Builder Rant, Second fixing kitchen, Exotic life of an Electrician 

It's not that rare I can assure you.

I can 👌

Perfectly normal for a lot of customers to expect the same. They expect free materials and labour

Had one not long ago in a fairly big house casually ask me to change all (original) switches and sockets to nice chrome ones while I was fitting downlights in most of the house. I said sure I'll just add on cost of materials and half a days labour. Emailed them links to a few to choose from, prices right there on the page, then they wanted to know why the invoice is £700 or so over the original estimate for fitting the downlights!

At least the customer was going to pay something. I did work for a woman 23 years' ago fitting new lights and sockets and replacing damaged accessories. When completed, she said she couldn't afford to pay as she's a single parent and offered to pay one pound! a week until it was paid.

£1200 is 4 days labour

Definitely, I was thinking £1500 ish.

Every tradesman has to deal with this crap. Makes the job too much hassle imo. Such a shame because i like doing the work. Radio on, bash out the flooring (i'm a floor layer), get home put your feet up, nice! But instead you have to stress over getting paid and argue the toss over quotes and stuff knowing full well that if they went with a high street flooring retailer they'd be paying a lot more!

GSH Electrical will do 👌

Probably something to do with if you take a chunk out it decreases the strength & probably zonal system or something

The hole is not allowed within 2" of the edge of the joist. So if you've a 4" ceiling joist in the loft you can't drill it.

Ok, it may be my interpretation of the building regs but it seems to say you cant drill a hole in a loft joist/support at all. Ceiling/floor joists are fine within certain ranges, but no mention of size for roof joists that I can remember without checking the book

@@rodgerq That's mainly talking about ceiling joists, which are acceptable to drill. However load bearing roof joists (Rafters?) aren't allowed to be cut or adapted for cable passage in any way. From my understanding

Call it a Conservatory,build it under permitted development, & wait a while & it becomes a extension,gets around planning permission...

Been in this situation the don't like the cables sticking out of boxes ,so coil them in and they repay you by plastering over it ,cheers mate.

Think they are snickers

Then make sure you put everything in writing, that way you all know where you stand.

So no one can have downlights in any new extension then,all wall lights or surface fittings, not gonna happen untill building control get involved.

@@supersparks9466 I didn't say that you couldn't have downlights just that in order to comply with building regs, which if notifiable work you must, then the construction method must take into account the requirements for downlight installation.

@@davidb3537 You will need to separate layers of celotex, so you cut the bottom one to fit the downlight you won't end up with a cold spot

@@EruElectrics Which downlight manufacturer says its OK to install their product in solid insulation???

Had this issue many times. Spoke to quite a few building inspectors and they seem to be happy with cutting away the insulation to fit downlights so that’s what I do. Still doesn’t seem quite right to me though and don’t think anyone really has an answer for it.

Electricians are not expensive, they simply charge for their worth. Most builders don't have the sense to get the electrician in to price it first before they start making off the cuff guestimates to the client. Remember I said most, not all builders.

Lmao right ok like I say i have set prices no arguements. It's up to client if they believe that to be expensive or not. I use only good quality tradesman,not monkeys

To accommodate the fitting and allow for air flow around it

Then you do not understand the U value of an insulated ceiling .

luke thorn which is precisely why people attempt to do it themselves or live with dangerous old wiring. I appreciate everyone has to earn a living, but some electricians are taking the piss massively. I was quoted £12k recently for a rewire on an unoccupied three bed mid terrace in London. That's almost six months average salary in the U.K for less than a weeks work. People on low wages simply can't afford that kind of money. Fortunately we had a healthy renovation budget and I managed to persuade an electrician friend of a friend to come down from Leeds and pay for him to stay in a travel lodge for a few nights. He did an absolutely first class job, worked bloody hard, and charged me £4,500 which we were both more than happy with. London electricians now seem to think they are entitled to six figure salaries which is insane, and why I shall never use one.

Then heard your price and stopped adding it up 😅

That should be “Why are you friends with the. Builder”😂