Recourse on dangerous re-wiring botch job

Hi folks,

Could anybody help me with some info regarding a botch electrical re-wiring job.

I employed a neighbour to re-wire my house when I was having the house completely renovated. We had a fall-out when the job was supposedly "completed" as it became obvious that the standard of work was so poor and nothing was working properly.

To cut a very long story short...I have had to employ another electrician to complete the job and it turns out that the situation is far worse than it appeared on the surface as there are many problems with connections, wiring and earthing etc. Nothing at the fuse board was marked. Fuse board too small etc. By now the house has been skimmed, new floors etc. Looking at the original electrician's billhead it does not appear as if this guy is RECI registered. I have paid €18,000 for work that would not pass any test and in fact he has not certified it. I supplied all the fittings as per his request.

Do I have any recourse open to me? Help please.

In my experience whether he was with RECI or not makes no difference since RECI really dont support the customer. My advice would be to go to a solicitor, the legal route I think is the best option. Keep all receipts from that cowboy and show the solicitor.