rewire with people living there

[danny7299]

Hi there

I wonder if you could give me your thoughts , i have done loads of rewires but they have all been empty or new property's. so it was rip out, 1st fix , 2nd fix , test , job done!

I have got a bugalow to rewire , but the bloke is living there also.

I was wondering how to tackle it so he wasn't inconvinianced ... any thoughts

 

[Andy™]

usually get all lights wirerd/second fixed & working by end of day 1. if time allows, get board fixed to wall and lights wired into it. install a temp feed to board. if not enough time, temp connect cable to supply. all other power is via extension leads

 

[danny7299]

cheers Andy... I was thinking along them lines, but i was just wondering at what point to put the new board on.... and get rid of the old stuff...

Cheers

 

[Andy™]

everything is isolated before any work is done. cables getting cut out, new boxes going in place of existing etc, can be dangerous to leave anything live. at least with the new cables live, you know where they are and can avoid them better

 

[batty]

Have done plenty, you have got to allow time in your quote as its not going to be as quick a job if property is empty. You can usually get lighting done in one day although at this time of the year its not as easy as in summer due to light. But you can do part of a circuit and connect existing back in or run temp to existing to split circuit. Bungalows that have not been converted are generally fairly easy to wire no floor boards.

Batty

 

[revjames]

On a positive note, occupied properties you are more likely to get a cuppa! (although some of the ones I've been in its a polite "no thanks just had one")

 

[Lurch]

I find it depends on the customer. Some are quite happy to live in a building site for a week with a lead for the fridge\kettle and one for the TV. Some want you to do a rewire without making any mess or noise whatsoever or cause them the slightest bit of minor inconvenience.

The method of working depends on what they're like, if they're happy to have the house in chaos for a week then easiest thing is disconnect everything and the rewire it as you go along. If they're not so keen then just try and do it in stages. Rewire the lights, up then down. You can do each of these in a day on most jobs, or get the main bulk of it done in a day anyway. Drop cables down for sockets from under floors as you go then disconnect the old and fit the new, again probably do a circuit in a day quite easilyish.

Best just to find the non-PITA customers though.

On a positive note, occupied properties you are more likely to get a cuppa!

You'd think! We (5 of us) were finishing off a rewire on a Friday night at 6ish so it was done for the weekend for the customer while they made themselves a cuppa and locked themselves in the living room with a takeaway. The rest of the job wasn't much better.

 

[Andy™]

and you lot expect the customer to look after you and offer you food/drink? if they offer, i sometimes accept, but i always go the job either with food/drink etc, or know somewhere local i can go

 

[revjames]

My approach is this:

1 "Excuse me, powers going off in a moment if you need to boil a kettle........"

2 " is there a cafe round here where I can get a hot drink?"

3 This is the best one, but you need a colleague/ apprentice: "Mark, nip out to the van and get my flask will you?"....Mark goes out to van comes back in "Bad news Jim, your flasks not there, You must have left it in the yard"... Ususlly customer will come out and say "oh would you like me to make you one?"

I was once putting extra sockets in a bedroom of a posh house, floor boards up, boiling hot summers day. Customer (posh fat lady) comes in with a large glass of orange juice and a plate with a wedge of lovely looking fruit cake. She then found a chair, placed it behind where I was working and placed herself there complete with refreshments so she could sit there and make sure I did the job properly....

 

[Lurch]

[quote name='Andy

 

[ian932]

I'm quite lucky that I'm able to select to turn down full rewires on occupied house due to all the other easier work coming in. But out of curiosity what do u all do with regard to all the furniture and carpets etc? a day for a lighting circuit must be a beggar to achieve if you have to move all the clutter some people have.

 

[Andy™]

generally tell them where we need to be an get everything moved to where we dont need to be. sometimes needs stuff moved between us leaving one day and arriving the next

 

[Lurch]

As above, but if there's mountains of crap everywhere then allow for it in the price as it'll always be in the way no matter where it is. If it looks like it's about to fall to pieces make sure the customer is aware of the fact before you touch it, and if the carpet has been down for 40+ years make them aware it'll disintegrate as you lift it.

Actually, now I think about it, I'm glad I haven't done a rewire for a while, they're awful jobs!

 

[Andy™]

Actually, now I think about it, I'm glad I haven't done a rewire for a while, they're awful jobs!

agree'd!

 

[ProDave]

And what do you all do when the house needing a rewire has just been fitted throughout with brand new laminate flooring?

That would be one I would decline.

 

[Andy™]

take it up.... but it wont go back down

 

[Zeespark]

Either take it up or better take the ceiling down underneath it.

If possible, do occupied rewires with at least an extra pair of hands.

AndyGuinness

 

[gselectrical]

Before I started up on my own I must have carried out adleast 50 rewires with people living in the premises. The way I went about it was:

Day 1. Remove all upstairs pendants and switches. Re-wire all and connect up. Test circuit and power up (temp connected to old board). Pull in Shower cable and smoke detector cable (unless supplied off lighting circuit)

Day 2. Remove all downstairs pendants and switches. Re-wire all and connect up. Test circuit and power up (temp connected to old board).

Day 3. Wire the upstairs ring. And 2nd fiX. Plan routes for down stairs ring.

Day 4. Wire downstairs ring and kitchen ring. Complete as much 2nd fix as possible on these circuits.

Day 5. Complete remaining 2nd fix, mount and connect DB. Tail up DB.

Day 6. Carry out any outstanding work, test and inspect.

This is based on a surface rewire.

Cheers. J

 

[TTbangbang]

I am doing a re-wire on my own (occupied) house and I have to say that the 'do all lighting circuits on day 1' comment made my jaw drop all the way down to Oz!

:coat

 

[GreekIslandLover]

With laminate flooring, it has to come up (or the cieling down) as has been said earlier in the thread. We do rewired for the local council, and I have to say that one week is perfectly achievable. But that is based on them packing stuff away, and the fact we are practiced at doing this and know the layout of all the local housing designs.

At the moment, we have a place we are trying to get into that has wood block flooring in the bedroom above the lounge, and the punter doesn't want us to have it taken up, OR have the ceiling down. That's on hold until they have come to some satisfactory arrangement with the council. Horrid place - hope it's not me that gets landed with it!