Full house re-wiring, is this possible...

[Alex Buckley]

Hi All,

We have just brought a house in the Endon area. It was built in 1970 and has never been re-wired so naturally we want to get it done. However, we are aware that this is a highly disruptive process and it takes time.

My OH is a journalist and is writing an article for a UK magazine on how to move and undertake renovation work with the minimum of disruption. Her plan is to get the re-wiring done before we move in. However, we don't have the completion date yet. Its clear that we would need an electrician who could undertake the job at short notice.

This seems a big ask and I'm unsure if its even viable. Does anyone have any advice on how to best approach this?

Many Thanks

Alex

 

[Octopus]

Invest in a 100% EICR to get the property tested - this would be about a days work if done properly and thoroughly and this includes doing the documentation at home.

It may not need any work with done.

 

[Midwest]

What Murdoch said, however I know some people who are renovating properties like to start with a blank canvas and rewire is one at the top of the list. If your keen to have the place rewired, the easiest option and possibly cheaper, is when its vacant, along with the plumbing & heating if applicable. Get some quotes.

 

[telectrix]

Invest in a 100% EICR to get the property tested - this would be about a days work if done properly and thoroughly and this includes doing the documentation at home.

It may not need any work with done.

and if the wiring is pvc and passes testing, at least it's wired in sensible colours.

 

[Richard Burns]

I would agree you should get it tested first to identify if there are problems.

If you need the rewire done then I would budget in for a weeks stay in a B&B while the rewire takes place.
For someone to be available to do a full rewire at short notice is unlikely and you would also need to coordinate other service changes at the same time.

Contact some local reputable electricians and see what sort of lead time they will require.

 

[telectrix]

if you mean Endon as in on the stoke - leek A53, then i'll be happy to give you an opinion on whether it needs a rewire or not.

 

[Alex Buckley]

Hi All, Many thanks I have a better idea now. I think the plan is 'if' I can get it done in the narrow time slot before we move in, then go for the full rewire. Just to get it out of the way and forget about it. Or if we are living there when its done get the inspection and pray its not too bad.

Telectrix yes it's that Endon. If we go for the inspection we will no doubt contact you.

In peoples experience what kind of lead times might be expected for a full re-wiring? I know this is a how long is a piece of string question but just a basic idea would really help

 

[Leesparkykent]

Hi All, Many thanks I have a better idea now. I think the plan is 'if' I can get it done in the narrow time slot before we move in, then go for the full rewire. Just to get it out of the way and forget about it. Or if we are living there when its done get the inspection and pray its not too bad.

Telectrix yes it's that Endon. If we go for the inspection we will no doubt contact you.

In peoples experience what kind of lead times might be expected for a full re-wiring? I know this is a how long is a piece of string question but just a basic idea would really help

Get Telectrix to give you a price for the rewire. He's a top sparks and one of the most respected on the forum

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I would suggest having a very good think about what it is you want to end up with.
Do you just want everything existing replaced?
Do you want extra sockets?
Do want different lighting?
Do you want Audio Visual?
Do you want automation, or to be able to access your appliances via the Internet?
Do you want CCTV, or an alarm system?
Underfloor heating?

 

[Paul.M]

"1970's build, never been rewired."

I'm assuming that you will be living there for a long time?..... Do the works now before you decorate and get settled in.

Have the sockets and switches were you want/need them. With the expert help from Tel, you will get a perfect end result.

 

[ruston]

"1970's build, never been rewired."

I'm assuming that you will be living there for a long time?..... Do the works now before you decorate and get settled in.

Have the sockets and switches were you want/need them. With the expert help from Tel, you will get a perfect end result.

This is it . does it meet your requirements , it may be fine now , but will it be in a few years time .
Technology is advancing and it is difficult to predict what you will need , but it is safe to say that the requirements of the seventies have long been exceeded . An experienced electrician like Tel will be able to advise and guide you you in the latests trend and be able , as is far as possible - future proof your installation .

 

[Alex Buckley]

Again good advice, much appreciated. And yes maybe we will need addition bits for CCTV etc. Difficult to know exactly until we get the keys. But yes a full re-wiring seems the way to go.

Telectrix what is your lead time? You're certainly highly recommended

 

[Midwest]

Telectrix what is your lead time? You're certainly highly recommended

He's probably blushing too much at the moment, to reply.

 

[bf03yvd]

If its built in 1970, it'll have the old wiring system. Would it matter today ? the colours I mean.

 

[Octopus]

If its built in 1970, it'll have the old wiring system. Would it matter today ? the colours I mean.

No - why do you ask?

 

[Hellmooth]

Think he's referring to Tel post #4

 

[GMES]

Hi Alex and welcome along, I also will recommend getting Tel up to take a look, you will get a better understanding of what is needed, I have met Tel in person and would highly recommend him to anybody, it is always a good sign when a tradesman gets a lot of backing from others it means you can trust him straight away which goes a long way these days.

 

[bf03yvd]

The same function, but cores are just different colour. Red/Brown - Live. Black/Blue - neutral.

 

[shanky887614]

if you are getting work done i would recommend you get at least one cat5e point in each room.

cat5e is cheap at £30-50 a box and this will future proof your property.


cat5 can be used for internet,phone or tv.


i would recommend an alarm and maybe cctv as well (if you dont want cctv then you could always get the cables in now so their there for later)

depending on the test results you might only need a partial rewire but like you say it might be good to change it now so you dont have to rip the floors up in 20-30 years.

an eicr is definitely worth the money (used to be called a pir)

 

[Midwest]

EICR are useful, for example when buying a property. But in this case, if the OP has decided to buy whatever and set their heart on rewiring, I wouldn't spend money on an EICR, spend it on the rewire IMO. Where's Telly! I think you've all embarrassed him

 

[Adam W]

if you are getting work done i would recommend you get at least one cat5e point in each room.

cat5e is cheap at £30-50 a box and this will future proof your property.


cat5 can be used for internet,phone or tv.


i would recommend an alarm and maybe cctv as well (if you dont want cctv then you could always get the cables in now so their there for later)

depending on the test results you might only need a partial rewire but like you say it might be good to change it now so you dont have to rip the floors up in 20-30 years.

an eicr is definitely worth the money (used to be called a pir)

A cat5 point isn't going to be much use with a wifi enabled laptop. Maybe if you wanted to 'upgrade' to having an old-fashioned landline telephone in every room instead of using the mobile telephone which most people don't let out of their sight nowadays, but it won't be much use for TV unless it's sited behind the TV.

'Future-proofing' with cat5 in itself seems like an old-fashioned idea to me. It came about 10 - 15 years ago or thereabouts, when most modern technology at the time used cat5 and it would have been useful, but that is already obsolete.

 

[shanky887614]

A cat5 point isn't going to be much use with a wifi enabled laptop. Maybe if you wanted to 'upgrade' to having an old-fashioned landline telephone in every room instead of using the mobile telephone which most people don't let out of their sight nowadays, but it won't be much use for TV unless it's sited behind the TV.

'Future-proofing' with cat5 in itself seems like an old-fashioned idea to me. It came about 10 - 15 years ago or thereabouts, when most modern technology at the time used cat5 and it would have been useful, but that is already obsolete.

wireless is unreliable and cat5e is rated at gigabyte speeds.

no way your going to get gigabyte internet speeds within the next 5-10years.


wireless internet is very lossy and 802.11n wireless is only rated at around 500mb/s 802.11ac is rated nearly as high as cat5 but when you take loses into account it isnt as fast.


now personally i would install 10gb cat6e (some cat6 is only 1gb) but cat5 is that cheap i would put some in anyway in my own house.


cat5 can be used to send video using hdmi to ethernet adapters etc.


unless people want to spend £80-100+ on a decent router then wifi doesnt work very well in well built/large houses and they will need repeaters

 

[Adam W]

You might be able to get faster internet speeds over a cable at the moment, but with wifi you can sit in front of the telly browsing the internet on your laptop.
Wifi didn't even exist 15 years ago; imagine what it'll be like in a further 15 years, or even what kind of device you'll be accessing the internet on. Super-fast broadband via cat5 isn't much good when you're using an ipad or mobile phone.
I suppose you could use the future-proof socket for a landline, or you could just use the mobile phone you've already got in your hand where the cost of the call is included in your monthly minutes and you just have to press a name on the screen instead of punching the numbers in.
I can't think of any situation where I'd want to pipe in a TV source from another room.

 

[Alex Buckley]

Again more good info. As we work from home internet is vital and it would certainly benefit us to have the best available option for around the house

 

[shanky887614]

You might be able to get faster internet speeds over a cable at the moment, but with wifi you can sit in front of the telly browsing the internet on your laptop.
Wifi didn't even exist 15 years ago; imagine what it'll be like in a further 15 years, or even what kind of device you'll be accessing the internet on. Super-fast broadband via cat5 isn't much good when you're using an ipad or mobile phone.
I suppose you could use the future-proof socket for a landline, or you could just use the mobile phone you've already got in your hand where the cost of the call is included in your monthly minutes and you just have to press a name on the screen instead of punching the numbers in.
I can't think of any situation where I'd want to pipe in a TV source from another room.

actually the 802.11 standard was created in the late 90's and wasnt the first standard.


just look at america if you think completely wireless is a good idea.

the more people on the same connection the slower it gets.

what is your 4g coverage like in big cities at lunchtime?


if people do a lot of work at home a desktop is more ergonomic than a laptop.

try typing on a laptop keyboard all day and you will see