Electrics upgrade cost?!

[Hsmith192]

Hi everyone, I want to upgrade a old metal electric board and add 6 additional double plugs with two 16a sockets/plug points. Lastly I need to upgrade the six existing lights to LED tubes.
Is there anything else electrics wise I need to consider for a proper wood work shop?
Also, when it comes to cost will it be a huge cost like £1000+ Or have I got this wrong? Apologies if this is a bit ambiguous.

 

[ManowarDave]

For a six way box with RCBOs, you'll be looking at about £100.

6 double sockets and back boxes about £15

16A wall mounted sockets about £15 to £20 each.

LED tubes can he had for about £25 each.

Trunking etc to suit.

So about £300 in hardware anyway.

Probably looking at a day for a Sparky to fit and cert. Not sure what the going rate is in your area.

Dave

 

[ManowarDave]

Forgot cable. Probably want to add about another £50 on to cover it. All depends how long the runs are.

 

[Hsmith192]

Forgot cable. Probably want to add about another £50 on to cover it. All depends how long the runs are.

Thanks a lot, it’s a 5m by 3.5m space. What is the daily rate for someone in your area? Just want to get a good idea on budgeting.

 

[Artiglio]

I’m in kent and just had a shed wired up, all the kit was from screwfix, apart from cable.
20m metre armoured run from house
wylex consumer unit and rcbo’s 2 circuits
2 led tubes
10 double sockets
light circuit
extractor fan.
all in Surface mount plastic trunking (in shed)

i dug the trench, and mounted all the trunking and back boxes. Sparks tested the armoured cable and checked the trench for depth. Wired everything up , register it with building control, tested and provided certs etc.

Electrician charged £400
materials were just over £400

the electrician is not a fan of screwfix kit and reckons longterm a bit more “quality” pays for itself.

atb

 

[Dee J]

Hi everyone, I want to upgrade a old metal electric board and add 6 additional double plugs with two 16a sockets/plug points. Lastly I need to upgrade the six existing lights to LED tubes.
Is there anything else electrics wise I need to consider for a proper wood work shop?
Also, when it comes to cost will it be a huge cost like £1000+ Or have I got this wrong? Apologies if this is a bit ambiguous.

£1000 +/-£200 depending on location is not far out.

 

[DBT85]

My electrician charged me £225 for the day to wire in the new board to my workshop, connect the other end of the swa to the house and connect all the sockets, heater light circuit and test/cert it all about a month ago. All the grunt work like cable pulling and box mounting was already done with his prior approval.

The only things he had to bring were a spike, earth sheath (not sure its correct name?) and maybe 4m of 2.5mm T&E. Everything else was already bought and installed, again with his prior approval.

 

[Cabinetman]

I would recommend you find your electrician first, talk it through with him, just like the rest of us he will have his own ideas (within the legal boundaries), he will also I’m sure appreciate being asked and discussing it with you, mine preferred to use loose wires in trunking, a lot easier to pull through than your average grey twin and earth, it’s quite possible even with his markup the bits will be cheaper than you can get. My electrician worked on a daily rate, I won’t quote it because it’s eight/ten years ago. And like others have said if you can do some of the grunt work you can save quite a bit of money. Ian

 

[TomTheToolMan]

I think there is a fundamental part missing from the above costs. The spark will need to check if the incoming supply can carry enough current for your potential load. This could add significant cost depending on distance from house. Best to speak to a spark first and get a quote.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

If you’re planning to replace just the tubes from fluorescent to led don’t bother. Better off replacing the entire fitting. Or adding additional fittings, depends on daylight levels, and use.
How many existing sockets are existing? Sparks maybe not happy to leave them depending on how they are wired and condition.

 

[Boris D Bus]

Last year I had a shed wired and a second one rewired with multiple led lights, security lights, 13 amp sockets and one 16 and another 32 amp supply all about 30m from the house. I put the trench in and he did all the rest including upgrading the house consumer unit as well as installing one in the shed. I think it cost around £1200 and he spent the best part of two days doing a very neat job.
I’m in the Kent - Sussex boarder lands...

 

[Hsmith192]

I think there is a fundamental part missing from the above costs. The spark will need to check if the incoming supply can carry enough current for your potential load. This could add significant cost depending on distance from house. Best to speak to a spark first and get a quote.

Sparky said he will have to test that- as it’s a thick wire leading to the garage I hope it works- think the previous owner was a welder.

 

[Hsmith192]

If you’re planning to replace just the tubes from fluorescent to led don’t bother. Better off replacing the entire fitting. Or adding additional fittings, depends on daylight levels, and use.
How many existing sockets are existing? Sparks maybe not happy to leave them depending on how they are wired and condition.

I have two double sockets and two single sockets and they look old! It has really clicky switches. The fuse power board uses actual fuse wire so it really is quite old. The level of fuses inside though are quite interesting two 10A and two 5A?

 

[Hsmith192]

Sorry for my late reply everyone but thanks, this forum is really helpful and active. I hope to learn lots more from everyone and hope to share ideas too.

 

[Spectric]

Hi

To ensure future proofing, ie you need extra socket or something run box trunking and conduit using singles not T&E, don't bother with the old fashioned ring main use 4.0mm radials on a 32 amp protective device for the 13 amp sockets and 2.5mm on a 16 amp protective device to each of the 16 amp sockets.

As mentioned get a sparky on board and let him see the job, tell him what you would like and take his advice because he will know whats possible based on your supply to the property and the means of earthing.

Agree with

the electrician is not a fan of screwfix

An electrician will get better quality from the likes of Edmundsons, TLC or Denmans or who is in your area and we like to work with quality because it delivers a good job quicker. Yes do not fit LED tubes to existing fittings, get complete new fittings for best results, again a good electrician will understand light level requirments and put the right lumens where they are needed.

 

[DBT85]

Can I ask why go for 4mm radial rather than 2.5mm ring? If the sockets go around the entire room surely the latter makes more sense?

 

[craigs]

my electrical chap said something about heat and current on a ring compared to one cable per socket.....or somethnig

 

[Cabinetman]

my electrical chap said something about heat and current on a ring compared to one cable per socket.....or somethnig

I’m glad to see somebody else is as wonderfully vacant about electrics as I am, a little knowledge can be dangerous as they say. Ha

 

[J-G]

a little knowledge can be dangerous as they say

"A little LEARNING is a dangerous thing" is what Alexander Pope wrote - I was recently corrected when I quoted the 'knowledge' version. Apparently Pope had no problem with those who had knowledge, if they had knowledge it was due to their 'learning'. It was people who had little learning that prompted his famous poem.

 

[craigs]

I think the electrics in this country deserve an overhaul, certainly for domestic applications as we now use a LOT of low power devices in the home....I think i have something like 15 things plugged in behind the telly!