Full rewire - what else is needed (future proofing)

[NewNormalLife]

We're unexpectedly having to get our house rewired..had thought the 50 year old wiring would do for now but we need lots of sockets replaced and added so figured its best to do it all in one hit before we decorate more rooms.

anyway, while they are doing it, what else is worth installing?

I was wondering about getting the wiring sorted for an electric vehicle charge point in case we get one in future. my husband isn't convinced that would be worth it. what do you think?

any other ideas?

We've tried to think about how the kids will use their rooms when older and put in plugs for a computer desk.

will probably get wired smoke alarms but don't feel we need built in wired music systems

any thoughts?

Not to do with the rewire directly but have a think about whether you’d like to update your alarm system (assuming you have a wired system) soon and possibly do it at the same time before rooms are plastered.

@MacaroniCheeseCat You can swop any existing power point to one with USB ports as well - it's an easy DIY job, I've done several at home.

I’d say Ethernet too, esp for the tv.

Our garage needed to be upgraded to 80amp fuse box for my car charger. It was £250 but my charge point was free.

TV and SAT TV points in coaxial cables in bedrooms, kitchen, and living rroms, studies etc. Yes to Ethernet cables, CAT6A for network to TVs, and surround sound / Amazon fire sticks etc, bedrooms, study, extension roof for external Wireless Access point for garden access etc. Think of Ethernet for external cameras to allow Power Over Ethernet POE. Add power under kitchen sink for waste disposal. Where applicances are in accessible add switch fused spurs above work tops or in adjacent walls to allow isolation.

Consider adding cables for HiFi speakers to avoid trailing cables round skirtings etc.

We actually took out our coaxial aerial cables and took down our aerial. We don’t use them anymore.

I think wired smoke alarms will be done as standard to meet the regs (I have a feeling you can't not have them if you're having a full rewire) - but then I can't see why you wouldn't want them. I think you have to have 1 per floor.

Sockets everywhere you can think of! I wish we had one in the porch.
Sockets in the garage (if you have one)
At least one outside socket
Sockets on every wall of the bedroom
Sockets with USBs in them
Carefully placed sockets where things like the TV go - behind the TV if you can, to avoid visible wires
More sockets than you think!

We love having wall lights as bedside lights - there's only one place a bed could go in our room, so no issues with placement.

Any under-cupboard lighting in the kitchen?
Zoned lighting in any multi-use spaces (kitchen/diner or living room diner).
Outside lights - I wish we'd had more.

We had ethernet put in originally, but it was messed up when we had some later work done. We've just had wi-fi since, which has worked fine with both of us WFH full time (a lot of streaming/teams calls), so I wouldn't do that again.

Extractor fans in bathrooms/loo, and whether you want them linked to the light or not. A separate extractor in the bathroom is a must for me - on its own pull cord next to the shower. Means the extractor doesn't come on every time someone goes for a wee (or if you want a nice relaxing soak in the bath).

And definitely yes to a car charging point - remember (new) petrol/diesel cars won't be sold in 8 years time...

We had 5 amp plugs put in so lamps and task lighting can be switched on and off at the wall.

Get deep back boxes just in case you want to fit smart switch modules in the future.
Have neutrals fitted to light switches for same reason.

Upgrade the fuse box to be able to accommodate any potential future work such as an extension. Also, power to external sockets in garden/garage areas, any re-wiring required for external lighting and power, for now or in the future.

We had an external socket added, but I wish we'd also added exterior lighting (aside from security lights, which we do have). Additional light switches if you have large rooms with 2 doors. And lots of sockets, always more than you initially think you'll need!

Consider putting in a wired burglar alarm at the same time? In our case, it was useful to do when the wall was opened up and needed replastering anyway.

I'm not sure about USB sockets. USB may be on its way out, to be superseded by the smaller USB-C. Or it may not be! But however many suckers you think you want - add more.

Choose a consumer unit that has as many circuits as possible. They are not like the old fuses that could be replaced easily. If it trips and there is a fault that prevents you re-setting the switch, you are stuck without electricity in that zone until you can get it fixed. When we replaced ours 10-12 years ago, rather than having the proposed 4 switches (upstairs lighting, upstairs power, downstairs lighting, downstairs power) we split the house into many more zones. More expensive, but much more comfortable to live with - especially when we did have a fault that would have taken out our central heating as well, had we gone for the four switch model. Much more comfortable for a living room to have no power for a couple of weeks in the middle of the winter, than for the whole house to have no central heating!

Just booked In our full rewire in July. The clearing and decluttering starts now!

I'd absolutely avoid usb sockets, already on the way to becoming obsolete and will date quickly

USB sockets are about £13 as opposed to non usb sockets at about a fiver and so given that you would still be able to use the plug sockets anyway even if you didn’t use the usb connection it’s a cheap (in the scheme of things) upgrade. USB is also a highly adopted connection so unlikely to suddenly disappear completely.

We are planning the same and are going for:

Double the current number of sockets
Wall lights (but this is our style so obviously cosmetic)
A 'master' switch by the front door which has all the lights for the hall and front room in
Outdoor plug
Plug in a cupboard in our (large) bathroom to house washing machine
Electrics for different types of light in the kitchen (spotlights, wall lights and under cabinet)

@NewNormalLife

Thanks. we've just had 2 sockets put in the small kids rooms and now I'm thinking that it might not be enough but one room has already been decorated :(

I also forgot about USB sockets. anyone know of its just a case of changing the covers or if more cables need to be layed to change them over?

It's just a matter of the socket covers, no extra wiring. Which also means they're upgradeable later :) I've done a bunch of ours from no-USB to USB, might change a few to USB-C since most of our stuff has gone that way and they can be quicker charging for new things.

Consider having sockets higher up the wall (the ones that are usually just above the skirting). Useful for people with mobility issues, and more flood proof.

@stealthninjamum - our current hoover battery comes out for charging so we have the small charging station in the kitchen. If you have a Dyson do you need to plug the whole thing in?

@leftbutcomeback ooh that’s good to know. I haven’t really been to other peoples houses since lockdown so several had a dyson attached to a kitchen wall which I didn’t like. Maybe I should look for a hoover now.

Thank you

@stealthninjamum - I love having a cordless hoover! Ours is a shark (and we have a eufy plugged in the charger under the sofa)

[quote NewNormalLife]@AskingforaBaskin where in the country do you live?

I'm south east London and have been given a ballpark of £7k if we exclude the kitchen. more likely about 10k. I'm not even sure if that includes the new sockets. Electrician will be giving a full quote tomorrow[/quote]
Bloody hell! I paid just over £2k last year for,a,full retire of a 5 bed house (Scotland)

Think about any awkward spots where a socket might be useful - eg for a lamp in a corner, or a socket for Christmas lights over the kitchen cupboards.

Any spots where the socket would be better positioned upside down?

Are your ceiling lights in the optimal spot?

Having power outdoors is very handy.

A socket for a Dyson. A socket for a Roomba. A socket in the bathroom (allowed in our Australian house - I don’t knew about uk but v handy). Upgrade bathroom to take a decent extractor fan and or heat lamp. Our electrician upgraded the wiring for our new oven whether we wanted it or not. Sockets at desk height rather than floor level.

This all makes me realise how lucky we are. When we bought this house we counted up how many sockets there were - 85!! There are 8 in the garage, 4 external, 4 in the greenhouse, 16 in the kitchen! Strangely, the living areas have fewer. We also have 4 external water taps.

We paid €12,000 for a full rewire and new electric mains box last year. Cabled cat 6 everywhere for internet. A few outdoor lights.

No in uk though. The mess is horrendous, and I think it’s more complicated here as each room has to have junctions accessible in the wall up high. Plastering was on top of that cost

I would agree with the PP - a rewire in my parents flat caused so much plaster dust it still turns up 8 months later!