After a twenty year break I am building a single storey bedroom extension with a few double sockets and overhead lighting to be run off the existing house. How much can I do myself? Do I really need someone to certify the work, or can I get my work certified by the BCO? I always did my own electrics in the past, but this Part P malarkey (Grrr) seems a bit over-protective. TIA Gilbert
As far as I can make out, you can declare yourself competent and sign your own work off.
AIUI, if you are paying a Building Control fee for inspections/signoff of the building itself (which I assume you are) then the fee also covers inspection/testing of the electrics. If the Building Control dept isn't competent to do this, it's up to *them* to subcontract the electrical inspection to someone who is - at *their* expense - although they may try to con you into paying for it, so beware!
You can do it all yourself and the BCO is responsible for Part P certification if you include it in your building control application for the extension.
Owain
Are you sure? I was talking to the head of building control for a large council last night and he said he could set whatever fees he wanted for test and inspection as long as they were published. He said anyone that wanted "his" council to inspect their wiring was chucking their money away as he had set it high to avoid employing anyone to do the tests. Those that do want it just get a subcontractor sent out with the bill.
I would be inclined to direct them to page 11, section 1.26 of
So anyone got a feel for what the going rate might be to have an installation checked of say one new small ring main ( 3 sockets total) and a garage install with RCCD, two sockets and local earth spike - assuming no extra work needed ?
Thanks, Nick
Who by?
The point about part P is that you can't have your work checked and "signed off" by someone else prior to it being certificated by building control. You can either sign it off yourself if you are a member of an appropriate guild/trade association, of building control can sign it off. Those are the only options (other than ignoring the whole pile of nonsense).
They (building control) can if they choose, elect to have it tested. They may (depending on their resources) test it themselves, they may decide that you are technically competent (i.e. the real meaning of the word) and leave it all to you, or possibly they may ask for your test results.
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Para 1.26 says that the building control department must carry out the electrical inspection at their own expense. However, what's to stop them doing it at their expense, but just setting the fee for applications involving Part P work high enough to cover it?
On Mon, 28 May 2007 11:37:47 +0100, a particular chimpanzee, "Gilbert" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
Will there be a separate circuit? If so, provided the protection to the modified circuits are satisfactory, then it does not need to be notified.
If not, it would be part of the extension, and depending on the Local Authority's policy, they could certify that it complies (but not issue an electrical safety certificate), or ask for an electrical installation certificate from a competent electrician.
=================================== Maybe somebody should ask him to publish his authority for charging since it's expressly forbidden. In any case I would think that local councillors would have to approve any changes to the setting of charges.
Cic.
No, simply additional sockets to the existing ring main (which is more than adequate)
Thanks for that. I'll obviously have to chat up the BCO and get all the necessary info for Mid-Suffolk. The BCO seems like a nice man (:O) and has been very helpful with all the new regs. (Cavity wallboards? What be them, I asked...)
Meanwhile, thanks to all those who replied. Gilbert
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Well they could, although there may be some control on what fees they are aloud to charge (usually they are based on the value of the work being done). Also if they charge noticeably more then they are still open to accusations that they are charging for inspections by the back door. The difficult thing is there is no real conformity here - each council seems to have their own policy.
This is called "never-give-a sucker-an-even-break" syndrome. 90%+ of applicants will pay up without a whimper. For the other crusaders, it's a case of out-jobsworthing the jobsworths. Hmm..... I think I might just make an application so that I can have the pleasure of doing that.
They probably did, along with rubberstamping of how many changes of blade on the gangmower for the local park.
It's boring being a councillor. I know several. Being mayor isn't much better other than at least someone (usually) organises a parking space at summer fetes.
Ask him if he has four toes. Apparently this is common in Norfolk and parts of Suffolk.
He is telling porkies! Refer him to the following
Peter Crosland
Why, are they particularly ingeniously careless with their woodworking machinery?
Owain
This is what Cherwell seem to be doing, have a look at page 3 of:
It's not clear whether the charges for electrical installations only apply when that is *all* that is done.
For example, what if I build a non-exempt garage which includes an electrical installation? The Building Regs fee for the garage would be £110+VAT - and I would argue strongly that that should *include* having the local authority inspect and certify the electrical work. Otherwise they would seem to be in contravention of the regulation cited by others. After all, the fee is presumably for making sure that the work complies with *all* building regs - and should not exclude Part P.
If this is the case, the moral seems to be to make sure that any electrical work you do is part of a building project of some sort - however trivial!
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