Would you finish another person's work

[MrNotaSparky]

Hi all been reading on this forum for a while and you all seem a friendly bunch I am a DIY enthusiast (Hate that) but it is what I am been messing or medaling around with electrics since I was a kid should really have studied it and took up the craft anyhow hi all. I do have a question Is asking an electrician to make good the ends at a DB on a circuit already in place, no points for guessing who installed it!! to commission and certify the said circuits albeit not all of his own work an acceptable thing to do?? Thinking that my tender for this business would be laughed and scoffed at I thought I would ask you guys first and If you were to take on the work would the fact that the bulk of the work was in place (assuming it was up to scratch and followed regs) dramatically decrease your quote?. Dave (NotaSparky)

 

[Vortigern]

Hi @Notasparky You ask (I think) Is it better to have it looked at by a pro. than not?
As you say there are countless infractions of rules at all levels and professions. In the real world people cannot afford the cost of a pro. so DIY. In an ideal world yes inspection professionally done is desirable, but I wont hold my breath, it would be fatal to wait that long. As in all things, like alcohol, sugar, and additives consumption, pressing civic buttons, insurance, gas and electrics the general public are woefully misinformed. Considering the money the gov.uk make and associated electrical shylocks schemes take from us electricians, you would think they would have spent some of our hard earned providing better information generally. Most mistakes and malfeaseance are seen retropectively, and lessons are learnt and lines drawn under it and the off we go again to the usual SNAFU. We do our best in the situation. The forum is part of the answer not the problem.
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which may never come under scrutiny from any official body let alone the law

Therein lies the nub of it, people will exploit this fact. A lack of integrity and irresponsible behaviour is the driver of many such infractions sadly.

 

[MrNotaSparky]

Thanks for that Fatalan have now posted this work online and had several replies most seem to saying it's not a problem but all quoting £500 plus some are saying a NICEIC report needs doing first at a cost of £100 all sounds a bit expensive one wonders how much the quote would be without any of the work being done.

 

[Andy78]

Thanks for that Fatalan have now posted this work online and had several replies most seem to saying it's not a problem but all quoting £500 plus some are saying a NICEIC report needs doing first at a cost of £100 all sounds a bit expensive one wonders how much the quote would be without any of the work being done.

Very average prices for a consumer unit upgrade and full inspection. I'd be charging you about £600-700 for both of those services combined. That would be before any remedial work if needed. That price would be what I charged any customer so would not be inflated through any DIYer tax you may have suspicions of.

My advice would be to get three quotes and choose the one you get the best feeling of getting along with. It would be my advice to be totally honest upfront about your work as covering it up usually leads to more time spent getting to the nub of things.

 

[pc1966]

Those prices seem pretty normal to me.

The industry "best practice guides" are worth a read of in any case as I guess you are interested in the subject. Guide 1 recommend an ECIR before a CU change when possible so both the electrician proposing the work, and the customer making the decision, have a good idea of what might be involved in achieving a safe standards-compliant installation. Guide 4 illustrates examples of things to look out for and how they would be coded for risk on such a report.

As already pointed out you can't realistically find out problems such as botched joints under floors or embedded in plasterwork, etc, but at least any obvious at-risk points would be brought up during it. You probably will have spotted and fixed the obvious, but your would be amazed at the folk with broken/burned sockets, light switched giving the odd 'tingle', etc, who do nothing!

https://www.----------------------------/professional-resources/best-practice-guides/

 

[Taylortwocities]

Thanks for the feedback Vortigern, and a reminder of the choppy waters I'm in but let me pose this question this is a domestic environment which may never come under scrutiny from any official body let alone the law, so as such open to be abused by oh so many DIY enthusiast! and indeed the market place from B+Q to Screwfix and even electrical wholesalers are there to make a buck from all who try! So whether it's permitted or not controlled or otherwise people qualified and not so DO IT.

All may well until you come to sell the property. Buyers solicitors always require proper certification of any electrical work and (particularly) and work that requires notification. ie new circuits, new consumer units and electrical work in certain areas (bathrooms etc).
They will want to see that the work has been correctly notified to the local authority.

Thats where you will come under the scrutiny of an official body, and the law (notification of some electrical work is as much a legal requirement, as installing a gas boiler).

There are rumours of a purchaser being able to buy some sort of insurance indemnity policy in cases where installation work has not been properly documented, but I'd run away from a house where the vendor had such a cavalier attitude.

Now, I'm going to declare an interest here. To be a trained electrician and to carry out, and notify works I went to night school for three years while trying to keep another job going, underwent further training for design and testing, I pay hundreds of pounds a year to a competent persons scheme as well as having to keep some very expensive equipment calibrated and certified as such.

I have no truck with DIYers who want to find wrangles round the correct way to do things.

 

[Zerax]

There are rumours of a purchaser being able to buy some sort of insurance indemnity policy in cases where installation work has not been properly documented, but I'd run away from a house where the vendor had such a cavalier attitude.

They are more than rumours... they are perfectly normal these days. As for running away... IMHO you'd be in a very small minority. I've bought and sold many houses over the years and have known lots of family and friends doing the same... Not having an EIC for an additional circuit would never stop a purchase.

 

[Andy78]

They are more than rumours... they are perfectly normal these days. As for running away... IMHO you'd be in a very small minority. I've bought and sold many houses over the years and have known lots of family and friends doing the same... Not having an EIC for an additional circuit would never stop a purchase.

It may well invalidate house insurance in the event of an incident involving a diy circuit though. Insurance companies inspect every angle when trying to wriggle out of paying.

 

[Ed Evans]

do it right first time and get it re-wired by an electrician or the certificate will have so many notes on it it would really be useless. the poin of when you sell the property on is very valid as you will need to address the problem now.you will then be able to sleep at night without the smoke alarm going off!!!!!!

 

[Midwest]

They are more than rumours... they are perfectly normal these days. As for running away... IMHO you'd be in a very small minority. I've bought and sold many houses over the years and have known lots of family and friends doing the same... Not having an EIC for an additional circuit would never stop a purchase.

I moved two years ago, had to sign a legal document, a questionnaire about the house I was selling. One of the questions was, has any electrical work been carried out on the property since 2005, if so supply copies of certification, including compliance’s docs.

 

[Zerax]

I moved two years ago, had to sign a legal document, a questionnaire about the house I was selling. One of the questions was, has any electrical work been carried out on the property since 2005, if so supply copies of certification, including compliance’s docs.

Agreed... and if you can't find them (or didn't have them in the first place)... indemnity insurance is taken out.

A mate of mine paid for insurance a while ago... I think it was about £140 for a whole extension that he'd built. He had all certificates, it was all official and signed off... but before he could get them to his solicitor... she'd already taken out the insurance ! I'm told it's very very normal now.

 

[Midwest]

Agreed... and if you can't find them (or didn't have them in the first place)... indemnity insurance is taken out.

A mate of mine paid for insurance a while ago... I think it was about £140 for a whole extension that he'd built. He had all certificates, it was all official and signed off... but before he could get them to his solicitor... she'd already taken out the insurance ! I'm told it's very very normal now.

Not a great fan of indemnity insurance from what I’ve read; only covers you for legal action over subsequent enforcement (which is time limited anyway), or legal action to the vendor, which you’d think the buyer would know about.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Would I finish another persons work ?

the honest answer is , it depends how badly I needed the cash....

(tin hat on)

 

[ipf]

Would I finish another persons work ?

the honest answer is , it depends how badly I needed the cash....

(tin hat on)

First rock on it's way......don't duck, it might miss!

 

[pc1966]

the honest answer is , it depends how badly I needed the cash....

Also how competent the person/work appears to be?

 

[ipf]

Also how competent the person/work appears to be?

Very important. A good friend of mine is VERY competent and in the process of wiring his son's large property extension, over quite a time period. I get a regular call to go round and check, thoroughly, that everything is up to scratch.