Signing off domestic work

[strit2000]

I'm currently renovating my house and plan on doing all the work myself, although need some advice regarding signing off the electrics. I intend to do everything to the regulations and the general plan is to have a qualified person come around at each stage to inspect the 1st and 2nd fix, connect everything to the consumer unit (prefer a qualified person to do that) and sign off the work providing relevant installation certificates.


I believe this to be the most be economical option but considering I'm not qualified can I meet all the regs this way? If not what are my options? Rough ideas of costs would be a great help.


I understand that the person signing off the work has to provide a 5 year warranty which may put off some electricians.


Many thanks,
Will

 

[Tridentsystems]

Good luck with that. Why not just get it done right

 

[Eddiesparks]

Sorry to sound like a dick but you may as well say

'Hi i'd like to take work out of your (struggling !) trade and possibly endanger someone 's life in the process.

Is that ok?'

Do you see what i'm getting at?

Put it this way if you know what you're doing enough to do the work then you know what you are doing enough to test it and fill in the form. You can notify LABC for about £200 if you have tested the install and filled out the form. If any parts of the form do not make sense then i can only assume you are not competent to rewire your house.

 

[Eddiesparks]

A compromise - u may find a spark who will let you, under their instruction, do an element of the work with them. Where are you based Will?

 

[MDJ]

You won't find a spark who will come around and sign off work installed by an enthusiast for a couple of quid and then guarantee the works for 5 years, then again peter pan may land in my lounge in 5 minutes, who knows? prepare to spend between 3-3.5k for a rewire of a 3 bedroom semi-detatched house and get it done properly

 

[Badged01]

Assuming you aint going down the LABC route, it depending on the relationship you have with the electrician who is going to do the guiding, checking, testing and signing-off for you. Not a totally impracticable way to go about it if he can see everything being done to his satisfaction -- Im sure there is many a house out there been re-wired that way!

I think the key to it all is to get whoever you will be using as your 'electrician' and have a long chat with him about your proposal and what he will be willing to accept you doing (what, when, where, how etc ...) and still be able to sign off the electrical installation certificate at the end of it all!

Assuming you buy all the materials and want a cost for the electricians time, a typically a re-wire would be around 5 days at say £150 per day (in the expensive Midlands!). If you're doing the donkey work under instruction then for his electrical knowledge/expertise/guidance he might drop it to £100 for the 5 days. Say £500 for cash!

He doesnt have to give you any warranty and probably wouldnt want to if he hasnt done all the work .......

 

[MDJ]

You won,t find an electrician who will issue a EIC for a job they didn't do, that would be suicide and very silly

 

[Octopus]

What you need to do is to get a spark to do the electrics and for YOU to do all the drilling, back box preparation, switch drops, making good etc.

 

[Welchyboy1]

Ha! Stop being such a tight a#%^ and get someone in who knows what they are doing

not qualified means not competant, nothing worse than an over confident DIYer thats spent a few hours researching on the internet

by all means do everything yourself for your new project but get the gas, plumbing and electrics done properly and consider it money well spent

no decent electrician would touch your proposal with a barge pole, your effectively asking him to take all the hassle and responsibility for a job done by an incompetant person, whilst you cut him out of any chance of making a profit so you can save a few quid


makes me laugh, the cost of a few grand to get a decent install that will potentially last for at least 30-40 years

thats around £50 per year for piece of mind



badged01

please dont encourage people like this, we all know theres nothing worse than an enthusiastic customer thinking hes doing you a favour helping out when hes just really getting in the way

and charging £100-150 a day for a week for the hassle, wow ur cheap!

 

[GMES]

Bloody laptop battery went and I was going to be post 3, anyway the guys have pretty much spelled it out for you, the best way forward is to ask if you can be is labourer on the job for all I know you could be a great worker, but as said no respectable spark is going to make himself liable for your work. my advice keep the kettle boiling and the biscuits, make him his dinner listen to everything he says, do as he says without getting chippy, be prepared to get your hands damaged and it may just work out, oh and don't forget his apple every day.

 

[Badged01]

please dont encourage people like this, we all know theres nothing worse than an enthusiastic customer thinking hes doing you a favour helping out when hes just really getting in the way

I reckon hes gonna do it himself otherwise .........

....£100-150 a day for a week for the hassle, wow ur cheap!

Tiz up 'North' in the Midlands, normally they only charge £50 per day there dont they?

 

[Octopus]

The last time I agreed to do a rewire with the client doing all the donkey work, the customer was astonished how many different parts were required and how long it took me!

 

[MDJ]

What you need to do is to get a spark to do the electrics and for YOU to do all the drilling, back box preparation, switch drops, making good etc.

Yes good idea he may save a couple of hundred doing that

 

[Octopus]

Yes good idea he may save a couple of hundred doing that

Or more as most sensible people double the amount of sockets, etc, etc

 

[uksparks]

This is absolutely fine, no problems what so ever so when you have finished each stage don't forget to ring Great Uncle Bulgaria or Tomsk to do the paperwork bit for you though...

If they are unavailable, you could try Great Uncle Qualified Electrician who with an ounce of common sense hopefully won't be so damn stupid and even entertain this nonsense!

 

[uksparks]

What you need to do is to get a spark to do the electrics and for YOU to do all the drilling, back box preparation, switch drops, making good etc.

I got someone to do this once, which I hadn't said so as they made a total pigs ear of the chases and it just made more work, the filling over is not a problem, but I personally wouldn't even let someone chase out unless they promise to make a good job of it.

 

[Badged01]

you could try Great Uncle Qualified Electrician who with an ounce of common sense hopefully won't be so damn stupid and even entertain this nonsense!

Dont miss out on a nice little earner! Set the boy rolling with what you need doing then claim your "wage" for popping in for an hour on your way home from work to check hes done everything as instructed ..... OK maybe a day at the end for final checking and testing!

 

[Badged01]

I got someone to do this once, which I hadn't said so as they made a total pigs ear of the chases and it just made more work, the filling over is not a problem, but I personally wouldn't even let someone chase out unless they promise to make a good job of it.

Advise them of the correction required then another trip required to check its done correctly ..... chink, chink goes the til while your down the pub :8:

 

[DPG]

The last time I agreed to do a rewire with the client doing all the donkey work, the customer was astonished how many different parts were required and how long it took me!

Never mind Murdoch, we can't all be quick workers Daz

 

[MDJ]

This is absolutely fine, no problems what so ever so when you have finished each stage don't forget to ring Great Uncle Bulgaria or Tomsk to do the paperwork bit for you though...

If they are unavailable, you could try Great Uncle Qualified Electrician who with an ounce of common sense hopefully won't be so damn stupid and even entertain this nonsense!

The Wombles - Remember You`re a Womble - YouTube