do I really need a qualified electrician?

[diydad888]

Hi, building a rear extension for extended kitchen/dining room, I want to know if it is a requirement that only a qualified electrician can sign the job off or is it a competent person following the regs and standards..ie..can I do this myself and self sign as the competent person?

Cheers

 

[ebee]

Hi, building a rear extension for extended kitchen/dining room, I want to know if it is a requirement that only a qualified electrician can sign the job off or is it a competent person following the regs and standards..ie..can I do this myself and self sign as the competent person?

Cheers

You could do it youreslf if you are competent and have informed Local Building Control prior to starting - have a word with them first - although it might be less hassle (and cheaper) to get a registered person to undertake it for you.

Whoops sorry Scotland - That is a bit different from England & Wales so do not rely on my answer (Actualy as a registered person myself I would like to know how I would stand in Scotland too - I am not planning on working there as yet but I would be interested to see if I could do so.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There are two questions you need to ask:

1) You need to ask your Building Standards department what their position is on electrical work not carried out by an approved CoC.

2) You need to ask yourself if, and why, you genuinely believe that you could sign a declaration which reads

I being the person responsible for the Design, Construction, Inspection & Testing of the electrical installation (as indicated by my signature below), particulars of which are described above, having exercised reasonable skill and care when carrying out the Design, Construction, Inspection & Testing, hereby CERTIFY that the said work for which I have been responsible is to the best of my knowledge and belief in accordance with BS 7671:2008 amended to 2011 except for the departures, if any, detailed as follows:

And, although I am not saying that you could ever be in that position, your degree of certainty should be high enough that you would be happy to defend it under oath in court. In other words don't DIY if your belief is "well I think I could do it OK" - you must be damned sure, and know why you are damned sure, that it will be OK.