If you have just found out your Bedford area home needs to be rewired, then read on as this is for you! I’ve put this homeowners rewire guide together to help ensure success with your chosen electrician. It provides some useful Tips and guidance to help guide you through the process.
Having carried out lots of Rewires in the Bedford Area on houses, flats, bungalows, and commercial premises, I have documented tips and tricks to help you get the best from yours right here. A rewire is only something you want to do once, so plan and choose your electrician wisely! But enough about me: this advice applies wherever you live in the UK. So, make yourself a brew and let’s get started!
Planning a Rewire
Forget all about the existing wiring and layout…
At this stage try and think of your home as a completely blank canvas. I see so many prospective rewire jobs, where the client hasn’t had a chance to give it much thought and wants whatever is there at the moment, this is something you only want to do once. It is going to cost you a lot of money and turn your house upside down. It’s your chance to get sockets, lights, and data points where you want them. Planning is key. Don’t just hire the first electrician that answers your call and leave it up to them what to do. Do your homework on what you want, where and the electrician you are going to hire first!
Rewiring FAQs
There are some things to ask yourself before committing to a rewire...
Am I going to live in my home whilst the rewire takes place?
My advice: Move out. Stay with friends, family, Airbnb – or whatever it takes to get out. It will get done quicker, should cost less as we can just get on with the work and not have to worry about making the home safe at the end of every evening. Ask friends, family, and work colleagues if they have experience with house rewires and see what they say!
How am I going to pay for the rewire and any other work necessary?
When you get electricians to quote don’t forget to ask for payment terms. Some want a partial payment to book the job and get materials. Some like to do staged payments depending on the length of the job with remainder on completion.
On the subject of payment, check how they want the payment to be made. Some electrical contractors offer credit card payments or finance for all electrical work.
What is involved with a rewire?
What other work do you mean?
Rewiring you Bedford home is disruptive and can trigger other work, which isn’t foreseen. Some costs you may have to budget for on a rewire I can think of include:
- Flooring. Carpet that has been down for a long time can degrade over time and upon lifting it there could be damage done that isn’t avoidable. Tiles/ Laminate flooring is usually needed to be lifted. This is so we can access the floorboards beneath.
- Decorating. Its likely you will need to redecorate once the rewire is complete, especially if you are having all the wiring chased
flush into the walls. - Asbestos. If your ceilings and walls have an Artex finish, then it’s possible they have a small amount of asbestos in them. It’s not usually an issue with the ceiling (because the lights are typically mounted in the same place as the old ones), but it’s not a good idea to run a wall chaser on a wall with Artex before getting it tested first.
- Rubbish removal. Ask if this is included. Are the electricians you hire going to take the rubbish with them, or are you going to hire a skip? It’s surprising how much can build up – even from the wall chasing machine.
- Storage. A lot of our clients have lived in their homes for many years and have accumulated a lot of possessions so once you
need a rewire you will need somewhere to store a lot of this. The more in the way, the longer it will take and more risk of it
getting damaged or contaminated with dust and debris.
Rewiring your home
There are a few decisions that you will need to make about how your would like your Bedford home rewired.
Do I want the wiring and accessories surface mounted or chased inside the walls?
Rewiring is labour intensive. Surface mounting cables and accessories will save on labour time and therefore costs. But it doesn’t look as nice. Chasing wiring and accessories takes longer, makes mess and costs more for redecoration, but does look a lot neater when finished.
Do you have any plans to change the kitchen?
The kitchen is the big one when it comes to planning a rewire. Why? Well, think of any other room in your house. Electrical requirements are – what, three sockets, a ceiling light and switch.
Now, the kitchen:
- Cooker circuit – an individual circuit for a hob and oven. If it’s a large kitchen, you might even have two oven circuits.
- Socket circuit- With the number of appliances and socket outlets installed today, it’s common practice to install a socket circuit in the kitchen all for itself on a rewire.
- Lighting – Are you having a lot of downlights? Well, some electricians install a circuit for the kitchen lights on a big install. We would also suggest a separate circuit for upstairs and downstairs.
Here is an example of typical Circuits/items we sometimes install in a kitchen:
One Induction hob. one double ovens. a plate warmer. One cooker hood extractor. One wall-mounted extractor fan. Under-cabinet lighting. Plinth lighting. Forty downlights. A grid switch assembly for the dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge freezer, and wine chiller. Ten double socket outlets, pendant lights over the island, a double socket on the island, Two way switching for all lighting.
Your kitchen might not sound anything like that. But I think you get my point about the planning required for a kitchen compared to any other room in your house when it comes to getting it rewired. If the kitchen is staying as it is then it’s common practice to run the cables in at a low level and route them through the void in the cabinets. This saves taking the wall cabinets down and
damaging tiles.
Choosing an Electrician to rewire your home
Are the electricians quoting registered and providing the relevant certification upon completion?
Make sure whoever you hire to rewire your home is registered with a trade body such as the NICEIC Domestic Installer Scheme. You can check this right now on the competent person register. Don’t think you will not need any certification. If you want to sell your home or have any challenges with your insurer: they will ask for it. Aside from that, don’t you want to know it has been
completed to the necessary standards and is safe, with the test results to prove it
How long does a rewire take?
Rewiring is a two person task. Whilst it’s hard to give a definitive time scale for you, your chosen electrician should give you an idea when they take a walk around your place. Some of the variables I can think of include:
- The amount of stuff you have (including the loft). This is how the upstairs lights are rewired. The emptier/clearer this is the better.
- If you are going to live in the house whilst the rewiring takes place. I would advise you not to, but maybe you have no choice! See what they say about the matter.
- What the upstairs flooring is made from. Old, wide floorboards are generally easier to lift and work with than the later solid sheet flooring (often glued and nailed!) in houses built from late 1990s onwards.
- How many chases are necessary to flush-fit the wiring and accessories. High ceilings in older houses will take longer than a newer house with a floor-to- ceiling height of around 2400mm. Time can be saved by doing one chase that allows cabling to be installed for two sockets or light switches back-to-back.
If your home needs rewiring, or you have more questions about the rewire process, contact me at NRG Electrical Installation Services.
