Wiring in 17th C Timber framed house - for dummies

[Zebra]

Exactly!

Plus the added advantage that you will probably be more concerned about the fabric of the house than, perhaps, an electrician on a tight schedule (no offence zebra)

Also on this point I have to say that you are absolutely right. Plenty of times I've bashed out laths to make way for backboxes. Only today I've been cutting holes in a turn-of-the-century lath and plaster ceiling to fit downlighters, but to be fair the vast majority of householders equate "old" with "nasty" and "nice" with "new" and don't give a monkeys about the fabric of their buildings, don't know what laths even are....
Since I've owned an old building (and since I've been on PPUK!), I have much more respect for the fabric of old houses than I used to have, and I'd say I'm more willing than most to work with the building, find ways round things, protect the house, even when customers aren't aware of what I'm doing. Most electricians probably would - definately do - bash the poor house about to get the job done. Sometimes you have to - if someone wants their house rewired, well I've got to get the cables there somehow... but most customers don't know, don't care, don't want to know, just want the job done....

 

[Flyfisher]

I agree with your points, Zebra, and I would certainly not encourage anyone to do their own wiring in the expectation that they could then have it certified by an electrician on demand. However, by working together with an amenable electrician right from the start, the DIY option seems perfectly reasonable. I accept I may have been fortunate in finding such an electrician, but there's no harm in asking.

Regarding one specific point:

However, the scenario you had with your electrician is one I would be wary of entering into with a customer, unless I knew them very well and trusted their workmanship!

I'm not entirely sure what there is to trust? If the cable routing is all visible or obvious, the certifying electrician can verify all the work first hand, so where is the risk? As I previously mentioned, isn't this all just the same as having an apprentice on the job, whose work needs to be checked and verified like any trainee?


One other thing. I may be mistaken about this, but is it not possible to have building control certify all aspects of a DIY project? If so, what would their approach be to certifying the electrical installation?

 

[Zebra]

One other thing. I may be mistaken about this, but is it not possible to have building control certify all aspects of a DIY project? If so, what would their approach be to certifying the electrical installation?

Yes absolutely, that option is open to anyone, to put in a Building Control notice and have them certify DIY work - that is legal and acceptable. I don't actually know anyone who's done it, so don't know to what extent BC inspect or test the work. They may be less wary of signing off DIY work because they're not signing it as if they themselves had done the work.

I'm not entirely sure what there is to trust? If the cable routing is all visible or obvious, the certifying electrician can verify all the work first hand, so where is the risk?

I can see your point, totally. I can see how that arrangement would work where the workmanship was all up to standard. I think I would just be wary of entering into this arrangement with someone because if their work wasn't up to standard - they'd drilled the joists in the wrong place, the cables were squashed and mangled etc - I would then be in the situation of having to tell them to take it all out and do it again. I've had apprentices and signed their work off myself, of course, but I've been there when they're doing it and been able to directly supervise. When it's someone you don't know and you're not actually there when they're doing it, then you're trusting them to maintain your professional standards. It could work, I don't deny that, I just don't think that it would always necessarily work.

 

[Flyfisher]

Ah, I see your point. Of course, you'd be quite within your rights to not certify substandard work and insist it is done again properly, but I can understand your concern about dealing with such an awkward position. I hadn't thought about it from that perspective..

Fortunately I had no such problems and my electrician still talks to me. :lol: