Finishing off rewire

[thegreenman]

Hi Everyone

Back in 2005 we started a renovation of our property which included a complete rewire. Due to finances we had to stop work for a while, however we now want to complete the project.

All circuits have been created (ring mains, lighting, etc.), they just need finishing with a few extra bits here and there.

When we started, building regs stated that we had to get all work done and certified by a qualified electrician. However I believe the regs have now changed so that 'competent' DIY'ers (which I consider myself to be ) can complete some electrical work themselves.

So my question is, can I complete the job myself and get an electrician to simply check and certify it for me when I'm done?

Cheers all!

 

[Taylortwocities]

No.
The rules now, and then are that any new circuit and a change of consumer unit are both notifiable. Registered electricians are only supposed to 'self notify' work that they have done themselves.

You need to find a friendly electrician who is prepared to lie to his registration body and the Local Authority.

 

[riveralt]

Your work will still have to be notified to the Local Authority Building Control - but since you have already broken the law in not applying before the work commenced the best you can do is apply for a regularisation application.

Competent DIYers can do a lot of work without notification but if it involves new circuits - a new consumer unit etc you will have to go down the Building Notice route - that hasn't changed.

 

[plugwash]

All circuits have been created (ring mains, lighting, etc.), they just need finishing with a few extra bits here and there.

Who "created" them? you? an electrician? do you have any paperwork for them?

Have building control been involved in this project in any way? if so what did you tell them about your plans for complying with part P?

When we started, building regs stated that we had to get all work done and certified by a qualified electrician.

For notifiable electrical works you had two legal choices.

1: you pay an electrician who is a member of a self certification scheme to do the work and certify/notify it through their scheme.
2: you notify the work to building control as for any other notifiable work and convince building control that you are doing it to sufficient standards.

AIUI under option 1 it would be legal for you to do some of the work under the electricians direction but not legal for you to do the work first and him sign his name to it afterwards.

This has not really changed.

However I believe the regs have now changed so that 'competent' DIY'ers (which I consider myself to be ) can complete some electrical work themselves.

The rules on what is notifiable in england* have changed and they are now expressed in a different way. Previously there was a list of what was not notifiable. Now there is a list of what is notifiable.

New circuits are still notifiable, so are new consumer units, work in the zones of a bathroom and work in rooms containing swiming pools or sauna heaters.

There was also supposedly an introduction of third party certifiers giving a third option for notifiable electrical works but AIUI no scheme for such certifiers has actually been started.

So my question is, can I complete the job myself

If the work needed is not notifiable or you notify building control then yes.

and get an electrician to simply check and certify it for me when I'm done?

You can contract an electrician to perform tests for you (and there is a version of the electrical installation certificat that has seperate signature boxes for design, installation and testing to record that different people were responible for those parts of a job)but doing so will not have any impact on whether the work is notifiable or not though it may help you demonstrate compliance with the technical requirements if you are notifying through building control.

* Wales are still using the previous english rules. Scotland has it's own system which is totally different.

 

[thegreenman]

Wow, wow!!
Blimey, talk about a assumptions!! Perhaps I should have been more explicit.

I have not broken the law and I'm not about to ask an electrician to lie to the authorities!! Local Building Control HAVE been fully notified of all work and the work done so far HAS been done by a qualified electrician.

I was simply asking if I could save some money by taking advantage of building regs changes and my experience of electrics by doing at least some of it myself.

 

[thegreenman]

Thanks for the info Plugwash
So would it best for me to talk to my original electrician and see if he will let me continue the work he started (kind of under supervision). Do you think that would be the best way to go?

 

[plugwash]

It would help to know what exactly it is that needs doing and in particular whether any bathrooms, sauna heaters or swimming pools are involved.

Whether your original electrican is prepared to let you do notifiable works under his supervision is up to him. I strongly suspect though that the majority of what you need to do will not be notifable anyway.

 

[thegreenman]

Bits that need doing are 2-3 additional sockets, 2 additional lights and associated switches and smoke and heat alarms. 99% of the cabling is present and the cable needing laying is just for the additional lighting. There is a new cloakroom (basin and toilet) that needs a light and pull cord installing.

I suppose the main reason for my original question was that the work done so far by the electrician has not been signed off (to either me as the customer or building control) as it wasn't complete. So I didn't want to get myself into trouble by doing the additional bits if I wasn't allowed.[/list]

 

[plugwash]

Ah in that case you really do need to get him back to at the very least certify and notify the notifiable work he has already done. Whether you choose to work with him to complete the work and then certify it all as one big job or whether you get him to certify it in it's current state (assuming it's in a safe state) and then do the rest of the work as seperate jobs is something you will have to discuss with him.

 

[riveralt]

I have not broken the law and I'm not about to ask an electrician to lie to the authorities!! Local Building Control HAVE been fully notified of all work and the work done so far HAS been done by a qualified electrician.

Sorry I must have missed this statement in your original post
However your building control notice will have expired (3 years is normally the standard length of time) so as I said you will need to go through the regularisation route if you intend to finish the job and get it signed off by an electrician.
You will need to check with your LABC to verify what their rules are.
Some will allow completion at any time provided they were notified of the work starting within the three year period.
However, the work completed must comply with the current requirements of BS7671.