Would you get a rewire done if there's nothing wrong with the old stuff?

[Electrics]

Hi all.

Just bought a house and it needs some attention to the electrics in terms of layout - loads of rooms that need 2 way switches don't have them, weird lighting set ups where one switch will do an inside and outside light at the same time etc, mostly trivial stuff.

I had planned to get a full rewire done but upon taking all the faces off, everything is wired up fine and they've done a good job - grommets all present, earthing all done properly etc.

If i get it tested and it tests fine is there any point rewiring completely?

I could do without the expense, although all the wiring is currently old colours.

What do you reckon?

 

[SparkyChick]

If it's empty and it doesn't meet your requirements, probably.

Your profile suggests you're a trainee spark... maybe you could engage a more experienced spark to sign it off and get some practical experience? Plus you get the benefit of knowing where everything is, where the cables runs are, a nice new board with room to expand.

If I bought a place and it was empty... it would probably be the first thing I did, along with re-plumbing

 

[Intoelectrics]

As SparkyChick says ^^^

I think it depends on how much alteration is required and how good the existing installation is against the cost. Sometimes its just more practical to re-wire. If the extra cost and time is not much greater then a re-wire has many benefits.
Last thing you want to do after decorating is wished you had re-wired it. Plus as SparkyChick mentions its good experience for you which is a benefit to consider.

 

[UNG]

Hi all.

Just bought a house and it needs some attention to the electrics in terms of layout - loads of rooms that need 2 way switches don't have them, weird lighting set ups where one switch will do an inside and outside light at the same time etc, mostly trivial stuff.

I had planned to get a full rewire done but upon taking all the faces off, everything is wired up fine and they've done a good job - grommets all present, earthing all done properly etc.

If i get it tested and it tests fine is there any point rewiring completely?

I could do without the expense, although all the wiring is currently old colours.

What do you reckon?

I suppose it depends on how old the existing wiring is and what if any alterations you intend to carry out, you might find it easier and more expedient to rewire

 

[Teddy Lop]

If you're moving more than half the points on a circuit, and something in every room, then it often makes more sense to start over. 70s/80s wiring might test fine but it is still old and a fresh new system is both dependable and a selling point.

Two bit Builder special* fear the R word* "oh Ben just need a few alterations but it really doesn't need rewiring ok", then they slowly drip feed you the job till the point at which the clients ended up paying as much as they could have had it done new for, except instead of brand new shiney they've still got a (very heavily modified) old 70s based sytem.

 

[cloverman]

If you are going to be knocking things around a bit, Do it now, You will only regret not doing it later on when you have decorated everywhere.

 

[mydigitalhome]

If its only lighting control that is the problem suggest change to Quinetic or similar type products far easier than rewiring. However if you are doing it to gain additional experience then go for it. Suggest spend your money on the consumer unit and upgrade to RCBO's or even some ARC protection to get some experience of using them if you haven't already played with them. Hope you house improvements go well. Best wishes

 

[Vortigern]

Possibly look at it as an investment. Obviously a newly rewired house is going to be more attractive when you come to sell and perhaps add value. It sounds like, despite you title, there are things wrong with it, or at least things not right with it. I would say yes, re-wire. When you come to the kitchen often you find that older systems of wiring are not so up to what goes into a kitchen nowadays. The switching arrangements sound like you may have to rewire them anyway and often it is easier to just do the whole thing while you have a chance at the beginning. Have you done any testing, or have any tests with the building?

 

[Dustydazzler]

I would just go for it and rewire the house now that it’s empty.
nice new rcbo board and might even be tempted to install a car charging point while I’m at it ...

 

[Mike Johnson]

If its mostly trivial stuff and the light switch positions are your main concern then the Quinetic system mentioned earlier will get over that problem, if everything on the power side checks out OK I would live in the house for a while and find out where the areas are you want to change, at the next decoration time re-wire then, makes no sense to re-wire just because it's old colours, if it checks out that is.

 

[7029 dave]

If the alterations are vast, sometimes rewiring is the easiest option.

 

[Electrics]

I would just go for it and rewire the house now that it’s empty.
nice new rcbo board and might even be tempted to install a car charging point while I’m at it ...

Thanks for the suggestions dazz and all - problem is we've moved into it.

We've decided to rewire it all.

My cousin is going to be willing to do it with me joey'ing on him but he wants to do it a weird way round - he wants to go for all new, chasing out etc which is fine, but the downstairs has artexed ceilings and isn't ready for decorating/having downlighters put in yet.

He's insistent that we put them in now to 'save time later' but since i'm not going to be skimming the ceiling until at least i've had the artex tested for asbestos, i wanted to run new wiring to the existing lights which i can then modify later once the ceiling is ready for the downlighters.

He also thinks we should rip all the panelling etc off in my kitchen and redo all the sockets now but again - i'm not ready to do the kitchen yet and it's functional so i don't want it hanging to bits for the next few months until i get some money together to do it.

I would want us to just run new wiring to each room as we go but i want it all redoing soon if possible since it's old and there's no RCD protection etc.

How would you guys tackle such a project? How do you rewire houses that need all additional sockets/existing sockets moving when the entire house isn't able to be gutted in one go?

So for instance, a client that wants a new rewire with tonnes of alterations and sockets/switches moving and reconfigured, the whole place needs paper stripping before redecoration and downlighters putting in, it's full of stuff and there's a family living in it who doesn't want the entire house to be disturbed all in one go.

What do you do?

Disclaimer: I am getting help off a registered electrician for this. I will be navvying on him. As i am a trainee i find these parts of the job are what i struggle with - knowing the process for doing things efficiently and with minimal disturbance to the homeowner. I would really struggle with knowing what to say if i rolled up to my house and the owner wanted what i want doing. I'd be lost.

 

[7029 dave]

Rewiring one room at a time IMO is impractical/ dangerous/time consuming , once a circuit has been decommissioned, the whole circuit needs rewiring/testing etc.

 

[Electrics]

Rewiring one room at a time IMO is impractical/ dangerous/time consuming , once a circuit has been decommissioned, the whole circuit needs rewiring/testing etc.

Yeah that's what he said.

He wants to do the entire thing in one go but that would mean disturbance in every room, all at once.

I wondered if we could do for example, disconnect the ring main, leave all the sockets in as they are right now but run fresh cable to one in each room, creating a sort of mini ring with say 6 sockets on it one per room, and then simply extend the ring as each new room becomes ready for major alteration. And with lights just to leave in what's here and run fresh cable to each existing rose, and use the feed for downlighters as and when each room needs doing.

He says it's a stupid idea though because it's more time consuming so i don't know what to do.

I feel like telling him he's not listening to me but to be honest he's qualified and i'm not so just looking for opinions.

I guess one option is we could gut say the upstairs and just make do with it and then do the downstairs later - at least we'd have upstairs comfy!

 

[danbobnix]

There will be better people to suggest than I, but part way through my own lived-in house install; I’m doing a couple of rooms at a time. Accessible loft, decent crawl space below GF and FF landing carpet permanently removed as main route for wiring.

All lighting wired and connected in the loft, downstairs lights and upstairs sockets wired while certain floorboards are up, always thinking ahead to what I’ll need to pull into where depending on which room I’m doing and what else may need to be routed wherever in future. (Back of house is being extended in the near future, having to leave bits and pieces as existing

existing circuits and CU all left in use while all new cabling is taken back to the CU location.

once everything is wired and connected where possible, have a changeover day to test and energise, then strip out the old stuff.

test any circuits to be retained if being rewired in future (e.g if kitchen is being done at a later date)

house is a bit of a bomb site but it’s just slippers on and grinning and bearing the mess for a few months while we make good and decorate- unavoidable unfortunately

just my (rather inexperienced) 2cents!