Hypothetical building control question...

Let's assume a friend has had a garage built, big enough that PP and BC are required.

BC have been to see the work-in-progress and sign it off so far. There's only one more visit required, to check the actual (flat-pack) wooden building now it's up, and to check the soakaway for the guttering.

Great so far.

This (competent layman) friend is planning on doing the sparks himself, with the advice of a newly-qualified sparky mate, who'd be happy to come and help but is a bit too busy for the next month or two.

The feed to the garage is coming from the house to a studio outbuilding, then on to the garage. There's a modern RCD CU in the house, there'll be a modern RCD CU in the studio (which is also going to be rewired, but probably not for a few months), and there'll be an RCD CU in the garage. This friend has no plans to move house for many many years if he can possibly avoid it.

So - what would you do...?

Would you get BC to sign off the building, and if they ask about electrics, just say there's no plans to wire it?

Would you just get on with wiring it and plan on getting a Part P sign- off cert to keep it all above board?

Would you just get on with wiring it, and hope that BC don't say "Well, we'll give you the building sign-off when we see the Part P cert"?

Would you just forget to call BC about the final inspection, and forget about getting the final sign-off?

Reply to
Adrian
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Well it may be taken out of your hands.

BC signed ours off out of the blue with no final inspection and without the final bit of the rewire being completed (so no final certificate).

All a mystery to me.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

Does that not depend a bit on what they have already been told... was a it a "full plans" submission, or just a building notice?

If they have not been told that it will have an electrical installation, then one could obviously save complicating matters by telling them now.

Well now part P allows for "the third way" - i.e. getting someone to inspect and sign off someone else's work[1] you could always keep that last bit as an option if it were required.

[1] Needless to say, many of the trade bodies that allow professional sparks to "self certify" are a sounding a bit grumpy and all "closed shop" about this option.

No, if you have started the BC paper trail then it looks better to finish it.

Reply to
John Rumm

The BC plans make no mention of electrickery at all.

How far back would they need to check? We've got the PartP sign-off for the main CU etc in the house (installed as part of a large extension) - but there's a few bits in the house which I can't believe they checked very thoroughly... There may yet be surprises on top of the ones I've already sorted...

Reply to
Adrian

He. Not me. Oh, no, not me.

Reply to
Adrian

Not quite sure I follow the question.

However if you needed to, you could task an electrician with inspecting and reporting on the condition of the building electrics and the submain supply from the house. Can't see that you would ever need to however.

Reply to
John Rumm

Before he'll say "Yep, that's cool - here's your piece of paper" - will he decide that the next bit up the chain needs looking at, then up from there, etc etc etc?

Reply to
Adrian

I think I'd get the final certificate before installing the electrics - then install them and forget to tell BC about them. If it's not going to be sold for many years, the lack of electrical certificate is unlikely to affect the sale. If it *does*, get a periodic inspection report at the time.

Reply to
Roger Mills

In article , Roger Mills writes

Agreed, is electrical installation in an outbuilding even covered by the legendary part-P?

As an aside, my next install here will be a shower room that could not possibly be installed and meet current BRs as a zimmer bound occupant could not be swung around within it. Do I care? Nup, it will be done without interference and the reasons presented to any purchasers who care to ask. Any visiting crips can use the existing (original) non-compliant bathroom if they prefer.

Reply to
fred

In message , fred writes

In this context, yes.

section 2.2

It applies to dwellings and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses that share the electrical supply

Reply to
Chris French

In article , Chris French writes

Thanks.

Reply to
fred

Not IMHO. Even if he was particularly worried about something further back, there is a window of time after the job is complete in which he would have to act (typically two years). As a general rule there is no need to bring older work compliant at the time of installation up to modern standards anyway - so it makes it difficult to go back and look at older work and complain if its not to current standards. Also keep in mind that the building notice / full plans submission will have set out the scope of the work - thus excluding things not covered.

Reply to
John Rumm

Its the right answer, but possibly to the wrong question.

Part P does indeed apply to *all* domestic wiring, however the relevant question is usually "what work is actually notifiable?"

Most electrical work in an outbuilding is not in itself notifiable. (although installing a new circuit from a CU would be)

From Approved doc P 2013 edition:

"12.?(6A) A person intending to carry out building work in relation to which Part P of Schedule 1 imposes a requirement is required to give a building notice or deposit full plans where the work consists of? (a) the installation of a new circuit; (b) the replacement of a consumer unit; or (c) any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location."

(special locations used to include "outside" in earlier versions of the doc, but have now been removed)

Interesting that the language seems to indicate that only replacement of an existing CU is notifiable and not the installation of a completely new one. ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

Wire it as an extension lead from an RCD socket on the outside wall of the house and run everything of a 4 way socket inside the garage. Bodge and Scarper, Incompetent Home Sparky.

Reply to
snot

I decided to keep it short and sweet :-)

It does, though I suppose that it would generally come under the installation of a new circuit ?

Though if I was to add a consumer unit to my existing one and not add any new circuits would that count ? :-)

Reply to
Chris French

I think the (hypothetical) answer is "who cares?" ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

A perfect example of why part P was a poor idea in the first place...

Reply to
John Rumm

Well, quite. But, unfortunately, we've gotta live with the fact it's there.

Reply to
Adrian

Interesting - so fitting a new one, and leaving the old one in place is not notifiable. Could even remove the old one some time later.

The old rules about kitchens were easily avoided by making sure you wired it up whilst it isn't a kitchen, e.g. when it's been gutted, which is commonly when you would rewire the room anyway. This was the suggestion of a BCO, who said a room isn't a kitchen if it doesn't have a cooker or a sink. There was no requirement to have an inspection if you later turn a room into a kitchen.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Well indeed, it does not say removal is notifiable either ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

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