What does a domestic electrician actually do?
Everything fixed in a home that carries mains electricity: the consumer unit, the circuits behind the walls, sockets, switches, lighting, and the connections to fixed appliances. We cover all of it, on properties of any age.
In practice most domestic work falls into a handful of jobs. Consumer unit (fuse board) upgrades, where an old board is replaced with one that has modern protective devices. Full and partial rewires, usually when a property is being renovated or the existing wiring has reached the end of its life. Extra sockets and lighting, including outdoor power and garden lighting. Smoke and heat alarms. And fault-finding, which is its own skill: tracing why something trips rather than simply resetting it.
Why does my fuse board keep tripping?
A board that trips is doing its job. Something on that circuit is drawing current it should not, and the protective device is disconnecting it. The useful question is what, and that takes testing rather than guessing.
Common causes are a faulty appliance, water where it should not be, a damaged cable, or a circuit carrying more than it was designed for. Sometimes it is an accumulation: several appliances each leaking a small amount to earth, which together are enough to trip an RCD. Resetting it repeatedly is not a fix, and on an older installation it can mask a real fault.
We find the cause with proper test equipment, tell you what it is in plain terms, and quote for putting it right. If what we find is dangerous we will make it safe before we leave, and tell you in writing what the problem is.
What affects the cost of domestic electrical work?
Four things, mostly: how much of the property is involved, what condition the existing installation is in, how easy it is to get to, and whether the work has to be notified under the Building Regulations.
Access is the one people underestimate. Running a new circuit through a plastered wall in an occupied house is a different job from doing it in a stripped room, and lifting floors in a property with solid oak boards is different again. Age matters too: an installation with old cable, no earthing to some points, or previous DIY alterations needs more putting right before the new work can be signed off.
We do not publish a price list, because an honest price depends on what is actually there. What we do instead is come and look, then give you a written quote before anything starts, and that quote is the price you pay unless you ask for something different or we find something that could not have been seen beforehand. If we do, we stop and tell you what it means before carrying on.
Will the work be certified and notified?
Yes. Every job is tested and certified to the wiring regulations (BS 7671), and where the work is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations we register it through NAPIT, who issue you a building regulations compliance certificate.
That certificate matters more than people expect. It is the document a buyer's solicitor or a mortgage lender asks for when you sell, and producing it years later is a great deal easier than explaining why there is not one. Keep it with the property paperwork. Government guidance on Part P is on gov.uk.
Our terms set out exactly which certificate you get for which kind of work, and what we will and will not do about anything we find that is unsafe.
What we cover
- Consumer unit and fuse board upgrades
- Full and partial rewires
- Extra sockets, switches and lighting
- Outdoor power and garden lighting
- Smoke and heat alarms
- Fault-finding and repairs
Common questions
Do I need a full rewire, or will a partial do?
It depends on the state of the existing wiring rather than its age alone. An inspection tells you which circuits are sound and which are not, and a partial rewire is often enough. We would rather test and tell you than sell you a full rewire you do not need.
Can you work around us living in the house?
Usually yes, and most of our domestic work is done in occupied homes. Tell us in advance about anything that must not lose power, such as a freezer, medical equipment or a home office, and we will plan the isolations around it.
Do you tidy up afterwards?
We patch and fill where we have had to cut, and we leave the place clean. We are not plasterers or decorators, so final decoration is not included unless the quote says so, and we will tell you up front where making good will need a decorator.