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Discuss Re-wire preference - under floorboards or removed ceiling in the The Welcome Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Hi!

I'm new to the forum - thanks for having me.

I have a question for a domestic rewire - I just bought my first property and want to know the prefered method for a rewire and if it really matters or is a personal preference.

I'm going to rip down the thin chipboard ceiling and have it replaced - do electricians prefer to rewire from below with the ceiling removed or from above wiring below floorboards onto a new ceiling (from upstairs /loft). The job will include a couple of new sockets per room and an approx 4 spotlight points in most rooms.

Would be great to know the pros and cons of each. Ideally, I would remove the ceiling myself and have the rewire done before a new ceiling due to timescales as my dry liner/plasterer is coming in later.

Cheers
 
Welcome to the forum, can you please give us some background as your profile hasn't been filled in, a new electrician would get very different advice to that of say a DIYer Cheers.
 
I’d say “whatever’s easiest at the time”
Example. 2 houses in my street are both doing the same job- removing walls downstairs, so there are sockets to move, lights to remove and new additions. First house was newly bought, carpets gone, and had a joiner lift the floor, so everything done under floor.
Other house is lived in, exact same work to do but as they don’t want to lift upstairs floor covering, its being done from below. The ceilings need patched anyway, so the lot is coming down in the affected area of the house.

I don’t mind working above my head... and it’s probably safer than tip toeing over holes in the floor above.

Top tip. Make sure the dry liners pop any cables through the ceiling where you want them. Make a detailed plan of where cables are so you can find them if the don’t.
 
Rewires always a pain if occupied, whatever, under the floor boards every time for me. Imagine drilling a row of holes in the joist above your head, purgatory, kill your back and shoulder in no time, sure you get bad knees from doing it under the floor, but far far easier than working over your head.
 
Welcome to the forum, can you please give us some background as your profile hasn't been filled in, a new electrician would get very different advice to that of say a DIYer Cheers.

I'm looking for advice before getting someone qualified for the work. I've been told by one electrician that this can only be done through the floor boards, when the ceiling is coming down regardless and will be down weeks before a new one is fitted.


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Is your house on a flood plain?
I watched a program where the house was high risk of floods. They wired everything from the ceiling. Logical really in that circumstance.
 
under the floor boards every time for me. Imagine drilling a row of holes in the joist above your head, purgatory, kill your back and shoulder in no time, sure you get bad knees from doing it under the floor, but far far easier than working over your head.

Maybe in your day it was difficult to drill joists but modern tools weigh very little and drill bits are very efficient so there’s none of the problems you describe.
 
With the ceilings down you also get the chance to clip along the joists rather than fishing . Also much easier to plot out downlights.
With the floor up and the joists exposed it would be quite simple to plt down light positions, unless of course you are a complete numpty.
 
Agree with doing it from below, if your taking down the ceiling anyway. Floorboards never go back the same, and if they're quite old they might split etc, and some end up having to be replaced. Is the flooring chipboard?

That said, even doing it from below, you might end up with a few flow boards up anyway. Also removing the ceiling may reveal some horrors (not just electrical), that'll need fixing.
 

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