Electrician rewiring charges

K

Koplegend

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Got a quote from an electrician to rewire our house including changing the fuse box, change sockets etc etc. Quote was approx 6,000 incl. VAT. House is a standard 3-bed 1200 sqft house, about 50yrs old. Anyone know if this sounds reasonable?
 
I paid £1500 about 20 years ago for a complete rewire of our 50 year old house. Not dissimilar to your own with 4 double sockets in each of 3 bedrooms, dining room and sitting room; 6 double sockets in kitchen; 2 double sockets in utility room; separate fuse box and 4 double sockets and 2 double flouro tubes in garage.
Your quote of about £4000 (roughly) doesn't seem too bad considering inflation since then.
 
Do either or both of these houses still have the old red and black wiring and is this being replaced?
 
Not sure what type of wires are there, but I know they have never been changed since the house was built about 50yrs ago. They all need to be replaced, as well as fuse box, plugs, etc. I will be asking for plasterwork to be included. Also need to get a shower connected, and electricity to the outdoor shed.
 
This sounds reasonable but I would look for a breakdown of the number of sockets being provided per room, provision for extractor fans and other fixed appliances (fused spurs), number of light points etc. If the price includes making good to plasterwork etc I would proceed on this basis- although this will entail a lot of builders work for the sparks as he'll have to use new conduit in the walls etc so be sure to get a firm written quote outlining the full extent of the work to be undertaken.
 
Make sure it is clear if he is responsible for returning the house to good condition after wiring, i.e. all replastering etc. There was recent thread over on boards.ie where the electrician dissappeared leaving a load of replastering, claiming that this is never done by the electrician.
 
I presume it would be normal to make sure that the electrician is RECI registered?
 
Sounds OK to me, depending on where you are. My electrician in the NW charging about 6k inc VAT for 1600 sq ft renovated and extended house: all new wiring, lots and lots of sockets and light points, kitchen appliances, undercabinet wiring and lights, 3 showers, heat pump, hot water, thermostats, outdoor lights, phone and TV pointsm attic lights etc. No make good involved as there are other tradesmen on the job.

Just make sure you put in more than you think you will need!
 
ClubMan said:
I presume it would be normal to make sure that the electrician is RECI registered?
Click to expand...

and there is another lot of so called registered electricians who are not RECI so be careful out there, a mate had a load of hassle with a gobdaw who was registered with this other lot, master builders or master craftmen or something like that they deem to call themselves.

The ESB told him afterwards that the master wotsits were not allowed to certify an install with them so find out if your electrician is on the official ESB list of persons who can certify an install, a RECI is most certainly one such.

I hate to think of what the insurance assesor would do if there were a problem leading to a fire. BTW has yer man quoted you for a smoke alarm ???
 
Smoke alarms should always be fitted, yes - as well as ELCB's in all wet areas, and god knows what else. Good point about the certification, make double sure he can do that for ya.
 
extopia said:
ELCB's in all wet areas
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Combis (ELCB and RCCB together ) are best for showers , lots of electricians won't fit them because they can be trigger happy going off. Maybe use them in the kitchen too .

Its a GOOD thing if YOU are the one who could get electrocuted so feel free to insist.
 
ELCB - Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
RCCB - Residual Current Circuit Breaker

I'm not au fait with the exact difference between these devices but basically they are interupters which shut off the current if there is danger of you getting an electric shock.
 
How much for a typical ex council house, non extended in Dublin?
Current electrics would be the chunky white socket boxes with wires encased coming down outside of walls. Prob more for aesthetics than safety it needs to be changed. 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen/dining and front room. Would be willing to source my own sockets etc to save on costs. Is it hard to get electricians? How long does it take?
 
Since the mid 80's ELCB's aren't used in domestic installations . RCD's must be used on any rewire or new installation to protect sockets, shower and immersion circuit users.

Being RECI or ECSSA approved, allows them get an cert from the ESB for reconnection, but I have seen disgraceful/unsafe work from both RECI and ECSSA electricians, as well as non-approved.

A non-RECI approved electrician can do the job, and contact the local RECI rep to examine it and authorise a cert.



Reason for edit: "as well as non-approved"
 
Some points; getting a RECI inspector to verify work done for a completion cert is €370.

Getting a RECI electrician to do the job will naturally have his RECI membership and book of certs cost factored in.

You can be sure that a RECI inspection of non-RECI work will be extremely vigilant (been there) as there is a natural agenda to attempt find fault with non-RECI installations.

On a last point, I am not anti RECI or ECSSA, just feel that once approved they have a fairly free reign and that their standards don't necessarily reflect RECI and ECSSA's promotion and self-serving.
 
just did a house rewire,i did all of the tests,got the reci inspector out,363 euro,he pointed out a couple of adjustments i needed to do,came back later and gave me the cert,he was very helpful,and not overly picky,i would expect him to be thorough and he was,i was happy and so are the esb.
 
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