Cost of an electrician?

PeterK

I know this is completely going against the grain of DIY i.e. bringing in someone else to do the work, but it seems there are a couple of electricians here, and I wasn't sure where else to put this :dunno:

Basically, I'm looking into getting some stuff done in a month or two, and have been toying with the idea of doing it myself, but before I do, I thought I should investigate the cost of getting it done by a professional. How much does it generally cost to get things like the following done?

Removal of electrical sockets? i.e. taking away the socket and "making safe" any remaining wires at the area of the outlet, so the hole can then just be filled?

Installation of new electrical sockets?

Replacing an existing electrical socket?

Installation of lighting, specifically recessed lighting? How much would it cost per light, if that's how it'd be calculated?

Replacing a light switch with a dimmer? (Could probably do this myself, but just out of interest...)

I live in Dublin, if it makes any difference. If there are any electricians in particular, it'd be great to hear what you would roughly charge for doing the above.

Also, is it difficult getting an electrician to do work like this? I've heard it can be a nightmare getting hold of good people to do "small jobs".

Thanks for any help!

Victor

Be aware that it isn't just the cost of an electrician, but also the cost of hacking and repairing plaster and lifting and replacing floor boards.

What era are the electrical fuseboard / sockets / wiring. If they are old you might be advised to replace a lot or all of it.

Atreides

It is a nightmare getting hold of a good electrician to do jobs like this, most will do it as a nickzer. As victor said the major costs would be the repair job, and materials. By the sound of it, your probably talking two days labour.

stereo_steve

To be honest, most of the stuff you want done there isn't major. You'd save your self a lot by doing it yourself. The only thing there that I see is diffficult to do is putting in new sockets. Thats a big job and you probably don't have the tools.

Give it a shot!!

PeterK

To be honest, I didn't think any of these jobs were "major". I've looked up how to do most of them on DIY sites, but I was put off by one or two (specifically the electrical socket ones). For sure, I could handle the light switch replacement myself, at least

The only big hurdle that's standing in my way of doing the lighting myself is the question of whether the wiring in the room can support the system I'd like to put in. I'd be afraid of overloading the wiring, causing a fire hazard etc. If I had reassurance that the existing wiring could handle what I want to do, I'd probably give it a go myself - It doesn't seem as daunting as removing/installing electrical sockets. How can I check if the wiring will be able to handle what I want? At the moment, the only light in the room is a central ceiling light that I know can take a 100 watt bulb...but that's all I know

I'm very wary of attempting the electrical sockets myself, though. I'm not sure how old the wiring is - I guess as old as the house. These houses were built in the seventies, I'd guess. The fusebox is one with switches - it isn't a *really* old one with those black round yokes on it.

As for repair work etc. that's not a major hassle, I can do that myself, at least with regard to the plasterboard. However I'm not sure why floorboards would have to be involved when dealing with electrical sockets? I thought everything that was needed was in the walls? If it came to taking up floorboards, that might be more hassle than I'd want.

Sorry for my ignorance in these matters! And, again, thanks for all your help