Kitchen rewire - Flooring removal?

[Jabhead]

Hi all,

We're planning on redoing the kitchen and I think it's going to need a rewire. We're also going to get the consumer unit replaced at the same time as it's old (and we'd like to move it slightly higher.

The thing that concerns me is that the consumer unit is by the front door in the hallway. The flooring in the hallway is wolid wood flooring (bamboo) over the wooden subfloor. I believe the cable that runs to the kitchen goes down and runs under the subfloor.

The question is - in order to rewire and fit the new consumer unit, is the bamboo flooring going to have to be lifted? It's pretty new and if it had to come up and was damaged in the process that'd be £500 down the drain (plus replacing it!).

Or is there a way of doing the kitchen rewire without having to get under the hallway floorboards? There's nothing being rewired anywhere in the hallway or nearby - just the consumer unit being replaced.

Thanks for help/advice in advance.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You can go up in to the ceiling void and drop cables, cables are permitted in safe zones only unless mechanically protected, also regulations depths of chases within walls, must be complied to. Your electrician should be aware of this.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques:walls
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques:route

 

[Chri5]

Cables can go up and over, down and under, via containment / trunking.

So what you need to consider is the hassle factor, cost of work and aesthetics.

Trunking in MT3 or MT4 does look ugly, but can be painted in. Up and over will require floor lifts, carpet (or solid covered floor system)and furniture removal, downstairs will need the bamboo and sub floor up.

On the hall floor, might there be access via the main front and back room floor voids?
Is the bamboo a click system laminate which with care can be lifted, more so if its very recent.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's pretty new and if it had to come up and was damaged in the process that'd be £500 down the drain (plus replacing it!).

Shame you didn't use Tongue-Tite screws...

 

[betty02]

I'm no way technical or electrical at all - However here's what me and a mate did once,

He faces the same issue couldn't rip up the hall way flooring and needed to re-wire the back room, we un-realed loads of 3 core cable and strapped it to that of the old cable running to main board, we taped it on and made it like a pointed arrows head with tape, then went to the main unit and pulled through the old cable which brought the new one with it, now we was lucky as we looked at all the beams that had been drilled previously and there was enough space for 2 cables to pass through, if not we would've had to connect end to end to pull through and run the risk of it being snagged off, but we got lucky.

Maybe not the safest or best practice way but it worked for us I guess it kight be worth a shot?

 

[RF Lighting]

An experienced electrician should be able to work out a route with minimum disruption, and without needing to lift your floor.

We come across houses with concrete floors all the time.

 

[Chri5]

It's pretty new and if it had to come up and was damaged in the process that'd be £500 down the drain (plus replacing it!).

Shame you didn't use Tongue-Tite screws...

I used them on 40 sq m of flooring, buggered my battery drill! What it did allow was to be able to undo work and access sub floor voids which I've done a few times since.

Just don't lose the special square key head.

 

[RF Lighting]

I bet I could cut a discreet access panel with my amazing bosch multi tool that you'd never even know was there

 

[sparkwright]

As RF says, an experienced electrician will find a way.

As this is a suspended floor, there is a good chance a 'fishing' rod can be passed through, onto which the cables are tied to then pulled through.

There may be a redundant cable under the floor that can be used as a draw wire. In older houses, fortunately, cables are rarely clipped to the joists under the floor - which does make rewiring easier.

If necessary the cables may have to fed under the floor upstairs - but your electrician will be as keen as yourself to do this.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I bet I could cut a discreet access panel with my amazing bosch multi tool that you'd never even know was there

He's right, you know.

 

[RF Lighting]

What hole?