Original electrics in 1956 house - would it need rewiring?

pinkteapot

We viewed a house at the weekend. It was built in 1956 and extended around 20 years ago.

The owner said that the electrics in the main part of the house are all the original from when it was built. Additional electrics were added when the extension was built.

Is there any chance at all that it doesn't need a rewire? The house needs everything doing inside - decor, kitchen, bathrooms - which we're fine with. But we don't want a bigger project than that.

Before we spend hundreds on a survey, is it bound to say the house needs rewiring?

WestonDave

Yes.

Having bought a 1950's house, there is a strong chance it will have rubber insulation on the wiring which will perish and start to break down over time - its therefore very likely to fail an insulation test. Its also unlikely to have earthing in the lighting circuits, and it may also have other nasties like cabling running down the inside of the wall cavities where it can rub on wall ties.

On a practical note - you may not have noticed this, but its also likely each room only has one plug socket (although you may be lucky enough to get two in the lounge). Apart from the safety implications of multiple 4 way adaptors etc, its a real pain in the rear to live with.

pinkteapot

Thanks - I suspected that would be the answer. The wonderful owner offered to leave us his freestanding freezer which looks like it has been there since the house was built.

Someone at work mentioned that there house is a similar age and had no earthing so needed rewiring.

Think this one will be too much of a money pit for us!

WestonDave

To be fair if its going to need the kitchen and bathroom doing and all needs decorating, £5k-£7k and a couple of weeks on holiday whilst the electricians do their stuff would solve the rewiring - plus you get to decide where you want sockets etc.

If you give up on this one, its worth bearing in mind that if you renovate a kitchen in a future purchase you may end up getting dragged into updating at least part of the electrics before the kitchen wiring can be signed off.

wallbash

The house needs everything doing inside - decor, kitchen, bathrooms - which we're fine with.

Find an electrician who is happy for you to the expensive /labour intensive work . i.e chasing the walls . lifting floor boards . This seems an ideal time to rewire . AND gives you a bargaining chip on house price.

martinthebandit

pinkteapot wrote: »

Thanks - I suspected that would be the answer. The wonderful owner offered to leave us his freestanding freezer which looks like it has been there since the house was built.

Someone at work mentioned that there house is a similar age and had no earthing so needed rewiring.

Think this one will be too much of a money pit for us!

I agree with others, rewiring if your decorating throughout anyway should not really put you off

You just need to reflect the additional costs in your offer.

pinkteapot

It also looks like it has structural problems. It had a two-storey extension 20 years ago - the whole house was made wider. Upstairs, there are a LOT of cracks down the line where the extension meets the original house, as well as a slight step down in the floorboards underneath the carpet. We wouldn't want to touch anything that has any sort of movement issue and are reluctant to spend £700-800 on a full survey which will probably just say that the situation needs monitoring!

There's also issues with the windows - they're old wood-framed double glazed and two units have gone (condensation inside). The owner said those units would be replaced before the sale goes through, but if they've gone then the others will probably follow suit over the next few years.

We don't mind a place that needs a bit of cosmetic updating but most of the houses we're viewing are quite a bit newer than this and don't have the potential to be quite such huge money pits! We're preferably looking for something that needs less work rather than more, but are open to doing a bit in the right house.

Shame - the plot is fantastic - it'll be a good project for someone (though probably not at the current asking price).

PollyOnAMission

pinkteapot wrote: »

It also looks like it has structural problems. It had a two-storey extension 20 years ago - the whole house was made wider. Upstairs, there are a LOT of cracks down the line where the extension meets the original house, as well as a slight step down in the floorboards underneath the carpet. We wouldn't want to touch anything that has any sort of movement issue and are reluctant to spend £700-800 on a full survey which will probably just say that the situation needs monitoring!

There's also issues with the windows - they're old wood-framed double glazed and two units have gone (condensation inside). The owner said those units would be replaced before the sale goes through, but if they've gone then the others will probably follow suit over the next few years.

We don't mind a place that needs a bit of cosmetic updating but most of the houses we're viewing are quite a bit newer than this and don't have the potential to be quite such huge money pits! We're preferably looking for something that needs less work rather than more, but are open to doing a bit in the right house.

Shame - the plot is fantastic - it'll be a good project for someone (though probably not at the current asking price).

I would have thought a full survey is essential if you don't want to buy a house with movement issues!

pinkteapot

Sorry, yes, just to be clear, we would always have a full survey done. What I meant was that to me it's fairly obvious that there's some sort of issue. In my experience, surveyors aren't very likely to be able to tell if the movement is historical or not. They'll suggest monitoring which takes two years, and without knowing the answer it's impossible to know what the house is worth at this stage.

Might have been worth considering forking out for the survey if it weren't for the electrics but I think they're the straw that's broken the camel's back. It did at least have a new boiler (2008), but that was the only new thing in there.

It wasn't marketed as a modernisation project or anything - we could tell from the online photos that it was dated inside, but we viewed it to see just how much needed doing.

macman

The power circuits will be earthed, the lighting circuits will not.
But as pointed out above, a house wired in the 50's will be completely inadequate to cope with modern demands, whether the install is techncially 'safe' or not.
There will certainly be no MCB or RCD protection, unless a more recent CU has been fitted since.
Given the other work you are undertaking, a rewire is the least of your worires. You just have to factor it in to your budget if you want the property.

paddyrg

In the 21st century we use a lot more leccy than in 1950 - just more devices, even if they're a bit more economical these days! I would absolutely get a full rewire not just for safety but also for practicality. Get heaps of sockets installed, get the lights where you'd like them, add dimmers, add programmable LED multicolour lighting, have fun :-)