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Original poster

My house is being rewired next week. Not sure what to expect

42 replies

Jasmin82 · 08/03/2023 19:10

As the title says, my house is being rewired next week. The electricians called earlier to confirm what day they would start work and how long it would take. Like an idiot, I forgot to ask about what exactly to expect. Resident Collie is going into kennels for most of it as she stresses out easily when there's work being carried out on the house. She doesn't stress out about kennels.
However, I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'll be staying at the house (have an invitation to stay with a friend, but the travel is too expensive right now and Resident Collie would still need to go into kennels as their place doesn't allow dogs). I know that the electric gets turned off while they're working, but, do the turn it back on when they go home at the end of the day? The house is all electric so, if the power isn't turned back on until the work has finished (estimate is 10-12 days), I'm kind of stuck.

OP posts:
kerosene20 · 08/03/2023 19:16

We didn’t live in ours so no idea if they can turn it back on. Ours didn’t. It was VERY noisy and messy. They had to take loads of flooring up, needed plastering etc. I couldn’t have lived there.

RandomMess · 08/03/2023 19:17

It's much quicker and easier for them if they don't have to have the electricity working every night and means they can leave all their tools and stuff everywhere.

It is very very messy and invasive and I would strongly recommend moving out for as much of it as you can.

CrispAppleStrudels · 08/03/2023 19:31

We had ours done a few years ago and we were not allowed to stay in the house.

Prepare for SO MUCH DUST.

Ours was done when we moved in and the previous owners had laid laminate - quite a lot of it wouldn't go back down so we had to replace some of it with new flooring.

Do you have somewhere to eg. empty your freezer?

With all the channeling in the walls, we ended up fully redecorating as well because the patching up didnt look great.

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AlwaysLatte · 08/03/2023 19:33

I've had it done in a couple of houses in the past. It was very very noisy and dusty! And they won't just do one room and move into the next - they'll need to work in various rooms at once. I'd move out for a few days!

Caterina99 · 08/03/2023 19:34

They can turn the power back on every night, but it takes them time to do that, and make sure it’s all safe, so it makes the job take longer.

like everyone said, it’s hugely messy and disruptive to live through and the more you can be out the better. Pretty much every wall is ripped into somewhere and lots of the floorboards have to be pulled up.

Even if you could move out for a couple of nights and they could do specific rooms first, like your bedroom, then that might make it more comfortable for you

Original poster
Jasmin82 · 08/03/2023 19:38

Moving out isn't an option. I'm on UC and just having Resident Collie in kennels for 10 of the estimated 10-12 days is going to cost me almost £200. I can't afford the cost of travel to stay with my friend (they're don't live in mainland UK, and the cheapest option is a flight I still can't afford). My freezer is going to be empty by Sunday evening. I don't have family to stay with because the only family I have left is abusive and, while they're nearer, it's not worth the impact on my mental health to spend more than a few minutes a year with them. And the nearby hotels are out of my price range, even the local Travelodge.

OP posts:
OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 08/03/2023 19:43

Is it a housing association or council home? If so ask them what they can do. You shouldn't have to live through this if you are renting. If you are private renting ask your landlord to pay for a hotel for you.

Original poster
Jasmin82 · 08/03/2023 19:48

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 08/03/2023 19:43

Is it a housing association or council home? If so ask them what they can do. You shouldn't have to live through this if you are renting. If you are private renting ask your landlord to pay for a hotel for you.

It's my own house. Inherited it (and all it's problems) from my mum and dad after they died. Because of all the issues, I couldn't get home insurance (because I'd be placing a claim pretty much as soon as the policy was taken out). Because I'm on council tax support and disabled, the council are funding a grant for the work that needs doing.

OP posts:
Roundandnour · 08/03/2023 19:49

mine was done whilst still living in the house.
Wasn’t really messy unlike the CH.
Took a couple of days to rewire a 3 bed. No walls, flooring or ceiling needed to be disturbed. They were able to feed through as they pulled out old wires. Well apart from the kitchen and new sockets added and the wires are behind false walls and tiling.
Electric was put back on at the end of each day.
Was done as part of major refurb.

Caspianberg · 08/03/2023 19:52

It’s messy.
You can’t live there. Ours was a full building site. All our belongings we had to move into boxes into the loft or shed like we were moving. Every single thing is a thick layer of dust. You need to remove 99% and wrap and seal any large furniture that can’t be moved. All kitchen cupboards fully seal if you aren’t emptying

Every wall needed either fully replastered walls or semi fixing. Then painting - that alone took 2 weeks afterwards as it’s filling, drying, plaster, drying, skimming, drying. Then painting.

The new electric box was much bigger than old as new sizing for new regulations so that area was wall demo and rebuild and plaster. Hallway floor dug up.

I think it was 6 weeks…
They can’t reconnect every day as some days they have just pulled it out and rechanneled and not at the point of new cables yet.

DeliaOwens · 08/03/2023 19:54

Could you ask around your locality if anyone has a motor home or caravan you could borrow/rent and park it in your driveway?

RandomMess · 08/03/2023 19:55

If the council are funding it then they may surface mount all the cabling in those plastic things so less mess but doesn't look the nicest.

Are you able to be put the house in the daytime at least?

RandomMess · 08/03/2023 19:56

Sorry that you have a shitty family and no local friends that can help out SadFlowers

notangelinajolie · 08/03/2023 20:03

Expect dirt, mess and more dust than you can possibly imagine. And you need to warn the neighbours - it’s very noisy.
Ours took a week and we moved out to a local hotel.
The cat stayed at home and we visited her twice a day. She was absolutely filthy.

Caspianberg · 08/03/2023 20:06

This is some examples of how they have to channel out the walls

Unless is it being rewired but every plug and light staying in the same place? No extra plugs? In that case it won’t be as bad I don’t think if there’s old usable ducting

My house is being rewired next week. Not sure what to expect
My house is being rewired next week. Not sure what to expect
RandomMess · 08/03/2023 20:19

You need to establish whether the cables with be surface mounted in PVC trunking or chased into the walls which is far messier.

I know our local council properties had it all surface mounted as it's cheaper.

gamerchick · 08/03/2023 20:20

Man you can't live there OP. It's pure misery and you won't be able to stay in the house while they're there.

Helenahandkart · 08/03/2023 20:31

I’ve been involved in rewiring a few houses. It usually takes ages because you have to work around all the customers’ belongings. Inevitably they either haven’t moved things out of the way, or have wrapped fragile items in a bit of bubble wrap which you then have to move 100 times without damaging.

If I had my own house done, I would move everything I owned out, into a shed, or the attic, or my car. Your precious things will get dusty and potentially damaged. Wrap everything in bin liners if you can’t get it out completely. Box up all your knick-knacks and get them out the way.

Expect to be hoovering dust out of the back of your telly for months to come.

Original poster
Jasmin82 · 08/03/2023 20:33

I don't have a driveway. The house is a terrace. I can't afford to move myself out as it's either going to be too expensive financially to travel to my friend or too expensive mentally to stay with abusive family. I can be out of the house during the day, that part isn't a problem. There's only a couple of plug sockets being added during the rewire as one of the rooms only has a single plug socket and it's not sufficient. Everything else is staying the same.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 08/03/2023 20:37

Try and move everything to the middle of the rooms downstairs and yes cover everything up to protect from the dust and mess.

Bluepuffa · 08/03/2023 20:45

Mine finished yesterday. I didn’t move out (literally only just moved in). Cat got confined to different rooms. My god was it dusty.

WonderingWanda · 08/03/2023 20:54

Can you get a couple of camping lanterns / some candles and borrow a camping stove or just some takeaways to see you through if they aren't able to get the electric running every evening?

Starseeed · 08/03/2023 21:00

Instead of paying money on kennels could you have a look on Airbnb etc to find a cheap room for you and have the dog with you?

areweonabreak · 08/03/2023 21:04

We have a large 4 bed and we stayed whilst it was done. It was extremely messy but we coped (we didn’t have children then) - best thing we found was to mop/hoover every single day to keep on top of the dust - a Henry type hoover is best.

I think what we did was agree to keep the electricity on in one room at any one time, then we had extensions as we needed them.

Roundandnour · 08/03/2023 21:16

You can stay there even when they are there.
Most of us on the block (council) had ours done at the same time and were advised not only by the contractors but the council to have someone home.

Ensure that the sockets have clear space around them. We piled everything on the bed, sofa etc and placed in the middle of the room.

We weren’t told to ensure freezer was emptied either.

Like you, moving out wasn’t an option as couldn’t afford it. Plus had to stay local due to kids in school.

We were also told 2 weeks. Talking to them during a tea break this time line was given as a guide due to not everyone moving stuff out of their way. The only things they needed to move was the kitchen appliances that were in the living room.

Dust was minimal. That all came from when the pipes were changed for heating/water, kitchen/bathroom ripped out.