Home rewiring: What you need to know

Hoe rewiring is a highly technical task and out first job is always to correctly mark out the location with the client. A complete rewire of a home is a massive undertaking. Rarely done more than once so it’s important to have it planned correctly the first time. That’s why we take huge care to investigate room by room to see what work needs to be done. That way we can issue a more accurate quote and get on with the work faster and with less hassle.

When the planning phase is finished and a price agreed to we complete a written copy of the quote. This is provided to our clients room by room, this ensures there’s no confusion. We always provide a copy to you and keep a copy for ourselves, to avoid any confusion later on. As we said, rewiring is a big job and we make sure to get it right!

New building regulations mean that when rewiring a home we’re required to take into account issues, like fire safety and energy efficiency. Every house is different so we make sure we take these factors into account to make sure we fit your needs. One of the best ways to ensure energy efficiency is to use LED’s. This new type of lighting is not only cheap to run but cheap to purchase, making it a no brainer when selecting materials.

Bathrooms require extra assessment, most importantly, for ventilation. Extractor fans are an integral feature in any bathroom. They help to draw away excess moisture. Without them you can end up with black mold, which is dangerous for your personal health and the integrity of the building.

The are many things to consider in home rewiring: the height and distance that sockets & switches has been set by law (part M of the access and use of building in the buildings regulations code 2004). All sockets must be no higher than 450mm from the floor and switches cannot be higher than 1200mm. These heights have been set in order to assist the disabled and elderly as well as to stop any possible injuries to small children trying to access switches.

Another legal requirement is, to have smoke detectors wired to the building’s mains. At Minimum this means having two smoke detectors and a heat sensor all interlinked to each other. Before any work is fully completed we also ensure that we issue a NIC-EIC eletrical installation certificate. This is to ensure we are in compliance with any and all current wiring regulations relating to part BS7671 (2008).

When the planning phase is over our electricians can come in start to rewire your home.

The first stage of phase two is to lay down dust covers and remove any ornaments, to make sure nothing is damaged over the course of the work. If you are still living in the house whilst the rewiring work is going on we can leave the current sockets and switches in place so you never have to go without power.

Home rewiring in lived in homes can be difficult though, as we have to ensure at the completion of the day’s work the house is safe and secure. This means making sure floorboards that have been removed are placed back down and carpet relayed to avoid any injuries during the course of the evening. In the case of an empty property the work can be done much faster and easier as generally the property could be left without power for a few days at a time without causing any difficulties. Completing a rewire on an empty property only requires a temporary power supply near the switchboard which would also be protected by an RCD during the work.

There are two ways to rewire your home, the way the job is completed is up to you. Option one is Trunking. This is when we fix the wires directly to the surface. This is the preferred method when a home has already been decorated and the rewire work has come in afterwards.Options two is Chasing, this involves inserting the wiring directly into the walls. And the plastering over the holes for a more seamless look.

Phase three is the completion and testing phase. Here is when we finish the walls and fill in and replace any gaps created during the rewire process. From there we install the sockets and switches as well as ceiling fixtures in preparation for the last stage. Testing, this is one of the most important stages in any rewire. We test all the wire to ensure that it complies with current standards. Once testing is complete and we’re satisfied that the rewiring is safe and in line with regulations we will issue an installation test certificate. This is to confirm that the wiring is up to code. This will also assist if you’re reselling the house as well as the next electrician when it comes to retesting the house in ten years time.