01752 201077
07779 777965
01752 201077
07779 777965
House Rewiring Service Covering Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall
When will it be necessary to rewire my house?
It is feasible to assume that if a property has not been rewired within the last 25-30 years that in order to conform to current standards at least part or potentially all of the wiring will need upgrading. This is due to the changes in living with modern living having much more demand upon the electrical systems within a property and therefore leading the older wiring to be potentially dangerous.
Do I need to rewire if I am carrying out building work?
It is considered necessary to rewire part or potentially all wiring within a property when carrying at any material alteration as defined by the Building Regulations along with the consumer unit.
When carrying out any extension to your home, be it converting an attic space or garage to a liveable area, or extending a property outwards, all new wiring will need to conform to Electrical Safety Standards and any existing wiring will need to be checked and replaced accordingly to ensure it can meet the new additional demands placed upon it. It may be necessary to also upgrade the consumer unit to ensure it can meet demands.
How can I tell if my house has had a rewire?
This can be done by yourself or by calling one of our team who will be happy to come and inspect the property. Should you want to do this yourself it can be done so by looking at the consumer unit (fuse box) and any exposed parts of wiring. Older consumer units tend to have a more old fashioned look with the internal fuses being big and ceramic looking. In this instance the consumer unit and wiring with be potentially dangerous need replacing. It is also worthwhile looking at the switches and sockets within a property. If they are a mixture of different sockets and switches, this may indicate a partial rewire has occurred and most likely the remaining older wiring will need to be rewired in the near future. Some properties can be a little misleading, especially in the instance of two or more circuits as it will be difficult to know if they are all running live or if any have been disconnected. Another type of socket and switch to look out for are the very old round pin sockets and dolly switches, these are a rare occurrence now but if found will indicate a rewire and new consumer box is due. One final clue that can be found when is looking at the type of wiring at light fittings or at fuse boxes. More modern wiring will have a grey or white PVC coating of insulation around it.
What if my house has not been rewired?
Ultimately the safety regulations are in place to keep the occupants of property safe. In the event of a house having out-dated and older electrical wiring and consumer unit it raises the risk of potential harm, electrocution and also poses as a fire hazard. Lifestyles have changed dramatically in the last 30 years; from only having a handful of electrical devices in the 1980’s-90’s to modern living where the demand places on electrical circuits is huge. This change in demand is the reason why older installed consumer units and wiring are now deemed as potentially unsafe and why rewiring is considered necessary. If your house has not been rewired and does not have the modern PVC coated wiring with twin earthed cabling then it is to be assumed a full rewire is needed and for you to budget accordingly.
Help when buying a new property to find out if rewiring is needed
Here at Acorn Electrical & Mechanical (AEM) we can provide you with a full Electricians survey before you commit to buying a property. This will allow you to have a full picture of what the electrics within the property you are interested in buying look like before you exchange contracts. This can be particularly helpful if properties that have more then two consumer boxes or a mixture of different switches and sockets suggesting the possibility of a partial rewire having already taken place. It is important to remember that not only can rewiring be costly but it can also cause cosmetic disruption to the property with regards to channelling cables and damages to plaster, so not only is it costly to have the rewire but also there will be expanses incurred with regards to cosmetically fixing the property too once the rewire is completed. Should you be interested in purchasing a property and require a Electricians Survey before completion then we will be more then happy to provide you with a no obligation quote for a survey to be carried out.
What to know when using Acorn Electrical and Mechanical to rewire your property
The first thing to be aware of before any rewiring works takes place within your property is that it is extremely messy and disruptive work. It is carried out in two phases known as the first and second fix. During the first fix is when all the new cabelling is laid and installed behind walls, under floorboards and across ceilings. During this stage it is essential for all flooring to come up including carpets so floorboards can be lifted where necessary. This also means all furniture needs to be out of the rooms. It is highly likely that plasterboard needs to be chased as wiring runs behind walls, which can be very messy and disruptive. The first fix will also be when the positioning of socket heights and lighting sockets including all switches will be determined so it is vital that all the correct planning has been done before the first fix takes place so you have agreed on where you want all your sockets and switches located. Any changes to these plans midway through the second fix may well be time consuming and in turn be costly. We suggest you make a plan of each room marking up the positions of furniture so as to consider where you want new power sockets and switches to be located. Also think about if you want any two or three way switches on landings or in hallways and any points for external lighting and if you want your smoke detector to be mains supplied.
Before any work commences you will have ample opportunity to consult with our electricians as to the exact location of sockets and switches to ensure they are all correct before work begins. Make sure when planning to think about the future too and if during the rewire you require ethernet cables to be placed in all rooms too. The second fix is where the new caballing is connected to the sockets and switches and then made live. Before this phase there will be no electrics to the property so it will be almost impossible to reside in the property while the rewiring is taking place. It is advisable that the house be empty while rewiring takes place however if this is not possible it may be possible for homeowners to live within one room while the work takes place but advisable to ensure you cover all your furniture with dust covers, safely store any expensive items and place all electrical items in the one room. Remember it is not the responsibility of the electrician to ensure items within the house are stored and protected correctly.
How much does rewiring cost and how long does it take?
Obviously it is hard to give an accurate price without first surveying the property but on average the cost of rewiring a 3-bedroom property is about £3,500-£4,000. This varies upon the size of the property, number of circuits and consumer units and where in the UK the property is located. The price can also rise depending on if the property is occupied during rewiring or not. The rewiring of a 3-bedroom property should take approximately one week to complete.
The coat of rewiring a kitchen extension would be approximately £1,000 to £1,500 including first and second fix with standard sockets and switches. The rewiring of a kitchen extension should take between 2-3 days to complete.
Commercial & industrial emergency rewiring service
When having to rewire a commercial property its not as simple as you may think. That being said if you need your business building premises rewired you should not ignore it and put it of especially if your commercial building requires a high demand in power to continue trading on a daily basis.
Some people assume that to get this work completed its going to time consuming and very costly. Well you may be pleasantly surprised to find out that it can be a lot more cost effective than you actually realise. You are complying with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 by ensuring the on going safety for all your workers and employees and at the same time increasing the productivity along with the efficiency of your building place of business.
Survey & quotation
When proceeding with a rewire for your commercial property the first consideration is to call us so to make an appointment with one of our surveys to pop round so they can asses all the work required allowing us to estimate the scope of work that is required. Our surveyor is a qualified professional who will talk to you, discuss your requirements so we know exactly what you want and you know exactly what you are getting things and an insight in the cost involved so there are no surprises in hidden fees.
If you are in any doubt about anything during the survey or have an idea you wish to submit that has not been spoken about its prudent to speak up and tell us so we can manage your project in the best way possible.
The rewiring procedure
Usually when a building project is underway on a commercial building the most suitable time to perform a rewire is before the building is plastered, which is during the first fix procedures. Usually the same time as when all central heating plumbing work is being carried out as floorboards are up and chases can be channelled down walls as new cabling can not be directly mounted on the surface wall on show. It must be hidden and buried in the wall or under the floorboards.
New back boxes for switches cabling for lighting circuits can also be installed prior to the plastering and depending on the commercial property cabling for emergency lighting, smoke detectors and alarms can also be routed. To hide cabling in walls and under floors offers a more professional look to the commercial building.
What’s the cost to rewire my commercial building? The below factors can all affect the cost:
Size of the property
The smaller the building the less pendants, sockets, switches and fittings will be required. This is obviously the reverse the bigger the building is. The same applies relating to the number of circuits required or if one or more consumer units are necessary. Put into perspective if we have a large commercial building used for an office call centre it will require thousands of power outlets. So it’s safe to say the larger the building the more it will cost you.
Location of the property
Depending on weather you are locally situated in town or out of town in the sticks at a hard to get to place will effect the cost as transport nowadays for labour and materials is ever increasing.
Surface finishes you require for switches & sockets
White plastic fittings for switches, sockets and lighting pendants are commonly used in most buildings weather commercial or domestic as to be fair it’s the cheapest. But, you may prefer a more stylish look for your business depending on the cliental you get through the door so they are a number of different styles and finishes from brush aluminium to polished chrome or brass but unfortunately they will inflate the cost. You can also get sockets incorporating USB charging outlets for an abundance of appliances such as mobile phones but again the cost is more expensive.
Repair works necessary
If you have not got your own repair team ready to follow the rewiring work then it can cost you more if the electricians do it. When rewiring a building it will involve cutting holes in walls and ceilings or removing plasterboard panelling, chasing out plaster in solid block walls and needing to get access behind closed panels. All this will need repairing. Most electricians will repair and rebuild where necessary at additional cost by either having their own team in place or by contracting the work out. Either way they will be additional costs to consider.
Lighting
If you ask our advice we will always recommend using CFL and LED lighting on all commercial buildings. Choosing the design of bulb to use on your building will affect the cost as LED and CFL are much more expensive than conventional or halogen bulbs but the life span in hours are considerably more making them the better choice over a long term period. They also use a considerable amount of less energy than conventional or halogen bulbs making a second saving on energy bills.
Here at Acorn Electrical & Mechanical (AEM) we can help you survey and design a tailor made system to suit your every need. Call us now on 01752 201077 where a member of our staff will be more than happy to advise you.
We have a team of commercial electricians who can perform industrial electrical rewiring across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall. We offer our services to factories, shops, office blocks and commercial landlords carrying out periodic inspections and testing. If your suffering from problems such as you fuse board keeps blowing fuses on a regular basis or your consumer unit constantly tripping it can be an sign telling you your current electrical installation is coming to the end of its serviceable life and out of date.
All our electricians are NICEIC and NAPIT qualified, producing a high quality standard of work while maintaining high levels of health & safety and environmentally friendly.
A rewire will enhance the safety of A commercial property
A building where there is a number of employees working inside it needs to be safe in everyway, that includes electrically. If you’re building where you conduct your business from is of an older design it is vital that the electrical circuits are inspected periodically to safeguard the safety of not only your employees but also client or customers who may visit your premises.
There are a number of possible hazards that could happen but in short if your building is 25 to 30 years old or more and in that time no maintenance wiring has been carried out it would be our recommendation that you have an internal wiring inspection sooner rather than later.
Nothing lasts forever and unfortunately everything eventually degrades. Fatigued wiring can potentially cause trip hazards or worse a fire leading to injury or worse loss of life. If this was to happen imagine the after math impact it would have on your business. By performing a total rewire of your commercial building you will be ensuring the premises is electrically safe at all times. At the same time it allows you to think about the internal design of your building and weather you think it would be the ideal time to enhance the functional working programme to maximise performance by redesigning the internal layout.
You can perform simple checks yourself if your not sure. If your cables are lead coated or fabric coated they will be pre 1960’s as that was when they were phased out. If they are black rubber coating they will be aged during the 1960’s. Either way all these design of cabling are out of date and a tell tail sign that the internal wiring needs replacing. Also check your switches, sockets and fuse box. If switches are round and made from cast iron, you fuse box has a wood back, braided flex cable hanging from the ceilings, black or brown sockets mounted in the skirting, black or brown light switches or pin sockets, all these are tell tail signs of an out of date system.
It may not always be the case you need a full rewire. This is why its important to have it professionally inspected to assess your exact needs. If you just require a partial rewire we can perform this task keeping the disruption to your business to a minimum so you can carry on with your everyday work.
Here at Acorn Electrical & Mechanical offer a vast scope of electrical services for landlords in the commercial sector and homeowners in the domestic sector. From a fault arising, to issuing an electrical certificate for you’re home or for landlords we can help you. If you need a full rewire or just a partial rewire or even need a faulty circuit looking at as it keeps tripping, please feel free to call us now on 01752 201077 as we can help. Just one call and we can get a fully qualified technician round to you as soon as possible to take care of your needs.
Why Choose Acorn Electrical & Mechanical
We are based in Plymouth Devon so we cover the complete South West. We have a team of skilled electricians who are passionate about their work and have been doing it for over 15 years.
Our team offers:
Please feel free to call us for help or advice.
If you are interested in booking a survey for any of our services or just a safety check, please contact Acorn Electrical & Mechanical (AEM) and a member of our team will be happy to help or advise you. CALL now on 01752 201077 or 07779 777965
