Re-wire and Fitting Central Heating.

bloke91

Hi

I have inherited an old terraced house which requires a re-wire and central heating to be fitted.

I am thinking a re-wire would cost 2k – 3k and central heating 4k.

Would I be right in presuming the floorboards will need to be pulled up and parts of plaster boards removed to run pipe work and electrics?   Just trying to understand the impact to the property.

Presume best approach is to have both done at same time?

Has anyone else had this done before?

Any advice, previous experience and views would be appreciated.

 

FreeBear

Anything built before say 1970-80 is likely to be solid plaster rather than plasterboard on the walls. 1950s and earlier, expect lime plaster & lath - Not a huge problem, but it does make for fun when trying to fix recessed back boxes to stud walls.

Yes, floorboards will need to be lifted, and it makes sense to have both wiring and heating done at the same time.

neilmcl

As above, "old terraced house" suggests early 1900s and therefore original lath and plaster walls, unless it's been previously modernised.

Swasterix

Just to add- don’t underestimate how much dust/mess this will create. It should be pretty much the first job on the list. 

tacpot12

Don't assume that all the existing plaster will be in good condition. It would be as well to budget for some plastering that is over and above that needed to fill in wall chases. I speak from experience. When refurbishing my terraced house, pretty much all the plaster fell off one wall when the electrician started chasing out for the sockets.

danrv

tacpot12 said:

Don't assume that all the existing plaster will be in good condition. It would be as well to budget for some plastering that is over and above that needed to fill in wall chases. I speak from experience. When refurbishing my terraced house, pretty much all the plaster fell off one wall when the electrician started chasing out for the sockets.

Yes. A whole section of plaster came away in one of my rooms, while removing wall paper.
You can usually tell how good the plaster is by tapping the wall. If it pops, it’s not adhered properly.
I need to redecorate my three bed semi detached property and also consider how to power up to six storage heaters.
Ideally this would be done before moving in. 
Trying to avoid chasing the walls for wiring but will take a bit of thought.
The last property had oil fired central heating with the pipes surface mounted.

greatcrested

Consider whether any treatment might be needed for dry rot, woodworm etc, as best to do that at the same time.

But.... huge caveat: Don't take the word of a company that specialises in those treatments. Their 'free survey' will inevitably recommend work they can provide.

FreeBear

danrv said: Trying to avoid chasing the walls for wiring but will take a bit of thought.

Flush mounted sockets & switches along with wiring chased in to a wall looks way better then surface mounted trunking & boxes. Anything else just looks like an afterthought and icky.

Chasing in CH pipes, not such a good idea unless the pipes are sleeved and there are no buried joints. Copper in contact with plaster or cement will eventually corrode, and joints will sometimes leak - Any flux used must also be cleaned off and neutralised.

danrv

FreeBear said:

Flush mounted sockets & switches along with wiring chased in to a wall looks way better then surface mounted trunking & boxes. Anything else just looks like an afterthought and icky.

Thanks. Just wondering how you would install flush mounted sockets. That sounds like much more of a job than cutting a channel in plaster.

bloke91

Thanks all, useful comments.  Please feel free to make any other suggestions or things I should consider doing at the same time as the re-wire, central heating system being fitted that may help\avoid future, mess and work later on.
Thanks again.

theoretica

If you are lifting floorboards you might want to think about underfloor insulation.  While wiring, what about data points?