500 year old cottage

[a.e.s]

I am just about to start wiring a 500 year old cottage for an old chelsea footballer, I am after suggestions of how to do the switch drops. My customer has jus moved out of a £4 million seafront mansion where all the finishes on the plates and downlights were brass and he wants the same in his cottage. Problem being all the internal brickwork is original and has not been plastered over, they are also set within oak beams, and the external walls are also single skinned, so no cavity. my customer was asking about doing the switch drops in brass conduit with a surface mounted brass backbox and switch, I have told him that I have never heard of this and doubt very much whether it is in production, I was wondering what other people have done in a similar situation, or if anyone has any oher ideas. (by the way he was talking, white plastic anything is out of the question).

 

[jjjinx]

I've recently put 38 d/lighters in a 500 yr old cottage, blinking low ceilings & doorways everywhere, me being 6ft it hurt.
We managed to get most wiring in the walls, but some channeling, lots of beams.

They used to do churches etc in MI unsheathed so I'm told dono about nowa dayz.

I've got no suggestions other than wood effect trunking lol

 

[pennywise]

Why not just get normal conduit and have it brass electro plated, sounds like they have quite a bit of money alternatively MI would look ok seen it done in a couple of old places.

 

[rocker]

Was just gonna suggest electroplating, or if money isn't a factor getting similar beams to the rest of the house, put throughout in a non-structural capacity, hollow them out for running cables and put the accessories on them.... royal pain in the butt though.

Brass throughout, ay? And people say footballers have no taste!

 

[pennywise]

Personally think antique bronze for the conduit and back box with a bronze face plate looks really nice on oak.

 

[rocker]

EDIT: OOOOOR you could use this Order Brass 230 Pipe in Small Quantities at OnlineMetals.com

 

[rocker]

Personally think antique bronze for the conduit and back box with a bronze face plate looks really nice on oak.

Thinking of it, in the right setting it's probably really nice as ong as it's not polished to within an inch of it's life.

Have a massive aversion to brass accessories though, lived with the damn horrible things for years!

 

[Notsosmart]

I think the Titanic's wiring was within brass conduit, I have also seen lacquered copper conduit(somewhere), and definitely stainless.

Realistically what about black plastic (or enamelled) Run it down the beams. Alternatively you can get brown YT2.

 

[pennywise]

If the floor is suspended is there the possibility of doing the sockets from below and mounting floor sockets.

740

 

[scotsparky]

how about bare pyro? just at nice

oops just seen pennywise has already said it

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I think it would be very difficult to make a conduit look anything on the inevitably distorted uneven walls in that type of property....unless the walls are plumb it'll look a dogs dinner.
I'd look at the previous suggestion of bare MICC. A 1.0mm pyro is tiny,can be dressed into the brick joints etc and would be very unobtrusive,although a little shiny at first it would tone down pretty quickly. If you dispensed with the gland and used a pot with an earth tag it would be possible to run it into a carefully flushed in box on the brickwork. Time consuming it would be but the end result would do a building like that justice.

3 now for pyro

 

[pennywise]

or wirless switches

Echo Finishes

 

[scotsparky]

if you rub the bare pyro slightly it tarnishes quicker.

 

[mogga]

Bare micc thats how the art gallery in Glasgow was done i think they channeled some parts into mortar gaps to hide it dont know how the regs would look wt that tho

 

[scotsparky]

mogga it fine good mechanical protection all the way no problems.