The Electrics of a Development Project

Unlike central heating, there is a far more relevant safety issue with electrics. (Mind you, gas has been known to go bang now and again).

Even so, there is no legal requirement to either get the existing system tested, or therefore make it safe. So if you don’t touch the electrics at all, you’re o.k.

But you will probably want to replace the existing sockets and switches with fancy new face plates won’t you?

That is bound to include the kitchen and kitchen work legally requires a “competent person”. To undertake it.

The whole complicated process has been thoroughly defined in our article on electrics (go and have a read), there is no way I’m repeating it all here.

So…how far do you want to go? …We’re telling you the legal requirement now.

New kitchen face plates require a “competent person”, that means testing that particular circuit.

A new consumer unit will require all the circuits to be tested. New down lights (you will be putting down lights in) will require their circuits to be tested.

Testing will expose faults in the system and these should then be fixed. Fixing costs money and you won’t know how much money until the fixing is complete.

Besides new face plates and fuse boxes, which make things look pretty, older houses very often are seriously deplete regarding electrical sockets.

One per bedroom is not uncommon, are you going to address this? Very few buyers will ever notice this though!

Once again we have the problem of not getting a return on our investment.

As a developer, I gritted my teeth, had the whole place rewired and had done with it. I was putting in extra kitchen sockets, fancy face plates, down lights and a new consumer unit anyway, so it sort of justified itself……. BUT I did all the labouring and making good myself! BUT I AM QUALIFIED!

If in doubt - ask an electrician.