I'm having a spark come and quote me for a rewire on my recent acquisition, a 2 up 2 down semi.
It currently has 4 MCBs and a mainswitch, in a 12 way GE enclosure fitted around 2006 (blue and brown tails). The busbar finished at about 8 ways, and there are about 5 ways with no blanks, just white tape.
The shower cable runs outside, and there is no isolator for it, the immersion is disconnected (presumably because the shower took its MCB) The only ring main is connected in with the cooker circuit. The lights have no earth, yet every fitting is metal and theres a metal lightswitch in the living room. I have spied a bare earth wire in the loft, but not traced it as yet.
I know I could do this work myself, I am easily competent, but unfortunately Doncaster council's notification procedure is broken / corrupt / lazy / stupid, as per my post last week. Basically I cant do the work myself legitimately.
The kitchen needs refitting, but when funds become available (probably a year or so). Clearly getting the messy electrics sorted has to take priority, so this is being done now. But I dont want my kitchen being torn apart now to rewire it. So I'm going to ask for surface mounted accessories and trunking in the kitchen, with the old sockets being isolated so the cables can just be pulled out later. Similarly, surface mount allows me to do what I want when the time comes to refit the kitchen - I can alter the layout.
SO, I have written out a spec of what I want doing. I just need you guys to check it. Is this the sort of thing you like to be presented with on a job like this? Or is it a tad cheeky from me, a mere homeowner?
[code:1]
Total rewire of lighting circuit upstairs (4 existing points)
Additions:
Timed fan in bathroom (ceiling or wall) with isolator.
Ceiling fan above bed in bedroom 1 (supplied), switched from beside bed only.
Additional switch beside bed for existing light in bedroom 1.
Light in loft, pullswitch above hatch.
Rewire of lighting circuit downstairs (5 existing points)
Additions:
New lighting point in hallway, switched downstairs only.
Alter switches in living room, so both lights have switches at both doors.
Alter switches in kitchen so both lights have switches at both doors, and neutral present at one
switch for undercabinet lighting (fitting at later date).
2 Low energy downlights to be fitted in kitchen (supplied) in place of current halogen light fitting.
Provide seperate single switch for outside light, and replace floodlight with new low energy
bulkhead (supplied) between door and large window.
New lighting point under stairs.
New ring main to bedrooms and living room (6 existing points)
Additions:
Two double sockets in bedroom 1, either side of window.
One double socket in bedroom 2, to left of radiator.
Two existing sockets in bedroom 1 to be recessed into the lath and plaster wall.
New ring main/radial to kitchen (4 existing points)
Wiring in kitchen to be surface mounted in trunking, in anticipation of changing layout of kitchen
at a later date. 3 Double sockets to be provided to working area. 1 double socket under stairs. 1
double socket to be provided between radiator and window. Wiring to existing work area sockets to
be isolated. Sockets will be removed at later date.
Shower circuit.
To be renewed, with addition of an isolator switch in bathroom.
Cooker circuit.
To be wired on surface, with a couple of metres of slack, in anticipation of changing location at
later date.
No supply to be refitted to immersion heater (pending removal at later date).
No supply to be refitted to kitchen fan.
Main earth bonding to incoming water and gas mains to be fitted.
Aerial extension cables to be removed from outside the house, and run indoors to similar points in the
bedrooms, using wallplates. Virgin extension also to be re-routed indoors to bedroom 2.
Linked mains smokes to be fitted on landing (ionisation) and in lounge (optical if possible)
All accessories to be white MK. [/code:1]
Clearly I will offer to help with the donkey work, such as chasing walls, lifting boards, making good. The walls upstairs are lath and plaster, and from the loft you can see right to the bottom of them! This made me happy!! Not as much chasing to do! But the bathroom is fully tiled, including the floor. And downstairs is all concrete floors. I'm contemplating pulling the ceiling down in the kitchen when the time comes to permenantly fit the electrics. (lath and plaster, overboarded with plasterboard).
And comments about the list?
It currently has 4 MCBs and a mainswitch, in a 12 way GE enclosure fitted around 2006 (blue and brown tails). The busbar finished at about 8 ways, and there are about 5 ways with no blanks, just white tape.
The shower cable runs outside, and there is no isolator for it, the immersion is disconnected (presumably because the shower took its MCB) The only ring main is connected in with the cooker circuit. The lights have no earth, yet every fitting is metal and theres a metal lightswitch in the living room. I have spied a bare earth wire in the loft, but not traced it as yet. I know I could do this work myself, I am easily competent, but unfortunately Doncaster council's notification procedure is broken / corrupt / lazy / stupid, as per my post last week. Basically I cant do the work myself legitimately.
The kitchen needs refitting, but when funds become available (probably a year or so). Clearly getting the messy electrics sorted has to take priority, so this is being done now. But I dont want my kitchen being torn apart now to rewire it. So I'm going to ask for surface mounted accessories and trunking in the kitchen, with the old sockets being isolated so the cables can just be pulled out later. Similarly, surface mount allows me to do what I want when the time comes to refit the kitchen - I can alter the layout.
SO, I have written out a spec of what I want doing. I just need you guys to check it. Is this the sort of thing you like to be presented with on a job like this? Or is it a tad cheeky from me, a mere homeowner?
[code:1]
Total rewire of lighting circuit upstairs (4 existing points)
Additions:
Timed fan in bathroom (ceiling or wall) with isolator.
Ceiling fan above bed in bedroom 1 (supplied), switched from beside bed only.
Additional switch beside bed for existing light in bedroom 1.
Light in loft, pullswitch above hatch.
Rewire of lighting circuit downstairs (5 existing points)
Additions:
New lighting point in hallway, switched downstairs only.
Alter switches in living room, so both lights have switches at both doors.
Alter switches in kitchen so both lights have switches at both doors, and neutral present at one
switch for undercabinet lighting (fitting at later date).
2 Low energy downlights to be fitted in kitchen (supplied) in place of current halogen light fitting.
Provide seperate single switch for outside light, and replace floodlight with new low energy
bulkhead (supplied) between door and large window.
New lighting point under stairs.
New ring main to bedrooms and living room (6 existing points)
Additions:
Two double sockets in bedroom 1, either side of window.
One double socket in bedroom 2, to left of radiator.
Two existing sockets in bedroom 1 to be recessed into the lath and plaster wall.
New ring main/radial to kitchen (4 existing points)
Wiring in kitchen to be surface mounted in trunking, in anticipation of changing layout of kitchen
at a later date. 3 Double sockets to be provided to working area. 1 double socket under stairs. 1
double socket to be provided between radiator and window. Wiring to existing work area sockets to
be isolated. Sockets will be removed at later date.
Shower circuit.
To be renewed, with addition of an isolator switch in bathroom.
Cooker circuit.
To be wired on surface, with a couple of metres of slack, in anticipation of changing location at
later date.
No supply to be refitted to immersion heater (pending removal at later date).
No supply to be refitted to kitchen fan.
Main earth bonding to incoming water and gas mains to be fitted.
Aerial extension cables to be removed from outside the house, and run indoors to similar points in the
bedrooms, using wallplates. Virgin extension also to be re-routed indoors to bedroom 2.
Linked mains smokes to be fitted on landing (ionisation) and in lounge (optical if possible)
All accessories to be white MK. [/code:1]
Clearly I will offer to help with the donkey work, such as chasing walls, lifting boards, making good. The walls upstairs are lath and plaster, and from the loft you can see right to the bottom of them! This made me happy!! Not as much chasing to do! But the bathroom is fully tiled, including the floor. And downstairs is all concrete floors. I'm contemplating pulling the ceiling down in the kitchen when the time comes to permenantly fit the electrics.
(lath and plaster, overboarded with plasterboard).And comments about the list?
