HELP - Make Good? Rewire? You decide!

[Carlos74]

The house is a semi detached victorian, it was originally a 3 bed but the attic has been converted also so it is 5 small bed in all. It is quite a big house, not what I would call massive though, small footprint.

Doubley confused now, another spark came this evening suggesting using the existing wiring. He said the wiring is modern and good to use. He suggested where all the curcuits except the ground plug curcuit connect at the first floor fusebox. Joint all of these and sink them into either the wall or another cavity somewhere down to the ground and replace the fusebox in one common place down their. Then move the majority of the trunked plug wirings under the boards and back up above the floor boards. Sinking them in and extend and add sockets where needed. He is going to send some costings for the work.

So 2 different sparks with 2 different options.

Trying to arrange another one to look at and quote.

Am totally unsure the best route, maybe the costs involved will sway me when I get them.

 

[electronicsuk]

He said the wiring is modern and good to use. He suggested where all the curcuits except the ground plug curcuit connect at the first floor fusebox. Joint all of these and sink them into either the wall or another cavity somewhere down to the ground and replace the fusebox in one common place down their. Then move the majority of the trunked plug wirings under the boards and back up above the floor boards. Sinking them in and extend and add sockets where needed. He is going to send some costings for the work.

We haven't seen the job so aren't really in much of a position to say which of the sparks is correct, or even if they both are. However, I can't imagine how the existing wiring in trunking is going to be anywhere near long enough to move it under the floor and bring it up into the new sockets. Jointing it all over the place on a rewire is madness just to save a couple of quid.

 

[flameport]

It is not likely to be worthwhile moving old cables, joining new bits on and reusing them.
The cost of cables is small compared to the time taken to install them - and moving/joining/reinstalling old ones will take much longer than installing new cables.

You should also consider whether you want continuous lengths of new cables, or random bits of old and new ones with hidden joints all over the place.

 

[Carlos74]

Decision made, we're rewiring!

I found some dead points upstairs & don't really trust whats in place now. Also the price gap between making good and rewiring isn't that much of a gap so it's a no brainer. The place has no carpets and most of the walls will need skimming so makes total sense to do this now.

Thanks all for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[wingcoax]

Smart Lad

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Taylortwocities]

Not a problem if you live in a circular grass hut though

 

[wingcoax]

Not a problem if you live in a circular grass hut though

Also stops you spitting in the corners.

 

[Carlos74]

I did look at the doors & which way they open, it's a mixed bag but they seem to work for each room from what I can see so haven't changed any.

Update.
Spark has been here 3 days working 12hr shifts, he hasn't stopped. Already done most of lighting, adding 2way switchs etc. Both top floor plugs done. Added additional lights/plugs/coax/outside lighting, even pulled some ethernet between some of the floors as one of us works from home, Ip phones sucks over wifi.....

Very happy how it's going so far & the guy who's doing it as he's advised and thrown in ideas all the way through.

I now know that a rewire made sense.

Will keep you updated.

Thanks again,

Carlos

 

[natienka]

Hi everyone,

This is a really useful post. I am looking to buy a Victorian property and am very determined to retain (and even reinstate) all original features so the wiring was a big problem for me, but now that you explained it's done between floorboards and ceiling I was relieved!

I wonder what sort of questions you should ask of the electrician to make sure they know what they're doing in a period property (bearing in mind my knowledge of electrics is non-existent...)

Also, I do wonder, is there any way to install spotlights in a couple of places where a drop ceiling light will not work, so that it's fire safe? I read about some dodgy installations.

Thanks!

 

[riveralt]

Hi everyone,



I wonder what sort of questions you should ask of the electrician to make sure they know what they're doing in a period property (bearing in mind my knowledge of electrics is non-existent...)


Thanks!

Start a new post

 

[Chri5]

Nat

Where there are sweeps of Victorian and Edwardian roads and estates there will be trades of all type who are very aware (and able) to do sympathtic work.

In a bare unfurnished house with easy access to floor voids the work becomes quicker, easier and thus cheaper. There are challenges to older property (90% of my work is on such).

Such challenges tend to be to do with fabric and finish.

ie:

Older plaster that may fail and blow
Plaster lath walls and ceilings
Retaining original finishes such as lincruster below dado rails
Obsticals such as cove, dado and 12" skirtings

Have a look in my pictures, there's some simple ways to chop out boxes in pictorial form.

Just because a property is old doesn't mean that every cable will require chasing. Provided the light switches are staying where they are there's a 50:50 chance that existing tube or conduit will be in place, if so that should avoid some of the wall chasing feared by older property owners.

Planning is key- you need to decide position for sockets and switches (and which switches might be 2 or 3 way), and for all electrical items though out the house. External requirements such as lighting, sheds, garages and garden will also need consideration.

Then add in the modern needs- Data cabling, broadband access (and include one's for 'smart' TV's), security and CCTV if required, phones and TV aerial feeds.

The more throughly you spec the work, the more precise (and firm) the costs will be. Simple things like fancy metal plate sockets and switches can add to the material cost of work (since they are 3 x the cost of base white items).
If you plan for a loft conversion later then it makes sense to provide the main spine / circuits in to the area at the same time.

As for flush spot lighting, fire items are not required if the whole property is yours (no different owner of a floor above)- but do make sense from a comfort view point. They can be installed in a lath ceiling, but it is tricky. Sometimes it is better to simply change the ceiling for modern plaster board if spots are an absolute requirement.
Lamps for spots (GU10's) are juciy and judged as very poor at 50w per lamp. If you must have them factor in LED lamps which range in cost between £15 and £25 each (3-7w or eqv 30-50w trad type).

Area dependent (such as congestion area, parking zone at £30-£60 a day) hits cost price in London.

For an average Edwardian / Victorian 3 bed, 2 recp, kitchen, wc and bathroom factor a cost of £4k plus materials (£1200- £2000). Please accept those figures as a guide since each customer and the job has a level of uniqueness.

Do get 3 quotes and make such each quote is based on the same spec sheet that you supply. That sheet could be a simply floor plan indicating all your requirements topped up with any 'specials' you require such as fancy sockets and spot lighting.

Do also consider that best price isn't always best job or contractor to use.

 

[natienka]

Thank you Chri5, this has been extremely useful!

I had a builder around (not an electrician, mind) last night before agreeing to purchase the house - he seems to think the wiring is in good shape though I need to change the fuse box and a couple of other things.

I will still get an electrician in when we buy the house, of course, but I'm quite happy with lighting distribution at the moment, I do want to add a few wall lights and spot lights here and there but that should be fine following your advice below.

Thanks again!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I had a builder around (not an electrician, mind) last night before agreeing to purchase the house - he seems to think the wiring is in good shape

He's not an electrician - how does he know?

though I need to change the fuse box

Why?

I will still get an electrician in when we buy the house, of course, but I'm quite happy with lighting distribution at the moment, I do want to add a few wall lights and spot lights here and there but that should be fine following your advice below.

If there is any way that you can get the electrical work done before you move in then do so, as it's quicker (and therefore cheaper) to work in an unoccupied house - no need to move furniture around, no need to put floorboards back each day, no need to keep some power available all the time, and if also there are no carpets, curtains and soft furnishings to worry about no need to avoid the use of dust-making power tools.

Think hard about where to have sockets - it's difficult to have too many, and also about what circuits to have. The items on the list below won't all apply to you, but they are worth thinking about:

• Upstairs sockets
• Downstairs sockets (or a L/R or front/rear split)
• Kitchen sockets
• Circuit for appliances
• Cooker circuit
• Non-RCD circuit for F/F
• Non-RCD circuit for CH boiler
• Dedicated circuit for hifi
• Dedicated circuit for IT equipment
• Upstairs lights
• Downstairs lights
• Lighting circuits with switches in the usual places but with 2A/5A round pin sockets at low level.
• Immersion heater
• Loft lights
• Shower
• Bathroom circuit
• Alarms
• Supply for outside lights
• Supply for garden electrics
• Supply for shed/garage

Plus any peculiarities brought about by your house layout & construction - e.g. in mine because of solid floors and where the socket circuits run, I have a radial just for a socket in the hall, the doorbell and the porch lights.

Unless you want to go to the expense of RCBOs throughout, the CU should have at least 3 sections, 2 on RCDs and one not into which you can install a mix of RCBOs and MCBs.

It can be a good idea to put all wiring in conduit for ease of future changes. And if you specify metal conduit for switch drops, or BS 8436 cable it removes the need to have RCDs where you'd rather not.

If you live somewhere where supplies are dodgy in the winter, have the lights, the boiler supply, and a socket in each room wired to a separate CU, or a separate section in a large one, that can be supplied by an emergency generator - lights, heating, TV and a kettle/microwave make life a lot more bearable.

Flood-wiring with Cat6 or Cat6a cable is worth thinking about.

 

[Alarm]

Good post BAS but if doing all that you should include wiring for a intruder alarm and fire detection as well.

For the basic cost involved it is silly not to. And if not bothered about an intruder alarm a decent fire detection ( and CO) system is a no brainer.