Electrical

DIY Stud Wall & New Sockets - where does one job end and the other begin?

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.36 PM

Hi! I’ve been fitting insulation from the inside to some stud walls. This is in the process of refurbishing each room so elected to also fit two new sockets on the wall. I did the insulation (inc VCL) and plasterboard (DIY) and got an electrician to run the wires and fit the sockets. I left the plasterboard for the sockets off and noggins in for fitting the new boxes securely. The electrician didn’t do a good job finishing the wall in order to fix the facias to the sockets - this is how he wanted to finish the job / make safe. However I’ve had to spend a good few hours correcting his bad cuts on the plasterboard and poorly filled areas, was this avoidable? I guess I have a few questions: - is it right that when installing new sockets in the home electricians need to leave it ‘finished’ with the fascia on and wires behind a plasterboard? - once the electrician put the wires in could I have fitted the plasterboard myself? Would this have meant he need to wait for me to do so and then him put the fascia on? - on a solid wall, where wires are chased in could an electrician leave it ‘unfilled’ so I can do it myself? - can I position and fix the boxes myself so it’s then ready for an electrician to wire? When he came to quote I did talk it through with my electrician but seemingly he did get confused by the VCL membrane on the insulation and whilst using filler does require sanding there is a difference between needing a little, a lot and needing to chip it off the fascias. He also somehow managed to wedge a small off cut piece of plasterboard between a stud and the full-size board so it bowed and cracked. These are all aspects I could have got right myself and not needed to spend time redoing / remedying. What was needed, and he saw the part finished wall he’d be working with, was clear to the electrician when he first came to visit to quote and in hindsight I wish he was honest in saying I’m not good / confident in all aspects. Perhaps this is a tale of just going with the cheapest quote and you get what you pay for. Or is it true I shouldn’t ask an electrician to do more than just electrics? Many thanks for your point of view!

Anonymous user

Sorry to disappoint you but your last comment is the reason. Some electricians are good at their job, some aren't. Yours sounds pretty rough at his job, either that or he is inexperienced. Good electricians do a first fix and a second fix. He has tried to rush the job and do both at the same time. The first fix would be installing the wires and plaster board boxes, or metal boxes fixed to noggins. Or he could survey the wall and cut neat rectangles out to put the boxes in after the wall is finished. The second fix is fitting the accessory plates and testing. It's just a matter of communication. Normally the electrician wouldn't get involved in plastering unless he agrees this with you beforehand and is confident of making a decent job of it. There should not be any need to adjust or correct his work. That is just poor workmanship on his part. Like you said, you get what you pay for in this trade.

Answered7 October 2020

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Anonymous user

I agree with Elec-craft's comment but would like to add a bit of advice for hiring future tradesmen. If a quote is considerably cheaper than the rest then there's likely to be a good reason, ie the work will be rushed without due care & consideration being taken for the work or the client. I'm not saying go with the most expensive but it's a good rule of thumb to go mid range. You need to be assessing the tradesman when they come to quote, it's almost like a job interview! Take note of how well the tradesman carries out the quote. Do they ask the right questions? Is their survey thorough enough, or just a drive by? How do they handle questions you ask them? I've been hired for many jobs where my quote isn't the cheapest, because the clients have been satisfied with how I performed the site survey. Hope my input has helped!

Answered3 November 2020

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E3 Electrical

Rating: 4.9 out of 5

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Winscombe

I agree with D Clements, going for the cheapest quote isn’t the best way to find a good tradesman, another way to assess the workmanship is to look at the feedback for the tradesperson your about to hire. I hope this doesn’t put you off using the site.

Answered5 November 2020

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