New extension - doing your own electrics.

[flux capacitor]

@flux capacitor , mate, you don't have a scooby do.
Sorry but you have no chance of convincing LABC that you are competent to carry out the electrical works that you envisage.

This is so very basic and has been part of the Wiring Regulations since the 17th edition (got a copy? I thought not)

Thanks for the reply taylor

I'm still in the learning phase.

Perhaps I have misunderstood how this works and ericmark reply does make me believe it's not as straightforward as I thought.

I realise that a fully qualified electrician has a large body of knowledge (which also includes current regs) - A person can not hope to take in all this info in just 1 day and it’s not what im trying to do (or thought I needed to).

An electrician requires 2 things, knowledge of electrics (to include regs etc) and the dexterous ability to actually carry out the work (use of tools safely etc).

I believe I have the ability to physically carry out the work and use the tools safely – luckily (for now) one does not need a licence to use a drill/screwdiver/hammer/wire striper...

Granted I don’t know all the regs – I cant read all the regs in a short time, but I could perhaps read the relevant regs that pertain to this specific job. And this is my aim here, not to learn everything, but most things so the BO does not make me redo the lot.

I was under the impression if I had carried out the work as in my DRAFT plan, using no RCD for the lighting circuit due to not knowing the rational of using one or knowing the current regs – then the building officer would spot that, as that’s what I paid the £500 for, he would say, sorry you made a mistake and must put both light circuits on an RCD. I would then correct this. This is how I thought DIY electrics by an unqualified person under the watchful eye of a BO would go. I guess that’s not the case according to ericmark?

I had no idea I had to convince the BO prior to doing the work - I thought he would use his eyes to see what was done.

 

[flux capacitor]

You can't carry out work like this by asking whatever random questions happen to occur to you, what if you get something wrong because you have no idea your knowledge is wrong? What if you miss something because you simply have no idea it even exists, and just don't realise you don't know it?

I genuinely thought that's what BO were for.
I understand why people should not do their own electrics - you can literally kill people, it does not get more severe than that. I thought I was not doing on my own - I thought the building officer was looking out for me? Perhaps I have misunderstood what the service provides.

 

[flux capacitor]

A friend of my cousin is an electrician, he has offered to do the job for 2500 with parts. Or just 2000 labour. He said if I wanted to do it he can also guide me all the way through the process and be there at every step, effectively I will be his helper. He told me told me to make him an offer. I guess I could pay him the £500 rather than the council (which is looking impossible).

 

[EFLImpudence]

Just contact a registered electrician and have these discussions.

If you have to pay the BO £500 then give it to an electrician instead.

 

[flameport]

I thought the building officer was looking out for me? Perhaps I have misunderstood what the service provides.

The law requires that whatever you are building/installing complies with building regulations, and that you notify building control before doing such things.
Building control will inspect things to see that they do comply - but it's up to you or whoever is doing the work to demonstrate compliance.

This would typically be things like you saying to them:
- here are the calculations for this structural support
- here are the heat loss calculations for this extension
- here are the electrical certificates showing compliance with BS7671

For all of those and everything else you can do them yourself - or if you cannot do those things, you would need to have someone else do those things for you.

BC may offer advice in some circumstances, but ultimately they are not there to tell you how to do everything, or arrange for others to do so.

It's very unlikely any of them will offer advice on electrical wiring and BS7671, as that is not part of the building regulations - in most cases they expect someone else to do the design, inspections and to issue a certificate stating it complies with BS7671. Complying with BS7671 is the normal method of showing that the installation complies with building regulations.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have attached a drawing

Showing a WC opening directly into a kitchen. Is that allowed?

And an enormous bedroom with sofa seating for 6 people....

 

[flameport]

Showing a WC opening directly into a kitchen. Is that allowed?

It is now, but was not permitted in the past, when 2 doors were required.

Whether people would actually want such an arrangement is another matter.

 

[JohnW2]

It is now, but was not permitted in the past, when 2 doors were required.

Indeed, but as I understand it, in those 'two doors' days, having two doors a couple of inches apart was acceptable - so with such a loophole, it didn't really achieved much, anyway.

Whether people would actually want such an arrangement is another matter.

It's certainly something that 'sounds not nice'. However, it seems that many a professional kitchen has a toilet leading directly off it, and we are generally happy to eat the food that comes out of those kitchens.

Kind Regards, John

 

[mic2876uk]

Another option to building control is to use a registered 3rd party.

This is what I did recently when rewiring my own house with no relevant qualifications.

The work I undertook was to completely rewire one ring main circuit from the CU and add additional sockets (every wire and socket new) and a complete new ring main circuit which never existed before.

The registered 3rd party visited on 3 occasions and was involved at the onset.
1st visit during 1st fix
2nd visit circuits complete but not plastered to see all wire routing and perform tests
3rd visit 2nd fix to see final finished condition and redo some of the tests carried out

Total cost £150 considerably cheaper than the quote of 'at least £500' when i phoned my local BC

So this might be worth looking into as a much cheaper alternative.

 

[JohnW2]

Another option to building control is to use a registered 3rd party. ... This is what I did recently when rewiring my own house with no relevant qualifications.

That has, indeed, been an option since 2013 (in England, but not Wales). I'm glad that you managed to invoke it, but so few have shown interest in becoming a "registered third party certifier" that most people have had grave problems in finding one. I suspect that many/most electricians who could apply for such registration feel that they would be better off by sticking to doing 'real work'!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

It is a poorly thought out scheme which isn't/wasn't actually necessary.

Any registered (for self-notification) electrician could supervise the OP throughout his work and complete the paperwork as if with an employee.

Obviously, a BC charge of £500 and the electrician's relatively low £150 make this example viable. However, a more reasonable BC fee with lengthier electrician's involvement will bring these numbers closer together to where there may be little difference.