probably a silly question- getting GCH installed before gas connection?

[Thandeka]

Nargh argh argh. We are buying a house with no CH (has electric storage heaters).

Plan was to gut house- get GCH and new kitchen put in before we moved in so we aren't living in a hellhole. Trouble is the gas board have told us March is earliest they will be able to do the gas connection to the house!

So am pondering whether it is possible to get all the pipework laid in the house and everything ready inside (so we could continue with the new kitchen, replastering, repainting, new carpets etc etc) and then get the gas connected as soon as it can. (obviously we can do some jobs before the CH but the kitchen and carpets would defo have to wait because of the pipework)

I am assuming this is a silly question because of a) what if gas can't actually be connected for whatever reason.
b) presumably plumbers need to test various things using the gas connection so it would be a daft way round to do it?

But if there is the slightest possibility that this is an option I thought I would ask the wise mumsnetters!

Even if you can't get gas you could get calor gas, whether that would use the same heating system or not I don't know

you can install all your pipework and radiators now .... they have nothing to do with gas as they are essentially just water pipes. If there is a problem with mains gas you can run the rads using an electric, oil, lpg boiler.

As long as you agree a location for whatever boiler you will be getting, there is no problem doing as you suggest

really!? Ooh that gives me hope! It just seems such a waste of time to wait all those months for the radiators to be put in before we can decorate etc.... (then again we wouldn't want to remove the electric storage heaters until the GCH was defo working unless we swapped em for oil filled moveable rads- (already have one and could probably borrow a couple more!).

hmmm will have to do some more research- as gas pipework will need to go through kitchen to get to where boiler is and so obv. maybe issue with new kitchen.

your plumber can run the pipework for the gas incomer between the boiler and where your meter will go ..... have a chat with a good corgi fitter

aha yep chatted to a few and they say its not a problem- so thats okay- downsides is we will have to keep storage heaters in place while we wait for heating to be connected but its not end of world.

Whether we actually proceed with sale due to my extremely cold feet is another matter!