Full Rewire Cost Saving?

[russ8585]

My house needs a full rewire and Ive been quoted £5K-£6K which I just cant afford.
I've been trying to think of ways to keep costs down and I wondered if I was legally allowed to run all the new cabling myself and have an electrician complete the connections.

Me: Run all new cables for sockets, lights, kitchen etc, cut out and install back boxes.
Electrician: Wire up sockets, lights, junction boxes etc, install consumer unit, connect to supply, test/inspect.

I was a plumber for serval years and am used to crawling under floors, running pipes etc, so I believe I could run the cables myself.

Questions I’m trying to work out:

Am I legally allowed to do this?
Would in electrician be likely take on a job done this way?
Would I really make any savings this way? (or am I better off just trying to get a loan)

Any advice would be welcome.

 

[SUNRAY]

Absolutely nothing wrong with it at all...

However...

It has to be done under the control of your electrician, you will have to speak to them and be comfortable with following their instructions.

 

[Murdochcat]

The answer is probably yes BUT discuss it ALL with the spark you want to work with before you do ANYTHING

I used to get calls from people wanting me to sign off their work as mine , in would laugh at them and politely finish the call

 

[ebee]

I would hesitate to do that when I was “on the tools” as we used to call it.
If I already knew someone such as a long time friend or relative and I was certain they would work under my full supervision and follow my instructions to the letter then I might have considered allowing them to provide some of the labour aspect but I’d soon dash the expectation that every hour they worked would not deduct a whole hour from my invoice (it takes time and patience to instruct them verify someone else to do what you’ve asked) .
I particularly remembered two jobs with two different electrician pals of mine where they did something off track to my instructions, caused me problems.
“I got to thinking this would be quicker/cheaper/better to do it this way!” Sort of thing.

When I coldly replied “I do the thinking and you do as I instruct - If you really think that you have such a good idea then run it through me first and do not just plough on regardless) .

I still remember how pained I was that they had gone off my plan without asking and I had to sort out getting it corrected.

It would be the same with any trade too say for instance plumbers and heating engineers.

For an ordinary person to follow such instructions never mind others in trades can have pitfalls.

 

[mikehammer69]

Its difficult for the untrained to get something like that right unless under direct supervision

It's not rocket science but there could end up being a load of time consuming snags

 

[ericmark]

My son for a short time, worked as a sole trader electrician, and he did to start with allow the customer to do some of the work.

However, he would arrange a date to continue with the work, only to find the customer had not done as arranged, so he either had to leave again, and his travel was a loss to him, and he had to have work he could fall back on, or he had to do the work himself, and it happened so often, he simply stopped allowing customers to do some of the work.

I also had to get a rewire for my mothers house, two problems, one cost, and two needed to pay for mother to stop in a home, while it was going on, so speed was the essence. It was uncertain how long my mother could remain at home, and if she had to move into a home, then we wanted to rent out her house to help pay for the home, so we could not really not have it rewired.

However, the re-wire was a basic re-wire, with no frills, and I was to make good after the re-wire, only stipulation was all ring finals, so I could add spurs latter if required.

It was not perfect, but it was fast and cheap. Latter I did add to it, but I had the compliance certificate to make selling easier when she died, and it was safe for her before her death, before the re-wire she had put an extension lead in a bucket of water, as she thought it was on fire due to a flickering neon. So all RCD protection was essential.

We also needed an electrical firm which understood the problems, one wall was papered they did not put sockets in that wall, because it is so hard to patch a papered wall.

 

[russ8585]

Thanks for your replies everyone. It sounds like this may not save much money after all.

 

[morqthana]

Nobody has asked this:

My house needs a full rewire

Why?

Who told you it does, and on the basis of what?

 

[russ8585]

I've had a few sparks out who have all said it's a full rewire. The sockets and fuse box do look very old.

 

[pete01]

This bloke doesn't seem to mind your plan, you could message him?

 

[Collectors]

If your confident enough & can do the work properly? , you might be able to do all the works & get an fully registered electrician to come & do a periodic inspection as you might be renting the house out for a year or two. If not & your on sites?, see if there is any apprentices about to 2nd fix.
Only some ideas. Or pop in a local electrical wholesalers & see if they know of anyone.

 

[aveatry]

Could you at least chop out all of the back box areas, lift floorboards, pre run pull through cables, drill holes. I am guessing that is all the bits that electricians dont like doing anyway.

 

[mikehammer69]

If your confident enough & can do the work properly? , you might be able to do all the works & get an fully registered electrician to come & do a periodic inspection as you might be renting the house out for a year or two. If not & your on sites?, see if there is any apprentices about to 2nd fix.
Only some ideas. Or pop in a local electrical wholesalers & see if they know of anyone.

What about the electrical training needed

Is he going to skip that part

 

[Collectors]

What about the electrical training needed

Is he going to skip that part

He is a plumber, with some help, he is half way there.

 

[mikehammer69]

He is a plumber, with some help, he is half way there.

Transferable skills