To ask you to explain this to me like I’m a child

[FedupofJanuary]

Because I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s embarrassing, and as soon as tradesmen get a whiff of my incompetence, they pounce.

I want to get a security camera and some lights fitted outside my house - presumably if these are mains powered rather than solar/battery powered then they have to drill in to the house to plug these in. Do they therefore need to be fitted somewhere with a plug socket on the inside of the wall? Does it tend to be a messy job/damage the walls if you’ve recently decorated?

All advice appreciated as I live alone and don’t have anyone else to ask.

When we had outside lights fitted, the electrician connected them to the mains, so it didn’t need a plug socket. Lots of drilling into the walls to channel the wires. We have some that are motion sensitive, so don’t have a light switch, and some that he installed a switch for, so more drilling for that.

They can be connected in to one of your existing power circuits so you don't need a power socket and plug as such.

There will be some drilling. The cables could be run in conduit on the outside wall (or they could use waterproof cable) to a more convenient entry point.

Obviously it all depends on where you want the lights and how close it is to your existing wiring.

Tell the electrician what your concerns are - he/she should explain the options.

I had an outside light fitted by my back door. Mains powered on a sensor. Best thing I did. It was a bit of a fiddly job but I have plasterboard walls so the electrician had to spend time feeding wires down between the wall and the plasterboard so he could connect them up to an existing socket.

My last house had an outdoor flood light that was drilled through the wall and plugged into a socket but reading these replies I don’t think that was normal 😂 my current house I think they’re into the mains as I have no idea where the socket is!

do you expect these lights and cameras will be under the eaves/gutters of your house ?

power for them would be from existing lighting wiring in the attic/loft of the house in that case.

switches could be put on walls on the upstairs rooms or landing.

An electrician won't take you for a ride, in my experience they have been great. You don't really want the cable outside for too far a run as then it could be cut and defeats the object of a security camera! We have a couple of nest cameras with floodlights and a motion sensor. They are great.

Yes it’s a messy job. Wired Cameras will need to be connected directly to a router. As an electricians wife who assisted him doing this job on our house it was not a quick and easy job. Lots of drilling and channeling through walls depending on your desired finished look.

It is really hard when you’re a lone female and needing these kind of works done, we are easy targets. Well I used to be, but I learnt from my mistakes & now I’m very strict with who I let carry out work in my home.

heres a few tips for when you do get around to contacting tradespeople;

1. Get proper emailed quotes from at least 3 different companies. Ask lots of questions, get everything agreed (including costs/warranty/guarantee) in a proper quote emailed to you before any work is agreed or started. Never let anybody do the work who isn’t happy to do you a full detailed written quote that includes all of their business details.
2. Don’t pay up front, you should get a bill at the end of of the job that you only pay when everything is as agreed & satisfactory.
3. Make sure to use a reputable qualified & insured electrician & not just a handyman, try searching Check a trade.
4. Make sure they have insurance for any mistakes/damage.
5. Be clear about expectations around taking care of your home & belongings, including wearing shoe covers etc when working inside.
6. If somebody is extremely cheap compared to others, there’s almost always a reason, avoid them.
7. Don’t be afraid to tell them to leave if they act inappropriately/make inappropriate remarks/make you feel uncomfortable. It’s your home & your safety takes priority.

Good luck with it x

To add to the list PP gave you, if you are a lone and vulnerable person, councils often have lists of tradesmen they can recommend for small jobs.

My mum is a lone female and worried about workmen. The council put her in touch with someone they vetted.

If you get on well with a neighbour, ask if they know someone.

My advice is always to get three quotes or more. For the first tradesman yeah you will look like you have no clue - that’s fine, ask lots of dumb questions. Let them pounce and quote you sky high - their problem. When the second tradesman comes you’ll know a lot more and be able to ask more intelligent questions. By the time the third arrives, you’ll look like an expert!

We had this done a few years ago. We have a Ring doorbell camera and two outside cameras with motion activated floodlights. The cameras connect to our wifi, and the electrician connected everything to the existing electrical circuits, as others have said. Try to find an electrician who does this time of work. Ours was able to help me set up the app and my Ring account.

There was a bit of drilling, but they were in and out in a few hours. The system has been brilliant and very useful for checking to see if deliveries have come, when the kids left the house, etc.

Lots of good advice already, but just to add that I found several female trades, including an electrician, when I did up my house. And actually, the younger men were far less patronising than older ones. I binned any as soon as there was a whiff of “let me explain it to you little girl” about them!