All electrical installations, over time, will deteriorate naturally as they are a working mechanism made up of various components and working systems. For wiring systems more than 25 years old we would always recommend you have the electrical system checked out at regular intervals. This will help identify if your home has any faults or defects which could require improvement. It will also give you an idea of any work that might be required and the potential cost if you are considering upgrading the electrical installation or remodelling it to include additional circuits. A full rewire could take place when major building work such as an extension or conversion is being carried out – prior to any plastering or decoration. Other occasions when a rewire might be necessary include; after flood or fire damage, if the electrical installation has become unsafe, the installation of several new circuits or an upgrade of the building or property.
Having a full rewire will bring the electrical installation in your property up-to-date with the latest wiring regulations. It will also give you the opportunity to modernise your home with a new consumer unit containing residual current devices (RCDs) and circuit breakers, additional sockets to suit your needs (including USB sockets should you so wish) and the most up-to-date, modern wiring available.
Before ordering a full rewire it might be worth having a full inspection of the electrics beforehand. You can ask us to carry out an electrical inspection (sometimes known as a periodic inspection) of the property. Much like an MOT, this is an inspection of the current condition of an electrical installation in your home. On completion of the inspection, you will receive an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) detailing any damage, deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and anything not in line with the present-day safety standard which might give rise to danger.
Every job is different depending on the size of the property, whether it’s occupied or not, and the number and finishes of accessories to be installed. A very rough guess for a 3 bed semi detached house would be between £3000-£4000
Yes – Carrying out a partial or full rewire will often involve creating new circuits or a consumer unit change. This means the work is notifiable to your local building control department. You could do this yourself, however, it will require a visit to the site at both 1st fix and 2nd fix stages of the job and will cost approximately £250.00. Using Glenfield Electrical who are a registered contractor with NICEIC means we can do this for you – without the need for you to do anything.
In 2013 the government announced some changes to Part P. The range of work notifiable to building control was reduced (for England only – in Wales some of the regulations still apply). Under the new, revised regulations, electrical work undertaken in kitchens such as adding a new socket or installing a new security light outdoors is no longer notifiable unless a new circuit is required. Work is notifiable to local building control.
Below is an example of the type of work that is notifiable:
- The installation of a new circuit
- The replacement of a consumer unit
- Any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a ‘special location’ (A ‘special location’ is considered to be a bathroom where there is a higher risk of water mixing with electrics, giving rise to an increased potential for an electric shock. When working in bathrooms certain restrictions must be adhered to so that switches, and other electrical equipment are installed at safe distances away from showers, baths and taps where the risk of mixing electricity and water is increased.)
Yes – Upon completion, you will be issued with an Electrical Installation Completion Certificate and a Part P certificate — Keep these safe as you will need them in the future.
Carrying out a rewire will require a large amount of disruption to the main fabric of your property. It is likely that all your switches, fittings, sockets and the consumer unit will be replaced and require new wiring. A total rewire will involve two stages of working; first fix and second fix.
All first fix work will take place before plastering work and, usually, at the same time as any central heating and plumbing work. This is to ensure all cabling is hidden so the installation will involve lifting the floor coverings and floorboards and possibly the skirting boards too, chasing out channels in the walls and possibly in some ceilings that are inaccessible from above. As well as installing new cabling, first fix stage may involve fitting new back boxes for all sockets and switches. In addition to rewiring for all power and lighting circuits, it is a good opportunity to rewire for modern central heating controls, alarms, smoke detectors and doorbells, to add outdoor lighting and sockets, and to rewire the telephones and television aerial sockets. It is also worth redesigning the wiring plan for sockets and switches to make sure it meets your needs and those of modern house buyers. Think about specifying two-way or even three-way switching for hallways and landings and other rooms with more than one main access. For a high-value property, consider adding a separate circuit with separate switching for table and standard lamps in the main living rooms and principal bedrooms. It may also be worth considering adding automated lighting, home network cablings, speaker cabling and other modern technology.
Once the first fix stage has been completed, the property can be re-plastered or the walls and ceilings filled and made good, and the flooring replaced. The second fix work can then proceed by fitting sockets and switch plates, light fittings, the consumer unit and wiring any electric fans, cookers, extractor hoods, electric showers and the immersion heater, if there is a hot water storage cylinder.
A full rewire can be avoided, providing the existing cabling is sound and able to carry any additional loads. It also may be possible to upgrade it by adding a modern consumer unit and upgrading the earthing and bonding.
I am considering a full rewire. What building regulations do I need to be aware of?
A full rewire has to be notified to the local building control department so that it meets the appropriate safety standards. Speak to the us before any work to upgrade your wiring commences. We can advise you if the work complies with Part P of the building regulations and that the appropriate notification and certification will be taken care of once your work is completed. We can self-certify the work and notify the local building control department on your behalf at no additional cost.
A full rewire can take, on average, up to between 5-10 days, depending on the size of the property. The time taken depends on the number of contractors working and the exact scope of work involved.
Carrying out a rewire will require a large amount of disruption to the main fabric of your property. It is likely that all your switches, fittings, sockets and the consumer unit will be replaced and require new wiring. A total rewire will involve two stages of working; first fix and second fix. All first fix work will take place before plastering work and, usually, at the same time as any central heating and plumbing work. This is to ensure all cabling is hidden so the installation will involve lifting the floor coverings and floorboards and possibly the skirting boards too, chasing out channels in the walls and possibly in some ceilings that are inaccessible from above. As well as installing new cabling, first fix stage may involve fitting new back boxes for all sockets and switches.
Yes, all rubbish and any debris created will be placed into rubble sacks and removed from the property.
Yes, anyone that say no is lying! However, we do try to keep this to a minimum by constantly cleaning as we go along through the use of dust sheets and hoovers.
Choosing Glenfield Electrical is a householder’s best way to ensure a safe job. We are registered with NICEIC, are assessed on a regular basis to ensure high standards and their work is checked against the IET Wiring Regulations as well as other standards.
Electric showers require their own electrical circuit, which in general will have the highest electrical demand out of your household appliances. All circuits in a bathroom must be protected by an RCD (Residual Current Device). They will need to be connected to the consumer unit and protected by an RCD. The cost of fitting an electric shower will depend on whether the consumer unit requires updating to comply with current safety standards. Building regulations require an adequate means of ventilation. An extractor fan is essential and will help cut down steam in the bathroom.
Electrical sockets are permitted in bathrooms or shower rooms as long as they are located more than 3m from the edge of the bath or shower. Specially designed shaver units are an exception to this rule and can be located slightly nearer, but still no closer than 600mm from the bath or shower.
All electric heaters and water heaters in a bathroom must be fixed and permanently wired. Hot water central heating or underfloor heating is the safest way of keeping a bathroom warm, but if you do have an electric room heater it must be out of the reach of someone in the bath or shower. Underfloor heating may require sub-floors to be laid, made up of 20mm of chipboard or plywood to provide an even level and insulation, and then the heating is laid with a screed over the top. If you’re not having floor tiles and choose lino or carpet instead you will need thicker screed before laying the final floor finish. This will allow for the build-up and even spread of heat. A wall-mounted thermostat will need to be positioned where water can’t splash and will generally be linked to a heat-sensing probe situated within the floor. It’s best to choose a thermostat with a timer, so you can set it when the heating comes on. This type of system requires RCD protection.
Lighting needs to be functional, but can also be adaptable for mood setting. For make-up application and shaving, it’s best to have a bright light, but if relaxing for a soak in the tub you’ll want to be sure you can dim the lights. Wall lights look better if they are hard-wired into the wall with tiles laid over the top. If you’re not planning on changing the tiles you will have to enclose any cables in trunking. Enclosed ceiling lights such as spotlights are preferable to pendant light fittings and all other wall lights must be out of reach, or enclosed to keep water out. If spotlights are being installed above a shower or bath (within the special zones) then they must be enclosed. It is recommended that spotlights are fitted properly with a fire hood or be flame safe for protection against heat and to prevent the spread of fire. They should be controlled by a ceiling-mounted pull-cord switch, where the cord is made of insulating material, or a wall switch, which must be mounted a set distance away from the areas considered special zones within a bathroom.
If you have extra budget and want to turn your bathroom into your personal spa or television room, there’s always a way, but just make sure that all electrics are fitted safely. Increasing numbers of homeowners are turning luxury into reality by installing spa baths. Pumps are fitted underneath the bath and an isolator switch must be located outside the bathroom to turn off the mains power and be RCD protected. All TVs have to be fitted into a wall cavity and the area around the screen siliconed to prevent water getting in. You’ll need a depth of 75mm to 85mm so that the screen sits flush with the wall. To prevent the screen from steaming up, the TV glass is heated. You’ll also need speakers, which like the TV, must be hardwired into the wall or ceiling
To ensure all cabling is hidden, the installation will involve lifting the floor coverings, floorboards, possibly the skirting boards and possibly in some ceilings that are inaccessible from above.
We don’t actually do plastering ourselves as there is a clear art to a good finish to this, we can, however, allow a cost for someone we use to do this as part of our works or we can supply details of a local, friendly and very reliable plasterer for you.
Yes & no. We will require access to your loft to install cables and as I know myself its always a handy place to store all those items acquired throughout years of just living! As long as there is room to enable us to move things about it will be fine.
Yes, there will be a lot of disruption to the house and furniture as well as the electric being turned off at times. We may also ask you to refrain form using some rooms at times as there could be open floors and trip hazards present.
Absolutely we are. We have cover of £5m for our public liability. You’re more than welcome to ask us at any point to see this.
Yes, it makes sense to get it all completed at the same time. We are happy to discuss and plan around other trades. You just need to make sure it’s all done in the right order – not much point having the house decorated before the so-called messy work!
No, all of our electrical engineers and apprentices are employed directly by Glenfield Electrical, the only time we use subcontractors is for plastering works, “I wouldn’t expect you to pay me for our plastering – I’m not very good at it!”
Yes, we don’t charge anything for our quotes!
Most of the noise will happen when we are taking up floorboards and chasing the plasterwork out. If you live in a flat, semi detached or terrace it would be advisable to inform your neighbours. We can plan works to the adjoining walls to limit disruption.
The only real way to do it is either run cables externally which can then be enclosed in a conduit or by removing parts of the plasterboard ceiling.
Yes, it would be more cost effective to do it at the same time as it saves a return visit.
We always advise getting as many of your ornaments and bits and pieces boxed up away as possible. We are happy to move large pieces of furniture as required and can cover these in dust sheets during your work.
Yes we try to cover as much as possible.
Yes as long as they are in good condition and fit for purpose
Yes all back boxes we install are to a minimum of 25mm and will take USB sockets.
Yes but we appreciate this is not always practical “especially if you have inlays like mine!”
Yes we can, we love doing things differently.
We can try to limit the disruption in some rooms but I would say yes, this can be discussed at the time of your free quotation.
Yes, as long as they are fit for purpose and meet all relevant standards.
Yes, we are more than happy to do this for you.
No, all of our quotations are detailed so you know exactly what you are getting in each room and our price is a fixed price. If you require additional lights, switches or sockets we will supply you with an additional free quotation.
All of our quotations are fully detailed so you know exactly what you are getting for your money.
Yes, that’s absolutely fine and is a norm, we can supply you with a cost before we proceed with your additional works.
We understand its difficult to know exactly where you want them at the time we send out our Free quotation/survey. We are more than happy to move them either in the same room or to another, as long as we haven’t already started chasing out the walls or installing the back boxes, there would be no additional charge.
You’ll get a 12 month guarantee on all parts, and some LED lights come with additional guarantees.
You’ll also get a 5 year warranty on all of our labour.
