Electrical work in West Kirby

Solid walls, and the problem of getting cable anywhere

The villas here are solid wall construction with lath and plaster ceilings, and that changes the practical side of electrical work more than anything else. There are no cavities to drop a cable down and no stud walls to run through, so cable is either chased into solid masonry, run in the floor void, or surface run in trunking.

Chasing a solid wall is destructive and it is followed by plastering and decorating, which is frequently a larger cost than the electrical work that caused it. That is the single most useful thing to understand before pricing a rewire in one of these houses: the making good is part of the project even when it is not part of the electrical quote.

Lath and plaster ceilings and the lighting question

Changing lighting in these houses means working on a lath and plaster ceiling, which does not take kindly to being cut. Downlights in particular mean a lot of holes in a ceiling that may be a century old and may be holding on better than it looks.

There are gentler approaches, including working from above where there is a floor void or a loft, and keeping to existing positions. Whether the ceiling can take it is a question to ask before the fittings are chosen rather than after.

Original features worth not destroying

Cornice, ceiling roses, picture rails and panelling are a large part of what these houses are, and a cable route planned without looking at them can do damage that costs more to put right than the job was worth.

Planning the routes with the rooms in mind is slower and it is the difference between a rewire you recover from in a fortnight and one you are still fixing in the spring.

Salt air and anything outside

The estuary and the sea reach well inland here. External sockets, lighting and garden supplies want fittings chosen for the exposure, and metal enclosures outdoors are worth thinking twice about.