A rewire is an investment to your home, before you instruct any electricians to work on the property it is important to know what to expect. Here is a short guide on what to expect when you are having a re-wire or partial rewire.
Preparation
Having a re-wire is like open heart surgery for your house - it is an intrusive
process where needed we will chase walls, lift floorboards and remove pieces
of the ceiling. It is therefore important that you remove any precious, easily
damaged or priceless belongings from the premises to avoid damage.
We recommend removing as many personal belongings from the building as
possible / emptying wardrobes. Beds are best removed but if you can't
moved to the centre of the room and covered with a dust sheet. If we are
Re-wiring lighting, we would need access to above the ceilings, so if your attic has
loads of personal belongings it is best that they go into storage.
We would recommend moving yourselves and any pets out for the duration
of the works to avoid harm.
Phase 1: Removing the existing electrical system.
Removal of the old electrical system, we will cut out old cabling,
sockets, back-boxes and remove the old distribution board. We will then
set up a temporary double socket for site power (being able to make a
cup of tea is important).
Phase 2: Chasing Cable Runs
Chasing out cable runs and installing new backboxes - This is the
most messy part of the job, we run chases approx 50 - 80mm wide and 30-
40mm deep to every switch and socket in the house. This creates lots
and lots of dust and rubble. For a normal 3 bedroom house, this stage
takes around 4-5 days to complete
Phase 3: First fix wiring
We will install all new cabling in the chases we
have made, these will be clipped back, new metal or plastic back-boxes
will be installed. For a normal 3 bedroom house, this stage takes around
4-5 days to complete.
Phase 4: Plastering
Plasterers will normally take 2-3 days to patch the walls up. Allow a further 3-4 days for
this to dry.
Phase 5: Painting & Decorating
Whilst this step can be left until later, it is usually best
to paint before sockets and switches get installed as it makes for a
cleaner finish (tip: keep a bit of paint as it is common when 2nd fixing for
some of the new plaster to crack away around the sockets, so some small
amounts of filling / painting may be required after 2nd fix).
Phase 6: Second Fix Wiring
We will install all of your new sockets, lights and switches. If you are having an EV car charger or cooker, we will also install these. 2nd fix might be done at different times around other trades (i.e kitchen or bathroom fitters), so this might be fragmented (we will discuss with you at the time). For a normal 3 bedroom house, this stage takes around 3-4 days to complete.
Phase 7: Snagging
We powering up your new system ready for handover. At this point we do a quality control check, to ensure that all sockets & switches are fitted properly paying particular attention to detail. For a normal 3 bedroom house, this stage takes around 1 day to complete.
Phase 8: Testing & Certification
In the final phase, we fully test the installation and issue you with an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) to certify that we declare that the installation is safe to use at the time it was put into service.
Rewires are also notifiable under Part P of the Building Control Regulations. We are registered under the competent-person scheme so we can notify the installation on your behalf, arrange and mange the building control visit or inspect the installation as part of the work.
Can you rewire a house in stages?
It can be possible to rewire a house in stages, but this all depends on the layout of the property, your plans and most importantly, how your existing circuits are laid out. It is usually possible in larger houses, because the circuits are wired in sections which allow us to do each section individually. However in smaller properties, it is more common to have one circuit per floor. Therefore as a bare minimum you would need to install one circuit at a time i.e the whole downstairs sockets.
Many think that rewiring in stages saves cost, however it often increases cost due to the additional time taken to make the property habitable between stages. In our experience it is best to try and get all the disruption done is shorter time period as possible, but we know every job is completely different. We often have circumstances such as a kitchen that is being fitted months later, an extension that isn't built yet or the inability to move out completely. We will always offer you the best advice, for your home and family which is why we offer free surveys where we can discuss plans, concerns and help you to plan in the best way possible.
How much does a rewire cost?
The average guide prices of a rewire of a domestic house:
2 bedroom flat or terraced house: £4,800 - £6,400
3 bedroom semi-detached house: £6,200 - £7,800
4 bedroom detached house: £7,100 - £8,900
The lower price band would include a Duel RCD fuse board with surge protection (SPD), allow up to 3 sockets per room with a single pendant light, earth bonding and standard white sockets & switches. The higher price band would include an RCBO fuse board with surge protection (SPD), 4 sockets per room, down-lights in 50% of the house instead of pendants, earth bonding, cooker feeds, and decorative sockets and switches e.g. chrome. The increase in cost is mostly down to additional requirements such as under cabinet lighting, additional tv sockets and the finishing touches which can put the finishing touches to your home.