Rewiring a large house as part of a redevelopment project

[ey143]

I bought a large house one year ago as part of a project to redevelop it and then live in it. The majority of the house will require total rewiring however I'm wondering whether I should leavr out the partially completed loft extension which was built around 1986 and has its own circuit including rcd fuse box.

The size of the house is approximately 3200 ft.² and we are undertaking a large single storey extension at the back which will add another 80m². The house will be totally gutted out and walls etc will be moved around. We also have two electrical mains coming into the house at different sides of the property because the previous owner built a separate annex to the house. My intention is to consolidate all of this on to one meter and get the network supplier to disconnect one of the supplies.

How much should I budget for the cost of rewiring the whole property and would it be a false economy to not rewire the loft extension because it seems to be more up-to-date compared to the rest of the house which was probably rewired in the late 60s or 70s?

 

[sparkwright]

You say the loft conversion was partially completed.

If there's accessibility, it would be advisible to rewire it.

If it's not accessible, and a complete nightmare to rewire, it needs a good looking at, and there's a good chance it can be saved.

Assuming it's be done right, wiring from 1986 should be fine, assuming there's no nasty hidden bodges.

 

[ey143]

THanks. How much should I budget for a rewiring of a project of this size? Also how much am I likely to save by not rewiring the loft?

Could you please advise how I should approach the project of rewiring in terms of knowing what to ask how to compare quotes and to make sure I'm not being sold an idea which is over the top?

 

[sparkwright]

You firstly need to decide if you want a bare-minimum job - if you want plenty of sockets, mains smokes, etc.

Someone needs to view the property, and you must decide if you want a future-proof installation, or a cheapo job.

You should get tradesmen who are recommended to you by people you know - that said, some of these people you know may not recognise a bad job, so watch out for that.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How much should I budget for a rewiring of a project of this size?

What the electrician(s) who come to see the place and discuss what you want tell you you should budget, but as a guide it will about as much as a second-hand car.

Also how much am I likely to save by not rewiring the loft?

What the electrician(s) who come to see the place and discuss what you want tell you you are likely to save.

Could you please advise how I should approach the project of rewiring in terms of knowing what to ask how to compare quotes and to make sure I'm not being sold an idea which is over the top?

Ask them to quote for what you want done, and tell all of them the same thing.

 

[ey143]

My second hand cars cost me £4k but I don't think this will cut it! I'm budgeting for about £10k maybe slightly higher, would that sound about right?

Could you all please give me a rough breakdown of where the main costs occur and how I can try and reduce this as much as possible. For example if you said do x at the same time as y then that will probably save you money or avoid breaking up the jobs in multiple parts etc.

Should I avoid giving the job of the electrics to the builders to do as I've had so many scare stories about people being electrocuted because of wrong earthing. Getting a certificate of course is paramount.

I don't plan to do that cheapo job as I want a proper system. Smoke alarms I might get my alarm guy to do as I wanted it linked up to a z wave automated wireless system.

 

[ericmark]

All down to trust and what you want.

I have seen where one guy has selected a consumer unit with all RCBO's and another with just 2 RCD's which means a huge difference in cost.

This will be repeated throughout the house. Some things make sense for examples sockets back to back and wiring following beams. One one job I was earning top bonus for the country on the project not because I was a fast worker or because I missed things but simply I planned out what I wanted before I started and selected easy routes.

So plan out what you want first taking into account cable routes if you consider two rooms with beams running one room to next with 4 sockets in each room fitting two sockets on the adjoining walls of each room following the run of beams and fitting two sockets on the opposite walls means no drilling of beams and the 8 sockets can be fitted cheaply. But select the other pair of walls then every socket will need a series of holes drilling so cost goes up. Of course on a rewire holes may already be there so cost goes down.

So keeping sockets where they are will be cheaper than selecting new locations simply as easier to run cables.

Cost is a problem for an electrician to estimate. All he knows is how many man hours the last house of that size took. So as the word suggests it's only an estimate. What he does is add a percentage to what he thinks it will cost to cover for any unforeseen problems. He is taking a gamble he hopes he will win but risk is his. However many builders pay day rate this means the builder is taking the risk not the electrician it also means he can use the electrician when required for other work. His workers work as a team. The plumber may drill holes for electrician or electrician drill holes for plumber it really does not matter to either as they are on day rate.

Main point is of course the builder is on site to over see what is going on. Last thing he wants is workers sitting down waiting for deliveries etc. He is there to manage the site. The problem is where one trade is held up and as a result all other trades have to wait.

With an electrician who has quoted he can't afford to hang around and so often there is a laid out time table. So first fix on date and then space second fix on date. If for any reason he can't do it then you could be charged and if you are ready early the job stops until that date.

Having to keep to a time table either draws the job out or costs money to keep it on time. All down to logistics. Using a large firm of electricians your more likely to be able to get them to juggle and provide you with labour when you require it. Smaller firm is more of a problem getting labour when you want it but more likely to have a electrician in tune with what you want.

My son did a few whole house re-wire jobs and sorry to say when his wife left him he had to give up being a sole trader and went cards in and although he finished most of the outstanding work those jobs where they were not ready for him on time he was forced to abandon. The same is true for large firms going bankrupt jobs which take 6 weeks great but some house refurbish jobs take years. Again down to planning.

So with so many variables clearly there is no answer to how much it will cost. Seems sneaky but it is done for good reason. Get a detailed quote and then show the quote minus price to others and ask how much for that work. Then at least comparing like for like.

 

[ey143]

Thanks, a lot of good advice there. I think I might just leave this to the builders to subcontract. I will probably make a hash of it if I start trying to deal with too many tradesmen and project manage myself whilst I am at work. I just want to make sure that the proper electrician rewires my house, and not some eastern European or Asian builder (my friend) who does not have the necessary qualifications to do it.

 

[ey143]

Hi again

Could I pls have your opinion on how best to calculate how many spot lights are needed for a room and how far apart they should be from each other? I was thinking of GU10s with 120 degree LED lighting bulbs.

Same with electrical sockets and light switches. Is there a rule of thumb as to where these should be placed, how far apart etc?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Electrical sockets and switches go where you want them.

There is guidance in the BS7671 On Site Guide on numbers, but YOU DECIDE, its your house.

Re downlights, must you? Its all a matter of which room, what it is to be used for. Personally I wouldn't use downlights in most rooms. Never in a bedroom. There are much better, more efective ways of efficiently and adequately illuminating a room.

 

[Taylortwocities]

My second hand cars cost me £4k but I don't think this will cut it!

And Chris Evans spent £2.27 million for a 1971 Daytona Spyder.

That's BAS's point, nobody can tell you how much without seeing what is there, and evaluating what you want to have installed.

 

[ey143]

Personally I wouldn't use downlights in most rooms. Never in a bedroom. There are much better, more efective ways of efficiently and adequately illuminating a room.

Care to share what sort of lights you refer to? I mention spot lights as most houses I have seen (new builds or remodeled ones) tend to have them. Builder told me that keeping them 1m apart is a good starting guide.

 

[RF Lighting]

I've just priced a 7 bedroom 3 bathroom 4 storey house full rewire including led down lights in the kitchen and bathrooms.

We came in at £12k. We are in the north of England. I'd expect London is more expensive.

 

[u587162]

Just been told that an electrician / M&E will design the whole thing and an electrician will test and sign it all of but the contractor will do the wiring. Is this common?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What whole thing?

What sense are you expecting people to make out of this out-of-the-blue-context-free post from you in someone else's old topic?