rewiring

[Anonymous]

i Have just purchased a 8 bedroomed edwardian house which was rewired 20 years ago by the local athourity. most of the wiring is external, so would i just be better to bite the bullet and have the house totally rewired? if so how much would it roughly cost to do this... Thankyou

 

[Anonymous]

You shouldnt need to rewire after 20 years. If by external you mean exposed surface mounted, is it T&E or MICC? T&E is relatively easy to bury, MICC less so but still possible.

But why the rewire option?

NT

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with NT. Do you have specific safety worries about the wiring? Have you had it checked over by an electrician? If you're going to rewire just because the system is 20 years old, I can't see the point.

 

[Anonymous]

NT - purely for my own education, is micc cabling used for ordinary domestic circuits? I thought it was only for fire alarm circuits.

 

[Anonymous]

MICC's primary use is as you say, but is sometimes found in domestic properties as well. Its always struck me as a bit odd.

NT

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't the current thinking that surface mounting is preferable to burying cables and pipes in old walls?

 

[Anonymous]

Its certainly cheaper <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

I'll leave the historic fabric question to Evelyn and co.

Surface wiring has its own character that looks right with a few buildings too, particularly rougher low cost types. Admittedly not many, wiring isnt exactly pretty, but I have seen the occasional characterful install that would be a real shame to remove. One was a WW1 era paper insulated setup, and people have occasionally found Victorian wiring in basements, eg bare steel wires strung across the wall on standoffs, maybe carrying 32v or something like that. Lots of 1930s installs are still in daily use in America.

I've also seen some weird and wonderful surface plumbing that's a significant part of the building character. Again it would be a shame to bury it.

NT