Do you notice light switches and plug sockets?

[truelymadlysleepy]

Is it worth having smart expensive ones in the main downstairs rooms?
Will definitely be having cheap white plastic upstairs.

I notice if they are dirty. If they're clean then no, I don't notice.

I notice ones that are nice, but don't notice ones that aren't IYSWIM.

I notice if they're installed wonky (like the one I saw in an expensively PFIed new school building) or if they look tacky. I actually like simple, unfussy white ones and I'm in awe of the ones I've seen on Salamander and Mammon with the enormous great switches that must be far easier to turn off with your nose or elbow when you have your hands full.

Cheap white plastic wins I think. You don't notice them. If you need to replace one, white plastic will be easier to match.

I notice if there aren't enough of them!

Do you mean if you are looking to buy the property ? - in which case I would only notice if they were the old 1950s style ones, as I would be assuming the place needed a rewire.

If you just mean visiting friends, then of course not - I go to visit friends, not inspect their house.

No Back, we're refurbishing an old one. We're having all new electrics and did a walk round with the electrician. It took me hours to decide where all the sockets and switches will go & I lost the will deciding what to have.
Like MrsBert I don't tend to notice other peoples unless they're very special.

Oh, in that case I wouldn't notice them.
I think where you have all the sockets positioned is pretty important, but I couldn't get worked up about what the switch looked like

DH does ....hates surface mounted ones.

I couldn't give a fig....he also notices if they are not straight.

Not an electrician BTW he's a vet so don't know where weird electrical obsessions come from.

As long as they are not shiney yellow brass, I dont notice. White plastic is better than something which might date very quickly.

I've seen some very simple white metal ones. I think they'd do for the main rooms with white plastic elsewhere.
Thanks for the comments.

I notice if they are dirty. I have to clean mine often, especially in spring when the light reflects all the marks.

We have the plastic bog standard switches all around the house.

When I was a teen, a family friend had the dimmer switch. I thought they were so posh!

If you are going for a rewire go for lots (and lots) - each socket won't add much to the overall job cost but having lived in a house (1960) with not enough sockets the more the better - and you can always move stuff around put something over the unused ones...
I've had our renovation house rewired (by my electrician brother) I have 4 or 5 sockets in each bedroom. Telephone and aerial points in each room (2 telephones in one bedroom - so I can have bed on either wall) 7 double sockets at worktop height in smallish kitchen (plus ones for fridge and dishwasher with isolation switches on walls).
As to the plates - the covers - they are really really easy to change - once the box is in the wall - just a matter of unscrewing two screws, disconnecting wires, reconnecting and screw back in ...kind of thing I'd do happily do myself (not notifiable)...
What I would say as well is if you are having a lot and they make lots of channels that need plastering over - get a quote for whole walls as well as making good...plaster isn't expensive - the plasterers time is ...and it won't take much longer for them to a whole wall than do a good job of blending in ...so should be little price difference but you will get a better finish (wish I'd done that) .

I think simple white ones are the way forward, I really dislike stainless steel ones. I agree that the number of sockets in each room is more important. Drove me nuts when we moved having so few sockets, now have 3/4 double sockets in each room.

Wow unlucky that's really helpful, thank you. Do you mean 4 or 5 single or double sockets in each bedroom? I'm thinking I haven't got enough.

I have stainless ones in the kitchen because they match in with the appliances and taps. Elsewhere we have white but the sockets and light switches have largish modern rocker switches. They blend in the the walls. I quite like period ones for period houses though.

You need to think about how the room would be laid out. so the bedroom needs a double each side of the bed, but on each wall that the bed could ever be put against. Then add a double each onto the other walls.

Living room, again, a double socket each end of the couch, again, on each wall the couch could go against.

Etc.

Thanks - that's double sockets - so possibly 8-10 appliances in each room...which sounds a lot but not if you think bedside lights, radio, clock, tv, hairdryer, straighteners, phone onto charge, desk stuff - laptops, etc (DCs rooms)...and it gives you flexibility to move things around...so you might think you want your bed here and wardrobe there but when you live there change your mind (if you have the space) - an used socket behind a wardrobe isn't doing any harm as long as you have enough elsewhere...
My brother did what he said he did what he'd do in his own house...(not sure if that is a good thing or not) but things like extra lighting cable in the attic - so it can go above insulation, three mains wired smoke/heat alarms... and plenty of room in the consumer unit if you might decide to extend etc you won't need a new unit/extension units...I'd talk to more than one electrician...
And also a good time to think about the way doors open (need to change the side the light switch is on!) - we had three of ours rehung to open the other way - so against a wall rather than into the room (apparently they were hung like that for privacy - someone in the room sees the door opening before you see them!) it can really open up the room and waste less space ...

that obviously should have been an unused socket behind a wardrobe!

As other said, I notice dirty or wonky ones, but not necessarily anything else.

It also depends on the decor, obviously a white switch will stick out like a sore thumb on a darker toned wall but a steel or whatever coloured switch/socket would do the the same on a paler wall.

Jim Lawrence do some lovely ones, they are £££ though.

It depends what the point of them is to you and whether you are doing the house up to live in or sell on?

Either way I'm not sure why you'd have cheap plug sockets upstairs and expensive ones downstairs? Surely if they are for your benefit ( ie you like them) you'd want them everywhere?

Yes.

good quality white plastic ones by a major UK maker like MK or Crabtree are fine.

Cheap rubbish is cheap rubbish whether its white or sparkly.

In general I would say I dont notice however, I spent more on the ones downstairs and got simple flat white ones for upstairs. I think I would notice if someone had the large block ones on display though I wouldnt think anything of it. I just prefer the flat ones is all.

Minimum, a double socket within a metre of every corner of a room, and in larger rooms, along the walls at intervals of about two metres, symmetrically placed.

In kitchens, at least one every metre above the worktop, with switches above the worktop controlling sockets below, everywhere you have, or plan, or one day might want, an appliance.