A bit of progress this past week. Simon the electrician came and did the first fix of electrics. I think this has a different name in the US, but it involves laying out the cables before any plasterboard(drywall) goes up.

Before this happens you need to have thought through the quantity/rough location of:

How many sockets? Well I have worked on the basis that you never hear anyone complaining they have too many, so I have gone for 10x double sockets. I’ll do a picture of the layout shortly, but my electrical requirements in the end were:

I only supplied the bits where I cared about the aesthetics (lights and sockets/switches). The to supply cabling and other bits and pieces, fit all the above, connect to the household supply, test and provide certificates was £650.

I did not bother getting another quote because I’ve worked with the electrician before and, although I remember The builder who recommended him originally saying he was not the cheapest, he is a nice chap and very reliable. Besides there is probably 250-300 quid of cable and other equipment, so I thought it was reasonable.

blurry picture showing first-fit, including the panel where the consumer unit will go

He is back again tomorrow morning so more to follow.

1 for instance, it is good practice to put light and sockets on a separate circuits, plus any devices that consume a lot of power like welders, cookers etc, l also allowed separate circuits for an external socket and switch).