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Percyprod

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I was talking to a guy recently who had had a terraced house left to him by a relative ( lucky bloke!) He had renovated most of it himself, and was one of the 'it's my house, I'll do what I want with it' brigade. He said he had to get a proffesional plasterer in, as it was one thing he couldn't do, but had done plumbing and electrics himself. He said that he had got estimates for rewiring, but simply couldn't afford it. So he bought a copy of the 17th edition, and did it himself. The old wiring was lead sheathed, and from what he said he'd done a good job. My point is, as he said, the wiring is far safer than it was, which can't be argued with. Is it a fair, if not legal attitude? Bear in mind that from what he said the wiring is physically correct, just the paperwork isn't!
 
He says it is correct, but the ignorance of an incompetent is what makes them incompetent.
Only verification and testing can prove safety.
It very much can be argued against that the wiring is safer than it was, as there is no proof of safety, only the word of a diyer. I would much rather use a competently and professionally installed system of any age than a recent diy job.
 
So if the guy now gets a pro in to do an EICR, and it passes?
Doesn't sound like the kind of person to BUY a 17th ed book. Maybe was just the OSG? or maybe just said that he did?
 
What gets me is the fact that he gets a property for SFA and then can't be bothered to do things properly, by the book.
Was he in debt up to his brain box? Dipstick!
Hope he fries...or his house, at least.
 
I got this from one of my dad's neighbours. He asked me for a quote to do some outside sockets and pond supplies. Couple of hundred quid. Ummed and ahhed, nah I'll do it myself. The current setup was a right lash up of twisted and taped joints across his workbench.

His son did the same as in the OP. Bragging to me one day about how easy it is and how he bought the regs and rewired his own house. "You don't need to do all that testing, it's just to make sparkies look clever all that rubbish. My mate told me and he helped me do it"
I bit my tongue til it was nearly off.

Now both father and son are not stupid people and not poor people, in fact both very well off. Just stubborn, tight arsed, know it alls. The type that will spend all weekend servicing their car and brag all year about how, after parts, it cost £40 less than a service at the garage.
You're never going to change this breed of person, just as in the OP.

Someone who has DIY rewired their entire house will not entertain any notion of things being incorrect in any way as they don't want to know. The facts remain however, in this case, that competence cannot be proved and neither can the safety of the installation nor compliance with any standards. To say that this must be safer that it was is an absolute nonsense in the absence of these proofs.
 
Lovely attitudes. Hope he fries? For f*** sake and you're criticising him? He ordered and bought the regs from Waterstones, up until then he lived in a grotty rented flat and had been burgled twice. He works hard, but is on fairly low wages. He simply can't afford to pay in thousands what he did himself in hundreds. When I say physically correct I mean the right cables, fittings protection etc. A system wired god knows when in lead sheathed cable is safer than a modern system? Are you having a laugh? In actual fact he is paying for it to be tested, that's all he can afford. Most of the little savings he had went on the boiler / fire installation. There really are some nice people on here, aren't there?
 
I cannot understand this attitude that a diyer can't do a safe or good job. I suppose that as qualified electricians charging what you do you can always afford a professional to do any work needed on your house, car etc.
 
I cannot understand this attitude that a diyer can't do a safe or good job. I suppose that as qualified electricians charging what you do you can always afford a professional to do any work needed on your house, car etc.
Will his house be insured though if it catches fire? and unless he has tested the installation and certified it it may not be right and may not be acceptable to his insurance company. Does he know someone who will say they did the work and issue the correct paperwork? if so no probs.
 
I cannot understand this attitude that a diyer can't do a safe or good job. I suppose that as qualified electricians charging what you do you can always afford a professional to do any work needed on your house, car etc.
@Percyprod...I think you need to chill out abit. The thread title is a question isit not? What do you expect everyone to say? It certainly isn't going to be "what a hero for buying the regs and rewiring his house with no input from a competent electrician"! If he wanted to do this then I feel he should of gone down the proper channels and raised a building control notice and had the 1st fix checked at various stages etc by a council appointed contractor.

Imo your "friend" has done it in an arse about face way...If he had done it the proper way then maybe members would be of a different opinion.

Don't start a thread asking opinions then get all mardy when you don't like the replies because they aren't the same as yours.
 
I suppose that as qualified electricians charging what you do you can always afford a professional to do any work needed on your house, car etc.

So how much do you think the average spark earns per hour, and I mean earn? Not what they charge, what they actually earn, after the overheads are deducted and don't forget all the out of hours work we HAVE to do.

And also, most of us are self employed, so this mean NO PENSION contribution from an employer.......
 
If the guy was prepared to lift the boards drill all the joists, plaster over and do the chasing I doubt it would have cost much to rewire a terraced house anyway to be honest. Perobably 2 days hard graft for a good sparky and mate if all prepared for them.
 
If the guy was prepared to lift the boards drill all the joists, plaster over and do the chasing I doubt it would have cost much to rewire a terraced house anyway to be honest. Perobably 2 days hard graft for a good sparky and mate if all prepared for them.
I have a feeling of de ja vus about this................ maybe others following this thread should cast their eyes down this thread:

Best type of lighting in stables - https://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/threads/best-type-of-lighting-in-stables.123300/

Me thinks the OP is referring to himself but calling him a "friend"
I thought that myself but gave him the benefit of the doubt lol, He is obviously an enthusiast who likes to keep his hand in if it is the OP.
 
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