What would you do

[Matty o]

Was asked be a old chap to do some work on a extension for as i have been recommended from some one he knew

When arrived it turns out its a 60s built one bed annex linked to his house by a covered walkway but they where in the process of turning the bed room to a kitchen and building a extension on it as a bedroom and the owner was going to rent it to his Ex wife.

The builder had done the first and second fix in the kitchen for sockets and lights and wanted me to put 2 sockets and a light in the new bedroom and and a new cooker point in the kitchen and sign off the extension for building control.

Had a look and the main house CU was full and no room for a anything else in the cupboard I started digging a bit more and it seams the annex is fed on one 32 amp 2.5 ring main. (Lights, sockets, SHOWER) I did find a switch fuse spur on the ceiling that was full of water form the leaking roof this fed the lights apart form the kitchen, so can only assume that is off the ring.

The builder just wanted me to do the extension and the cooker point so they could get it signed off.

I told the owner the extension sockets and lights and the cooker would require rcd protection and the given the state of the rest of the building i would recommend fitting a new CU in the annex and fit a sub main from the house and as the annex was all empty and striped rewire the whole annex.

The builder then got all funny then saying that he had a electrician that would do the work and that i was just trying to rip the owner off

so i told the owner that i was not happy to do the work and would at least recommend a test of the whole annex as i was sure it would highlight a lot of issues that would result in my recommendation to rewire and left.

Now i understand that i could of just fitted a small CU in the extension with rcds and treated it separately to the main annex.


So what would you do

 

[Steve_P]

Had this scenario too many times, walked away each time. I could expand on that statement but there's no real reason. Walk away mate.

 

[telectrix]

let the plonker of a builder sort his own mess out. he's trying to get you to do a bit of work for a few quid and then take responsibility for his bodged work. as was quoted on another thread " 100% responsibility for a fraction of the money". walk away.

 

[dickie]

yeh as the others say walk away - not worth it!

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Matty o.......should leave the building!

 

[Engineer54]

Here we go again, fitting separate CU's remote from the cut-out/main CU position, rather than just replace the full existing CU with one that can accommodate the extra ways required and that will provide RCD protection to the entire property rather than just a tiny part of it!!

 

[Ponty Massive]

Here we go again, fitting separate CU's remote from the cut-out/main CU position, rather than just replace the full existing CU with one that can accommodate the extra ways required and that will provide RCD protection to the entire property rather than just a tiny part of it!!

But sometimes you haven't got a choice....

 

[Engineer54]

But sometimes you haven't got a choice....

They are very few and far between!!

 

[ipf]

But sometimes you haven't got a choice....

True.
Not like a remote cu but had it with grant work for disabled in the past. Not enough room in existing cu for new circuits (not to 17th either). No funds made available for upgrade so henleys and extra cu to 17th. No testing of existing cu. Insisted on bonding and requirements be met for new.
On others, had to run an swa externally to extra cu in rear extension. No possible route from front to rear of house for cabling for five or six new circuits without severe disruptions and extra costs.