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Electrical plan for our extension and house renovation
I’m meeting with the builder and electrician next Wednesday to discuss the electrical plan for our extension and house renovation. What does this actually entail? I was thinking of blanking out the floor plan for each room and then marking there:
– spotlights
– pendants
– side lights
– electrical sockets
– usb
– cat 7
External and internal.
Does anyone have a template or advice on the best way to go about this? What am I overlooking?
Also, spotlights – I’m not a huge fan – I fear the place will look like an airport; any alternatives?
Usb V 3 pin… Builder seemed to suggest these were significantly more expensive – is this really the case? Considering so many gadgets these days use usb.
Also, how can you make generic placement decisions when in some rooms furniture is going to have to wait until the piggy bank is replenished?
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13 Replies
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The only thing to bear in mind with usb sockets, is that they usually aren’t capable of doing the fast charging that is provided by some plugs for tablets and phones.
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you need the 45watt sockets too many people don’t check for the fast charging and buy the cheaper ones too.
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I can confirm the usb faceplates are eyewateringly expensive – we bought ours from Elesi. We cut some costs by only putting usb plates in some places ie don’t need them in the boot room or hallway, but do need them by the beds and near chairs/sofas in the sitting room
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We have a couple of these in the bedroom but tbh you would have just as much success using a USB hub on a table somewhere
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I did a full rewire last year, found it really interesting and enjoyable! The plastering after, not so much!
I don’t have any spotlights anywhere, I don’t like them. Nor USB sockets, I think the tech will change and change.
Lights – think about what switch needs to control what lights, take the opportunity to install things like bed/bath wall lights, spots if you like, and switches that control far away rooms, esp re the stairs.
Think about appliances, boilers, aerials, loft lights, bathroom fans, water heaters, Hive, cameras, alarms, outside lights, security lights, garage lights, inside fitted furniture for mood lighting/TVs, inside cupboards.
If in any doubt if you will put something somewhere in the future, put a socket in! If in doubt if you’ll need 1 or 2 double sockets, put 2 in. Always get a consumer unit with more spaces on than you presently need.
Think about garden and path lights, power to outbuildings, water features, drive gates.
To work this out I did a virtual walk around in my house as it is and how I wanted it to be, I was thinking about it for months before work start TBH. I haven’t been able to plan for everything that will change as we do our internal remodel in the next few years, I’ll spend about another £1k on electrics I reckon, but currently it’s fully done and safe, which was a big relief. Enjoy the process, now is your time to get all those fancy things you’ve always wanted for a great price!
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Our electrician suggested the usb-c and normal usb ones on the same socket. It’s so many things now I think it’s really useful.
I’m not keen on spotlights either. We had so many put in our last house and hardly used them.
Induction hob wire was something we’ve just had put in for the future.
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Oooh, what’s an induction hob wire please?
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yes we have gas at the mo. I believe induction need more power than a regular socket! The guy told us luckily as would have been a pain to do once we were finished in that room
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Not at all! Do you currently have a gas hob then? I only wonder as I have a socket each for hob and oven, both only electric, but not induction. Wondering if I’ll need a new electric feed if I replace normal electric hob for an induction one!
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a wire that’s there for when we change the kitchen and probably do an induction hob. He said it was best to have a dedicated feed for that. I’m probably explaining it wrong but we were doing new electrics in our garage conversion and at the fuse box so easy to put in now.
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So you basically need to think about where all the lighting: switches and power will go! Happy to send you ours so you can have a look. It look a lot of planning and I found it quite tough.
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You’ve all been really helpful – I created a checklist based on all your comments to ensure I didn’t overlook anything!
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My builder an electrician were very helpful. We discussed each room as we walked around. I opted for just one usb sockets in each bedroom and on my island. I have no idea if the decisions were right as we moved out and the house isn’t finished.
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