How much does it cost to add sockets or switches in Gloucester?
Adding sockets or switches? Post the job for free and it goes to local electricians who cover your area. Only the electrician who takes it on gets your contact details.
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Adding sockets and switches
Adding a socket to an existing circuit is often a small job. The electrician takes a spur or extends the ring, runs the cable in the wall and fits the new socket. In a room that’s short of sockets, it may make more sense to add a new circuit, and that is a bigger job.
What counts under the Building Regulations depends on where and how. A new circuit is notifiable. So is adding to or altering a circuit in a special location, which in a house mainly means the zone around a bath or shower. Adding a socket to an existing circuit in a living room or bedroom is not notifiable, but it should still be done to the wiring regulations, tested and certified.
Things that affect the scope:
- solid walls or plasterboard, as solid walls usually need chasing
- whether the cable can come up from under the floor or down from the loft
- how the existing circuit is wired and whether it can take more load
- kitchens, where sockets near the sink and hob need careful placing
Surface-mounted trunking is quicker and less messy than chasing, but you’ll see it. Say which you’d prefer. If the house is older, the electrician may find the existing wiring needs attention before they can add to it.
What to include when you post
A clear picture of the job helps an electrician work out whether it’s an extension of an existing circuit or something bigger.
- How many sockets or switches you want, and in which rooms.
- Photos of each wall where they’ll go, with the nearest existing socket in shot.
- Whether the walls are solid or plasterboard, if you know.
- Whether you’d accept surface trunking or want cables buried in the wall.
- A photo of your consumer unit.
- Roughly how old the house is.
- Whether you want USB sockets or a particular finish, such as chrome or brushed steel.
What to ask
For a small addition, ask what certificate you’ll get. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate covers additions to an existing circuit. If a new circuit is needed, it’s notifiable, so ask whether they are registered with a competent person scheme and expect an Electrical Installation Certificate instead.
Points worth agreeing in the quote:
- whether cables will be chased in or run in trunking
- whether filling and making good the plaster is included
- that redecorating is usually not included
- whether they will test the circuit they are adding to
- what happens if the existing wiring turns out to have faults
Ask for the sockets and faceplates to be named in the quote so you know what finish you’re getting.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Electrician page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
Cables usually run inside walls, so there may be some chasing and making good, and dust. Surface trunking avoids most of that. Ask whether filling and redecorating are included.
Yes. For an addition to an existing circuit you should get a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate. For a new circuit, you should get an Electrical Installation Certificate, and the work is notifiable under the Building Regulations.
Standard sockets in a bathroom are heavily restricted by the wiring regulations, and any work in the zone around a bath or shower is notifiable. A shaver socket is common. Ask the electrician what's allowed in your room and where.
For light use, a good-quality extension lead is fine. Running several leads plugged into each other, or heaters and kettles on an extension, is a fire risk. If you need them everywhere, extra sockets are the better answer.
Often, yes, and it's usually a small job. The electrician will check the back box and the circuit first. It may still need a Minor Works Certificate.