Electricians advice required please?

tonyfaestoney

Hi,
I am about to start a garage conversion where I require an electrician to fit 6 downlights, 4 double sockets and smoke alarm to mains/existing alarms.

Pretty straightforward and I have a relative who is prepared to do the work.

For the building warrant I will need the work to be signed off.

Can anyone tell me if I can employ a company to certify somebody elses work and provide certificate? I am in Scotland if that sways things.

Would really appreciate someones adice as it will save a small fortune.

Thanks.

southcoastrgi

good luck with that one, most trades won't certify someone elses work as it is just a pain in the a.. testing & tracing everything plus the fact that you didn't give them the work in the first place & what happens if they find a fault it could cost you more in trace & repair than the job would have done in the first place, most sparkies are reg so i'm guessing the guy you want to use is either doing the work as a homer or as a diy'er. tbh the work you want done is not that great so i would get a reg sparkie in to do it & that way you will know it's done correctly & he can cert it.

fluffpot

in england its not allowed - as above - why would I sign off someone elses work when I don't know how they are or how they've run the cables...

new_owner

I though as long as you informed Building Control before and notified them it would be a DIY job and then had Building Control sign it off afterwards..

I thought the criteria was to inform them before the job started...and have the electrics tested before it was all hidden...

southcoastrgi

a reg sparkie can sign off his own work or you can get BC to do it for which you will pay a fee & this will prob be more than you are saving plus if it is a new circuit then it comes under part P which isn't a diy job, but who is going to test it ? you can't just spur 4 new double sockets off of the existing circuit, get the right guy with the right qualifications, some things are diy & some things aren't

tonyfaestoney

The guy is a qualified electrician. I had been quoted almost £1200 to do the job which I thought was excessive. This guy will do it for a lot less than that.

So are we saying he would in fact be able to do the work and then I have to get building control to inspect and approve?

Any idea on the cost for BC to do this roughly?

Thanks for all your responses, it is much appreciated.

keystone

new_owner wrote: »

I though as long as you informed Building Control before and notified them it would be a DIY job and then had Building Control sign it off afterwards..

Building Control in England and Wales will only produce Part P documentation they will not produce Edn 17 documentation and they certainly won't test anything. Even so as Part P doesn't apply in Scotland where OP is located the very suggestion is a tad moot.

Cheers

new_owner

keystone wrote: »

Building Control in England and Wales will only produce Part P documentation they will not produce Edn 17 documentation and they certainly won't test anything. Even so as Part P doesn't apply in Scotland where OP is located the very suggestion is a tad moot.

Cheers

OK in Scotland in might be different but i thought in England under DIY;

You will need to obtain building regulation approval when you are:
● Providing a new installation or rewiring a dwelling
● Replacing a distribution board or consumer unit
● Creating an additional circuit to an existing mains supply
● Adding additional sockets or switches to kitchens, bathrooms, or ‘special locations’.
● Installing extra low voltage lighting, other than pre-assembled C.E. marked lighting
sets.
● Making or altering an electric supply to domestic outbuildings, or external locations,
or other ‘special locations’.

From a couple of councils Part P req;

You will need to submit
a Building Regulation application with the applicable fee and have the work inspected by Building Control.

Its up to BC to get someone to inspect and test.

Not trying to argue .. but I would like to know for my own info.

So in Scotland if you feel competent then you can do the whole job yourself? Sounds better than having to say it was done before 2005

Leif

tonyfaestoney wrote: »

The guy is a qualified electrician. I had been quoted almost £1200 to do the job which I thought was excessive.

I told my next door neighbour, a qualified electrician, that Part P is for the benefit of electricians, a cash cow. He disagreed, saying it is for the benefit of lawyers. I think he is right. He said he would never certify someone else's work, it just is not worth the trouble as the risk is too high.

Get a second quote, and a third if need be, they do vary greatly depending on how much the person needs the work, how flush they think you are, and how much competition there is. Park your Rolls Royce round the corner when the chap(ess) visits, turn the heating down and wear a jumper with worn elbows.

Mrs_Arcanum

One of my Bosses has just done all his own wiring on an extension and had the local council inspect & pass the work. He is a Housing Manager by occupation.

Leif

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

One of my Bosses has just done all his own wiring on an extension and had the local council inspect & pass the work. He is a Housing Manager by occupation.

The Managing Director of the company I worked for last year was so outraged at the cost of rewiring his new (old) house, he re-qualified as an electrician and did the work himself.