Not too happy with this work...

[Kitty0307]

We're first time house renovators and recently had an electrician in to replace the main board and rewire the kitchen.

I'm really not too happy with the results. There are cables coming out of the wall below the sockets and running back into the floor, multiple holes around sockets and where old sockets were and worst of all an absolutely huge hole in our hallway above the new main board.

On speaking to the electrician he's advised he doesn't do plastering- but I had assumed he would at least make good after doing the rewire- whether that was included in the additional quote or would be at additional cost.

As a complete newbie to having a rewire and any kind of electrical work done, am I overreacting? It doesn't look as professional as I would have expected....And the cables coming out of the wall and then into the floor dont seem right either.

I'd like to have a chat with him about it but not really sure what to say and how things should look. Not like this, I'm sure!

Anybody?

 

[Kitty0307]

I certainly don't feel I'm over reacting about the hole in the wall above the consumer unit. We did NOT plan to get this wall replastered and wanted to keep the original wallpaper. It looks a state and regardless of whether access will be needed there for future work, I think much more care could have been taken when fitting the new unit. I'm actually shocked that anybody would say I'm overreacting...
I didn't say he could drill holes in the floor...or run cable over the skirtings. It's still a shoddy job in my opinion. If we decide to go with somebody else for the remainder of the rewire will he still issue us with certification for the work he has done?

As far as leaving service gap behind kitchen units....our plan was to fit freestanding custom made wooden units and now it's looking like this won't be a option or we will have to have spaces cut into them for cables and pipes. We did discuss the types of units we were planning on fitting with the electrician (well, I did).

Just fed up of the whole thing- pretty much dealing wirh this myself as my partner just buries his head and moans about how much it will cost/tells me off if things go wrong.

 

[Cid]

The only thing wrong I can see is the cables over the skirting. However you have pipes and skirting on the way. Hiding the cables would require more destruction.

Now re wiring is usually done before major refurbishment or redecorations. You can't expect electricians to plaster the room and redecorate for you. The cost would be much higher.

 

[Midwest]

I'd like to think I would of done a better job, as do most members on this thread appear to think.

However, as this seems a work in progress, I don't think any of us can criticise this installer, until the job is finished.

As said the OP needs to discuss this with her installer, and not let us pick holes (excuse the pun) in the work. E.g. the hole above the CU, I have carried some installs, where the replacement of CU's revealed the existing install of 50 years ago, where the previous electrician hacked out the wall, and filled it with 4" deep plaster.

I always made good to sub finish, with final finish to be completed by others, and made that clear in T&C's, unless my client wanted a quote to decorative finish.

Lastly, when I've done work in my own house, my wife often complains about the holes I have to make to route cables. How she expects me to get cables to accessories, without doing so, I ain't the foggiest. Always been the same though. No offence OP

Have you anymore pics, that highlight your concerns?​

 

[streamer]

5. The work needs notifying to the building authorities. If he has taken on the work (and no building inspector has visited) then we must assume that he is 'Part P registered' and able to sign off his own work. You should be receiving an email (or letter) from his governing body at some point saying that the work has been notified.

Part P does not apply in Scotland, there is no need to inform the local building authorities.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

The first two replies to the OP are a considerable overreaction. The work is not appalling, just rather untidy. Members should think carefully before scaring the pants off people. There seems to be a trend with some members to simply condemn everything without knowing the full circumstances of the install. It would have been a simple matter to make up a neat ply boxing to enclose wiring to the DB if the damage to the wall was necessary to pull in wiring Other than not being well finished I cant see a great deal wrong with it, as long as certification is issued.

 

[streamer]

Kitty, you joined this forum a few months ago to ask for advice before you started this job. Two members local to you offered to have a look for you. You didn't give me the courtesy of a reply, I'm not sure about the other chap but I know he didn't do the work.
At worst the work is untidy but probably sound enough, all the issues you've mentioned are things you should address with the person who carried out the work.
For my English cousins on the forum, there is no competent persons scheme or domestic installers in Scotland. You are either an Electrician or not, there is no middle ground. Also, we have different building regulations so there is no part P here. We do share the same electrical regulations though!

 

[westward10]

He needs to rectify the hole in the ceiling as he has compromised the fire protection.

 

[Midwest]

He needs to rectify the hole in the ceiling as he has compromised the fire protection.

Whose saying he won't eventually.

 

[westward10]

Whose saying he won't eventually.

I agree just pointing out that it should not be omitted from his works.

 

[Conor McConville]

There’s no way he should be paid full agreed amount, I would pay another trusted electrician in the area to come in with you and go round the house and identify all issues with a ‘competent’ tradesman. Let him try to explain himself then. I’d rather give the extra few pound to someone else rather than pay him. Unacceptable!

 

[AJshep]

Excuse me........i am a Domestic installer and would not leave work looking like that.....and a couple of months ago spent 2 days rectifying what you call an ELECTRICIANS work who was time served and all that............so his work was a total disgrace......when asked about a cert for additional sockets he didnt have a clue what the client was on about....

Your right, some people do shoddy work, qualified or unqualified. To me the pics look a bit shoddy but not technically wrong.. I was miserable yesterday but what I'm getting at is some people who aren't trained do shoddy work, but unfortunately they have no idea, they think they are doing a great job ! Ive seen people promoting their businesses with pictures of work they carried out, and the pics were worse then this.

You descibe work you have put right, for q start I wouldn't call that person an electrician. sure this chap who you followed up told everybody he was a qualified, but he would be aware of testing, if he is with a scheme report him.

 

[DefyG]

We did NOT plan to get this wall replastered and wanted to keep the original wallpaper. It looks a state and regardless of whether access will be needed there for future work, I think much more care could have been taken when fitting the new unit. I'm actually shocked that anybody would say I'm overreacting...

How did you expect him to get the cables to the consumer unit? Without chasing? Would surface clipped or trunking be acceptable? Probably lack of communication.

If the original cables were just 'plastered in' above the original consumer unit, its quite possible (and not uncommon) that in removing them the plaster and wall crumbled away.
We used to 'make good' but when clients criticised our attempts at making good (we are electricians NOT plasterers), we decided that we would always put …. 'making good excluded' as a note to our quotes.

As far as leaving service gap behind kitchen units....our plan was to fit freestanding custom made wooden units

Was this communicated to the electrician.

Was it suggested that the pipework might be 'boxed in'? Might be another reason why the cables come out in front of the skirtings!

As you say you are a 'first time' renovator and there will be many more lessons to learn!!

 

[Risteard]

We used to 'make good' but when clients criticised our attempts at making good (we are electricians NOT plasterers), we decided that we would always put …. 'making good excluded' as a note to our quotes.

Don't know how many times I've had to explain that I'm not a plasterer. Some people seem to think that a bit of bonding to hold things in place should have an amazing finish.

 

[DPG]

Seems a bit optimistic to expect new cables to be chased in but to keep the wallpaper intact.

 

[ruston]

Some plaster falls off if you look at it the wrong way. It's in the lap of the God's.