Electric socket question :- Placement.

Building regulations only apply to new builds and *major* change of use, you don't have to move sockets in an existing house even when you do quite significant changes.

Be aware that often in "them good old days" the sparks used to wire the socket up with the floorboards still up, then pull the cables taut under the floor and then clip em that way so that anyone else comng to "pinch" their work in the future couldn't get a socket off without knowing where the spare cable was clipped under which floorboard! Practice died out when sockets started to get wall mounted, but very common on skirting boards in old houses. Good luck.

You may need to alter the sockets if the position of them is so low that the flex from a plug is under stess when plugged in. The sockets are mounted into the skirting but is this done by mounting onto the skirting itself or is there a metal back box fitted which is flush with the skirting. The back box is essential, you cannot mount directly onto the wood.

Sockets mounted into skirting is often the sign of an old electrical installation. I would be tempted to check that the lighting has an earth and that the main earthing and main equipotential bonding is up to scratch. It might be worth paying an electrician for a periodical inspection report on the installation or asking the seller to go halves on one with you. It depends upon how much you want the house and if you are prepared to have it rewired should it need it.

Adam

thank you all for your help , the skirting boards have been cut away and the sockets are flush with the skirting board , basically its quite a large house and am very seriously considering renting out the downstairs part of the building and turning it into a self contained unit for renting , while i live up stairs ,so it helps pay the mortgage etc , i will need professional in to do the main work for the electrics etc , but was hoping as they looked perfectly good sockets professional mounted , but i know from my last house they had to be around 40cms from the floor level , if i have to goto the expense of having them all moved then i would go for it etc , but would hope i would not have to do the all house as i would be living up stairs , but unsure if your doing one part of the house you would have to do the other part (upstairs) to confirm with building regulations and for it to pass planning consent......

You should be a little bit careful here how you make this work out.

If you split a single dwelling down into two self contained units, then you will probably need planning permission for 'change of use'.

That being the case you will need Building Regulations approval and, amongst other requirements, you will need to satisfy Approved Document E for Resistance to the passage of sound. That in itself is a huge amount of work.

If you want to do this 'legally' then you could save yourself a lot of grief by discussing your proposals beforehand with your Local Authority (planning and building control).

thank you for that information , i believe there ment to be very good with people on the phone and they are ment to be very helpful , so i shall do that , i do intend to seek planning permission and to do this correctly and legally , the property is quite a old and very solid property built very robustly and i hope/think sound will be a issue , i hope..... i shall read up furthur about resistance to the passage of sound , as this of course is a very important issue...and had not really considered it before....is there anything else i should be considering and reading up on?