Should my electrician make good the holes around the plug sockets and light switches?

[evil_cliff]

Hi all - This is my first post as a new member....

So I've just bought my first house and its a bit of a project to say the least and I'm a newbie at DIY.

I have had a full new rewire throughout the property with everything chased in. My electrician is all done now and I'm happy with the work he has done however, where he has added new boxes for light switches and plug sockets he hasn't filled around it and has left them all loose in the wall.

As I'm new to all of this I was wondering if this is normal for him to do this or is it my job? I thought he would at least fill behind it or something? Some of the walls are just stud walls so theres not a lot inside of the walls anyways.

Maybe as its being all done up he thought its the plasterer who will do that work (even tho I had mentioned a few times were are not touching downstairs until spring next year!!

FYI - we have had the two upstairs bedrooms plastered and over boarded and those sockets are all fine and flush. Is it a miss understanding or just my job and I have high expectations?

All advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Andy

 

[crystal ball]

All depends what you agreed before the job, although its a long time since I did a full rewire my usual spec was "plastering & making good to be done by others", some sparks are quite reasonable plasterers and will include making good

 

[securespark]

It depends on what was agreed as part of the job. When you look on the quote/ estimate, what does it say about decorations?

Edit: Pah...too slow again!

 

[JohnW2]

.... where he has added new boxes for light switches and plug sockets he hasn't filled around it and has left them all loose in the wall. As I'm new to all of this I was wondering if this is normal for him to do this or is it my job? I thought he would at least fill behind it or something?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'loose in the wall', but the general answer to your question is that what the electrician does and doesn't do will be dependent upon what you agreed with him, as documented in his quotation/estimate and/or any written contract you might have. If the documents say nothing about 'making good', then I think it is probably reasonable to assume that such is not part of the contracted/agreed work.

Kind Regards, John
Edit: even slower!!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Firstly the back boxes should be secure to the fabric of the building and not loose and the face plates must enclose the terminals and not be left hanging off.

With regards to the remedial work around these, what was agreed between you, did the electrician quote or agree to do the remedials.

 

[evil_cliff]

Wow quick replies guys!

Well I am probably naive and thought that making good was part of the work and was included in the job so I didn't think to ask if that was optional. As for the quote I couldn't tell you as its been emailed to my girlfriend on her computer so I'll check with her later. In the meantime, I'll take some pics and upload them here so you can see what I mean.

I feel this whole process we have been taken advantage of because we are newbies and don't really know what we are fully doing by lack of experience (other things have happened like missing floorboards from the plumber and using visible plastic piping when it should be copper and leaving their rubbish but still taking scrap even though it wasnt agreed ...but thats another story!)

I'll look at the quote to check but by the sounds of it I don't think he would do it unless agreed before undertaking the work. Silly me...live and learn. I guess you have to be super transparent about what is actually getting done and what to expect. We're learning the hard way

 

[JohnW2]

I feel this whole process we have been taken advantage of because we are newbies and don't really know what we are fully doing by lack of experience ....

Maybe, but if he didn't quote for the making good and didn't do the making good, you have not paid the additional amount he would have charged you for doing that - so, in financial terms, you have not been 'taken advantage of'.

However, one might have expected that the electrician would have asked you whether you wanted him to do this additional work (and then quoted for it, if you said yes). However, as you suggested yourself, given that the whole place was being 'done up', he might have assumed that you would want your plasterer to do this, which could well result in better and maybe cheaper (if plasterer was doing other things, anyway) work.

Whatever, as you say, you've learned a lesson which virtually all of us learn at some point in life. Whenever commissioning work, you should be very careful to ensure that the quotation/contract/whatever actually does specify (all of) the work that you want to be done (and that all of the T&C / 'small print' is acceptable to you!)!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Simon35]

Wow quick replies guys!

Well I am probably naive and thought that making good was part of the work and was included in the job so I didn't think to ask if that was optional. As for the quote I couldn't tell you as its been emailed to my girlfriend on her computer so I'll check with her later. In the meantime, I'll take some pics and upload them here so you can see what I mean.

I feel this whole process we have been taken advantage of because we are newbies and don't really know what we are fully doing by lack of experience (other things have happened like missing floorboards from the plumber and using visible plastic piping when it should be copper and leaving their rubbish but still taking scrap even though it wasnt agreed ...but thats another story!)

I'll look at the quote to check but by the sounds of it I don't think he would do it unless agreed before undertaking the work. Silly me...live and learn. I guess you have to be super transparent about what is actually getting done and what to expect. We're learning the hard way

You're the one holding the purse strings though. If floorboards have been lifted and then lost, offer your plumber the choice of sorting it himself, or accepting a deduction from his invoice so that you can contract a joiner to come and replace. You aren't being unreasonable in that instance.

Making good around sockets and wall chases, I personally wouldn't expect that to be included.

 

[Simon35]

.....

 

[Taylortwocities]

I do electric stuff. I am not a plasterer, carpenter, furniture mover or carpet fitter. All that making good stuff I specifically exclude in my T&Cs as the customer expects quality job!

Also re taking away waste materials from site. Any business transporting waste, whether their own or someone else's, for free or for profit, must now register as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency in England. There's fines up to £5000 for not having a licence and (round here anyway) the environment agency often pull vans over to check if there's waste on board.
A licence can cost money, depending on some random criterea.

If the plumbers have disappeared with your property, you'll need to take it up with them. Electricians (of course) would never stoop so low.

 

[evil_cliff]

Thanks all....

I've checked the quote and as I predicted there was no mention about decorating.

The socket is a bit loose in the wall tho and would have thought he would make it a bit more solid than what how it is now but maybe that's my job! Here's a pic to show you what I mean.

 

[JohnW2]

Here's a pic to show you what I mean....

Goodness - did the electrician make those holes, or were they at least partially there already?

Kind Regards, John

 

[evil_cliff]

Nope! He made those holes! Thats why I'm so surprised and thought Id ask you guys....

 

[333rocky333]

Would not have thought a dry lining box would be the best choice on that wall

 

[sparkwright]

Unfortunately there will often be a lot of damage when chasing walls in very old houses.

The plaster just crumbles away.

Before second fixing (ie fitting the switch and socket faceplates), the electrician should have asked you who was going to do the plastering.

It's a bit of a bad job doing the second fix before the plastering, as all the crud ends up all over the faceplates and in the terminals.

Most electricians aren't plasterers, so some wouldn't necessarily make a good job filling the chases.

On a largeish job such as yours, the plaster repairs should really have been done before connecting, even if someone had just put an initial bonding coat on, if semi-skilled, just to keep things a little tidier.