House Rewire

[Geoff_S]

A similar question has been asked on people's opinions of what a room redecoration could cost, very interesting.

So mine is how much do people think a 3 bed semi rewire should cost? A new board will also be required. It's my Dad's place and he doesn't see the need for it, even though he's lived there for 55 years and it's still the same wiring from when he moved in!

The last time I had this done was 30 years ago in my place and I remember back then that the electrician priced it quite simply. £35 for each switch/socket. Seemed quite reasonable at the time.

I guess it might have gone up a bit on the basis that I have just had a new board done for £750 !

I'm in the SW London suburbs.

 

[HappyHacker]

A board change may all that is needed to make it safer. If it is PVC wiring it should still be OK, if it is rubber it should really be replaced as while it may still be safe in terms of insulation resistance it will probably disintegrate if moved.

I am assuming it still has rewireable fuses? They are still OK but MCBs are more convenient but are more prone to trip, especially the 6A lighting ones when a bulb blows. A new board will allow for RCDs to fitted which makes the installation safer but may cause problems with old wiring/appliances.

You really need to get a good electrician out to have a look and do some basic tests and make recommendations. Unfortunately there are many who will condemn it just on age rather than electrical safety. It is impossible for me to make recommendations remotely.

If the wiring is in good condition it will be as safe as it was when installed. The more recent equipment developments and regulation changes enable the installation to be made safer.

Unfortunately I have heard many reports of "electricians" saying you must rewire because:
Rewireable fuses are unsafe
It is a wooden consumer unit and is a fire risk
The wiring is only meant to last 20 years
There is no RCD protection and it is mandatory to have it
You must have a metal consumer unit now, its the regulations
etc.

As to cost, I am in the North West and a £750 consumer unit change seems a little expensive but you are in London where everything is expensive. For a compete rewire including chasing walls where necessary and making good in an occupied house where furniture needs to be moved to get at floors etc I would say roughly between £3 and £4 thousand possibly more depending on the house and the number of accessories and I am far from being upto date on London prices. Most electricians hate doing rewires when the occupier is there due to the need to keep the working areas safe and to provide power safely at night and during the day which all adds to the cost and the time. Rewiring is also a very messy process as it is often impossible to make use of existing runs to pull cables through.

Good luck.

 

[--Tom--]

Current house needed completely rewiring before we moved in as there were barely any sockets and the rubber wiring had disintegrated. 5 years ago, 3 bed mid terrace in Cardiff, and completely empty cost 2kish with me helping with the chasing and then making good the walls and around the sockets after.
No idea on London prices but the post above sounds reasonable

 

[Geoff_S]

Thanks for the replies.

The need to rewire was based upon a report my Dad had done when he signed up for one of those monthly, all inclusive maintenance agreements. Hmm? It seems from what HappyHacker is saying, we might take this with a pinch of salt.

However, if we have it done we can get the house cleared while in progress, although the concrete floors downstairs might be a challenge.

We will get some quotes, see what happens :shock:

Thanks again

Geoff

 

[Sideways]

If a proper Electrical Installation Condition Report" was done then it will have a big checklist of items in it and the codes C1, C2 and C3 used to classify problems or simply differences from when the house was last wired vs the latest version of the ever evolving regulations. It will also have a whole bunch of measurements in it summarised with a PASS/FAIL and some recommendations.
If the report isn't like this, I'd be especially wary of it ...