Rewiring and adding drywall

[farticus]

My house needs a rewire, but it's incredibly messy and disruptive.

It also has horrible woodchip wallpaper, and painted over wallpaper, and Artex, in a lot of places.

Someone suggested fitting drywall over the existing walls, rather than trying to strip them back and re-plaster them. Sounds great, okay the room gets a few centimetres smaller but it avoids most of the mess and is cheap.

But what about the rewiring? Can the wires be behind the drywall only, to avoid chiselling out the plaster and creating a huge amount of mess? Okay some chiselling will be needed for deeper pattress boxes and stuff like that, but hopefully not nearly as bad.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Can the wires be behind the drywall only, to avoid chiselling out the plaster and creating a huge amount of mess?

Yes of course, but the wires must the right ones, and run in the permitted zones. I guess you'll be getting a registered electrician to do the rewire?

 

[CBW]

Yes, or course, how do you think new builds get on? Talk it all through with your electrician.

 

[sparkwright]

My house needs a rewire, but it's incredibly messy and disruptive.

It also has horrible woodchip wallpaper, and painted over wallpaper, and Artex, in a lot of places.

Someone suggested fitting drywall over the existing walls, rather than trying to strip them back and re-plaster them. Sounds great, okay the room gets a few centimetres smaller but it avoids most of the mess and is cheap.

But what about the rewiring? Can the wires be behind the drywall only, to avoid chiselling out the plaster and creating a huge amount of mess? Okay some chiselling will be needed for deeper pattress boxes and stuff like that, but hopefully not nearly as bad.

Not sure why they suggested drywall - it can't stick to wallpaper.

Unless you are planning on removing all the old existing plaster.

Or fitting wooden battens?

 

[farticus]

Yes of course, but the wires must the right ones, and run in the permitted zones. I guess you'll be getting a registered electrician to do the rewire?

Yes, that's the plan. Great news.

I don't know how they would be mounted. Drilled though to the brickwork I guess.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Yes, that's the plan. Great news.

I don't know how they would be mounted. Drilled though to the brickwork I guess.

Best to sort it with him/her then. If the existing walls are in reasonable nick the cables can simply be cleated to the wall, and the plasterboard fixed just with "dot & bab". Some of the "dots" can be used to further secure the cables.
If your woodchip is falling off then it would need to be removed and the wall made good.