

I have used it in a furnished domestic house before now without problems.