Electicals

I have spent a little time thinking about the electrical fittings recently. Sockets, lighting, network cables, television aerial points etc. etc.

One of the concerns that Jan and I have is that the modern building regulations demand that sockets and light switches are reachable for people in wheel-chairs. With all due respect to people in wheel-chairs, we do not see why we have to meet these regulations in the new parts of our house, when none of the fittings in the current house do. Fair enough if we were building a new house for sale on the open market, but all this work is being done for our benefit, so why can't we have the sockets and switches where we choose ?

Well, perhaps we can. I was talking to one of my cycling buddies today and he has just been through an extension project of his own. All of his electricals have been done to match the existing house, and don't meet with the building reg. rules. He can't remember the details, but is sure this came up in discussion with the electrician, but that he was allowed to match the existing because it was an extension, not a new build.

These days the Part P Building Regulations restrict what you can do as a DIY electrician, and insist on any works being subject to an official inspection. We have to find out a little more about this because it may be that paying for an inspection will be nearly as expensive as paying a certified electrician to do the work in the first place. There are rumours that the local council have an inspection service, but I have not yet looked into this.