Some might think it’s a little too early to start thinking about next year’s home improvement projects. However, January 2023, is right around the corner. Rewiring your home efficiently is something that needs to be planned in advanced, so now might be the time to start thinking about it. J Kirby Electrical are your local experienced rewire electricians in Sussex on hand to guide you through the rewiring process and ensure you know everything beforehand.
Do I really need a rewire?
A good way of telling if your home needs a rewire is having a look at your fuse box. An old fuse box most likely means it’s time for an upgrade. If you have an older, faulty fuse box, chances are the rest of your electrics are the same. Upgrading to a modern fuse box, known as a consumer unit, is a much safer option. Consumer units have switches that turn on and off if a fault is detected. A band new consumer unit and wiring will set your house up safely for at least another 25 years.
“We are planning to renovate our home next year, should I rewire too?”
Quite often, major home renovations will require a full or at least partial rewire. Rewiring is a big job, so it makes sense for it to be done alongside renovations. It will be a lot easier and quicker for us to complete the rewire if your home is clear and empty from any furniture. We will need to have complete access to walls and floorboards so you can imagine it would be much harder and more time consuming having to move things around constantly.
Rewiring also might be more of a necessity than you think when it comes to home renovations. Depending on what you’re doing, for example if you’re having a big extension built, a rewire will need to arranged too. All current wiring and electrics will need to be able to handle the additional supply that will power the extension. The wiring will also need to be upgraded to meet current building regulations to allow the extension or building works to be carried out.
“Our home is very old, does this matter?”
The short answer is no. Experienced electricians like us here at J Kirby Electrical, will have the skills to tackle rewires for older homes. However, an older home can sometimes present significant challenges when upgrading the wiring system so just bear this in mind. The rewire may take a little longer and some things may have to change in order for us to complete the rewire safely. Don’t worry, any issues or changes will be fully communicated to you beforehand.
Other things to consider:
- Make sure you know what you want beforehand: Part of a rewire is also changing and moving fixtures and fittings. If you are in need of more sockets or you want some fixtures moved, just let us know!
- Pack away any precious items: While we will always do our best to limit mess, the job can get dusty so it’s best to move or pack away items you care about.
- Flooring: In most cases, we will need to access under floor. We will of course carefully relay any carpet, but some types of flooring might need to be relayed like laminate.
- Decorating after completion: After the rewire we can arrange for decorators to come in and finish up the job, this will only happen after everything has been tested and certified. Of course, you can also do this yourself or hire people on your own.
Rewire Electricians
If you have any other questions regarding rewires, get in contact with J Kirby Electrical.
