How to prepare for a house rewire

As successful electricians in Edinburgh we know how stressful rewiring is for many customers. We know that it can be quite chaotic and a little messy. We really empathise, and we always make sure we create as minimal a mess as possible, always clearing up after we’re done. Because we know from experience how daunting customers find house rewiring, we’ve dedicated a post to this very topic, so we can help you prepare as much as you can before you go through it yourself.

What needs doing where and where do you want everything?

Before anyone starts work make sure you know which areas are in need of rewiring and what you want to go where. Rewiring is usually a requirement if you’ve moved into a property which is quite old, this is great for renovations and refurbishments as it can really add value to the property. However, for yourself, while you are living in it, you will need to have some if not all the house rewired so it’s safe to live in.

Why do you need your house rewiring?

Anything that was installed in the 1950s, 1960s will need rewiring no matter how quaint it might look. You will need a modern fuse box that has the ability to cut out the entire system should anything happen so you don’t get an electric shock. This cut out system or circuit breakers as they’re sometimes known can save lives. Look out for any fuse boxes that have wooden containers with a mixed-bag selection of fuses, they will need to be replaced.

Prepare your house in readiness

Now you know which areas of your house need rewiring and why, you’ll need to get your house prepared. Carefully plan everything you need to do. Remove all you can, such as any carpets or old furniture from the previous owner, because wires will run underneath floors, walls, across ceiling. Electricians will need to lift floorboard and cut into ceilings to get the wires in safely. Plaster will need to be cut into in order to install new switches and sockets. The reason why it’s a good idea to know what’s going to go where in any particular room is so you’ll have a better idea of where you’re going to need sockets, plug points and lights.

Plan ahead

If you plan ahead properly you should know pretty much where everything will go and it’s a good idea if you stick to it. Don’t add things like extra lights or sockets later as you go as it could be costly. It’s more cost effective to plan ahead and know what you want and stick to it.

Tech gadgets and future plans

Also consider all the tech gadgets you’re going to want and in the future. Make your home tech friendly by making sure you have electrical circuits that are good enough for the job. Plan ahead and make sure whether you want speakers in every room or a security system, perhaps you have particular wi-fi needs and you’d like phone sockets in each room. Whatever it is you think you might like in the future, plan for it now.

It might be a good idea to move out till it’s over

If you’re currently living in the property, move out. It’s really hard to carry on living in the property while there’s electrical wiring going on at the same time. You’ll need to cover any furniture you have lying around to protect it from dust and move any electrical equipment into another room. It may be far easier to move in with friends or stay with family until it’s finished. There’ll be periods when the electricity has to be off, so it’ll be difficult to cook, wash or use TV etc.

VC Electrical - for professional rewiring done to exceptional standards

If you’re looking to rewire your property you won’t do better than VC Electrical, we’re successful because we’re good and because customers recommend us. We always strive to see things from the customers point of view, so we can empathise and treat your home as if it was our own. Get in touch and fire any questions at us about what we’ve discussed today, or any other electric related topic.