Rewiring is an important process in keeping your home safe, and it may be necessary to bring a house up to regulations if this can’t be done with an upgraded fuse board. A survey will be taken to establish the condition of a houses electrical installation prior to any rewiring taking place. At its worst, old and faulty wiring can cause fires, injury or electrocution. As such, electrics are now covered under building regulations; however, existing wiring was not subject to these regulations, meaning older properties may need to be re-wired. This also means that if you’re renovating or making alterations to your property, the regulations will come in to force.
Considering the process
Firstly, you should consider how much a rewire will cost and how long it will take, as it is a long process which will disrupt you living in your property. Walls will need to be chased, creating a lot of mess and dust; they will then need to be redecorated after being chased; access is needed to the floorboards, so carpets will have to come up; and furniture will need to be moved for ease of access. The property will also be without electricity, and although not absolutely essential, it may be preferable to stay someone else for the duration of the rewiring. Therefore, it’s best to only rewire when it is absolutely necessary, such as when it’s not been done in over 25 years.
Futureproofing your property
If a rewire is necessary, then you have some more things to consider. Since the next rewire will be needed in 25 years, you need to ‘futureproof’ your property to plan ahead for this amount of time. Ensure that an appropriate amount of sockets are installed, for example. You may have enough for now, but just think of how many more electronics are in the average home now compared to 25 years ago – this is likely to keep increasing as the things become increasingly digital. Making a list of what you currently have can be a good guide for you and the electrician (for example, a TV, two lamps and an alarm clock in the bedroom). A good rule of thumb is to then triple the amount of sockets and outlets that you currently have.
Budgeting for the rewire
A rewire is a costly procedure, so a budget should be considered and then stuck to. Consider the costs related directly to the rewiring, such as the price of each individual fixing and how many of these you’ll need, along with other costs such as the potential redecoration needed. Considering a budget before you begin will help you keep the costs to a minimum.
With all these things considered, if your property is in need of a rewire then ELECBUILD has the expertise to make your rewiring an easy process. Our team of expert, qualified technicians based in Essex can increase the safety and efficiency of your property’s electrical system. For a free, no obligation quote on rewiring or for any other electrical work you may need done, contact us today on 01206 580363 or send us a message and we will be in touch shortly.