Rewiring a house is a big task, one that generally will take 4-8 weeks to complete. This JPD Electrics Guide to Rewiring a House is based on the previous electric circuit having been totally removed and with everything being replaced as new. New Consumer Unit, new wiring, new sockets, new lights and possibly a new design of the electrical structure of the house.
One of the first things to mention is that this task really requires a qualified electrician, this is not suitable for a handyperson or an enthusiastic DIYer. This is a requirement of construction Safely Laws in the UK and all work must be signed off as compliant.
Experience of rewiring a house is also a key ingredient to think about. If this is your first house rewiring job, even as a qualified electrician, it would be sensible to involve or have the advice of someone with previous experience to make sure everything is done correctly. Electricity can be dangerous, if the correct safety procedures are not followed. JPD Electrics has several years of experience in full rewiring of houses, having completed many local projects are Barnet, Watford and Enfield.
If the current electrical set up in your house seems very dated, for example, if it hasn't been replaced in over 20 years, you may want to consider rewiring the house. If you are in the process of undergoing major decorating project, decorating a new home, replastering walls, replacing ceilings, updating the sockets and switches, these are all good points for assessing if it is worthwhile updating the electrical wiring for the whole house. Also, if you are experiencing any electrical faults, like:
If you are concerned with any of these things, but not sure if it is a minor fault, rather than requiring a full electrical house rewiring, JPD Electrics will be happy to offer you a fair assessment of the issue and advise honestly if a full house rewiring is required or not.
JPD Electrics are based in Barnet, North London, so if you are local to this area, or need an electrician in Barnet, Whetstone, Finchley, Enfield, Winchmore Hill, Watford, or the Hertfordshire area, we can pop around and check this for you, just contact us through this website or by phone.
There’s no way of really getting around it, rewiring a house will involve a fair amount of disruption to the house. There will be period where we will need to turn off the electric power supply to the house – although this will generally be for periods of an hour or so, then it can come back on.
There will also be a bit of disruption with floorboards, carpets and sockets being removed.
The messiest part is if a new set of sockets needs to be added to a wall, where previously there were no sockets – this will involve ‘cutting out’ from the current wall, which will lead to a lot dust and dirt. JPD Electrics do all they can to reduce these disruptions, covering furniture, cleaning up straight afterwards but you should be prepared for some mess and disruption during the electrical rewiring process.
Usually it will take between 2-4 weeks to rewire a house. Obviously, depending on the size of the house and how many sockets are required, this plays a big factor in the period, as does the ease of access to the current wiring.
Rewiring an average 3 bed house will cost £5,000. Again, depending on several other factors, like the number of sockets (particularly new electric sockets), number of lights, light switches, type of electrical cabling required, ease of access, the state of the current wiring that needs to be removed – all these will need to be factored in.
JPD Electrics Ltd are always happy to give you a free quote for a full house rewiring project and can discuss the options that will affect the price of rewiring a house.
Removing the current electrical cables, plug sockets, light switches and consumer unit (sometimes referred to as the Fuse Board). Then replacing them with brand new up-to-date Consumer Unit – this will also be compliant with modern requirements, so make your house a lot safer with regards to it’s electricity set-up. Also, all the electrical cabling will be replaced, all the electrical sockets and switches. Say goodbye to any flickering lights or loose sockets/plug connections.
This Step 2 part of the project is often split into two parts; First Fix and Second Fix
The ‘First Fix’ basically involves all the ‘hidden wiring’ parts, kind of like the preparation part. The main thing with the First Fix, is if the house is being totally renovated, this part happens prior to the plastering of the walls – this avoids any damage occurring to the newly plastered areas. From the consumer unit, all the electrical wire cabling needs to join up with the sockets, switches, etc. So the electrician will need to plan out the design for the cabling – prepare all the sockets, which also involves ‘chasing out the space for the sockets’ (this is the most messy part – as this involves power tools for cutting the shape into the wall and the dust from this can get everywhere).
Once prepared, the ‘back box’ for all the sockets is attached to the wall, ready for the ‘front part’ of the socket to be added after all the plastering has been finished and dried out.
Any other electrical appliances, like light bulbs, fan extractors, wall lights, external sensors, electric showers, etc. would also have their electrical cables prepared and in place for their final fitting on the Second Fix.
The Second Fix of a house rewiring is the part where the faceplates of the sockets and switches are added to the previously fitted, from the First Fix, back boxes. This way, the front faceplates overlapped the area of the back boxes, therefore from the front, no gaps are visible.
Also in the Second Fix, any final electrical appliances will be added, like light bulbs, fan extractors, wall lights, external sensors, electric showers, etc.
When your house receives it supply of electricity from your supplier, it comes into your house and connects to the Consumer Unit. The Consumer Unit has several ‘circuits’ built out from it where electricity is transferred to – you could image these as an area or room in the house, a good example would be, ‘Kitchen Lights’. The electricity is shared around the house through these circuits. One of the important roles of the consumer unit is to act like a filter or protection layer in the electricity supply. It prevents too much electricity getting through and causing damage. If there is a power overload, the circuit breakers in the Consumer Unit ‘switch’ to break the flow of electricity to that ‘circuit’ area – preventing any potential damage. This is what happens sometimes when a section of your lights or plug sockets stop work – the Consumer Unit has ‘tripped’ and automatically broken the connection, as there was an issue or fault in the supply levels.
The more modern versions of Consumer Units also have the added benefit of being safer and more energy efficient.
