Re-wiring costs

mariannewims

Hi all,

I'm in the process of having an old house renovated and was wondering if the quotes we got for re-wiring seemed about right.

It was built in 1915, re-wired somewhere between 30-40 years ago. 2 bed end of terrace, about 75 square metres.
We are having it totally re-wired with 8 centre lights, 6 downlighters in the kitchen, Cooker point, immersion, 2 outside lights and 1 outside socket, about 20 double sockets. Double strip light and double socket in the attic. All white points except for 4 double sockets in the kitchen which will be chrome. Also smoke alarms, heat sensor and carbon monoxide alarm.

The builder got 2 quotes, one for €5100, another for €4400. He has used the latter electrician before and reckons he's good and the price is right but I just wanted to see if anyone here has an opinion. It seems such a lot of money for a week's work, even though I know it's a big, and dirty, job. He's supplying materials.

Thanks in advance! I realise it's hard to give advice on such scant detail but if anyone has any opinions I'd appreciate hearing them!

M.

M cebee

hard to say
decent spec but 2-bed end of terrace is small

if i priced it at 4.5-5k no way would i get it these days

mariannewims

Cheers for your input.
Would you be roughly thinking more like under €4000 then?
Hard to say without seeing the place I know.

M cebee

there's a few variables and prices vary

i wouldn't expect to get it at that price as i would be undercut most of the time
now

meercat

M cebee wrote: »

there's a few variables and prices vary

i wouldn't expect to get it at that price as i would be undercut most of the time
now

i probably agree with you here,lots of cowboys undercutting now
however i think the price is close enough to cover all the existing regulations that are in place
i would be wary of any price much lower and the fact that the builder and the electrician have already had a working relationship will help
the builder may have a percentage included in the electrical contractors quote to allow for making good etc
there will be more than a weeks work most likely

multiple site visits to
strip out and make temporary power
first fix
return to complete first fix when builder builds/knocks walls
second fix
connections of boiler and controls
connect kitchen and appliances
testing and certification of installation
return to re-connect installation when esbn complete

mariannewims

Thanks Meercat,

First and foremost we want the job done right and the fact that our builder, who we know a long time and do trust, recommends him and has worked with him before is a major factor in going with the electrician above.

I just like to check these things out myself and not trust blindly, if it seemed way off in this day and age then we would need to look further into it.

I appreciate your input!

M.

M cebee

I would check that hes actually registered and not buying the cert off another contractor

meercat

no worries
as m cebee says,someone will always under cut now,just to get the work
i dont like estimating installations without seeing them( as m ceebee also says about variables )
agree about enquiring about reci/eccsa membership too
good luck with your renovations and i hope all goes smoothly

paddymick

M cebee wrote: »

there's a few variables and prices vary

i wouldn't expect to get it at that price as i would be undercut most of the time
now

All too true its like no matter what price you give nowadays there will always be someone that will do it cheaper.But the prices in the OP arnt a million miles off for a good job done right.There are lads out there that are working for near enough cost price just so they can get out of the house and do something.

Im still a big believer in you get what you pay for.That doesnt mean that the highest price means you will get the best quality but rather than the price being the major point in your decision on choosing an electrician try get some opinions of their past work from other people if possible.

Heres a quick recent example that happened to me four weeks ago:
I priced a full rewire of a four bed semi-d in dublin after being recommended by the plumber of the job.I allowed for everything to bring the house up to todays standards and spec at a price of €5500 which I thought was a fair price for the spec involved.I pointed out the stuff that I would have to do to bring it up to todays regs as in dropping switch heights,raising sockets off skirting heights(which all involved chasing),relocating fuseboard height,smoke alarms etc etc.
Anyway I lost the job to a guy(Who was unknown to the client by the way)His price was €4800 and I said I couldnt match it and good luck to you.
While talking to the plumber recently I asked him how the job went and it turns out the electrician has finished the job but shockingly enough never done half the work I priced for(we where pricing off the same spec sheet) as in he never moved any switches or sockets to the right heights,hadnt a clue how to wire up the heating system and best of all to save him running all his new wires out to the garage where the old board was he relocated it to over the door in the downstairs bathroom!!
All this and then no cert was provided.

So basically what im trying to say is find out exactly what it is you are getting for your money and dont necessarily go with the cheap option.
Hope that helps a bit..

mariannewims

Thanks everyone, that's a great help.

I suppose I just didn't want to hear that that was well above the odds for the work. The electrician is registered and has done several jobs my builder has worked on so sounds like a good option.

Thanks for helping put my mind at ease!

Starting to question my sanity taking on such a big job now ;-)