Electrical Work: What’s Included in a Renovation and What Needs a Specialist
Almost every structural renovation involves electricity — new sockets, moved lights, a kitchen circuit, an upgraded consumer unit, or simply making good after walls come down. In England that work sits under Part P of the Building Regulations. Some tasks are straightforward; others must be carried out or certified by a registered electrician and notified to building control. Mixing those up is how homeowners end up with unsafe DIY, failed conveyancing questions, or quotes that quietly exclude the bits that matter.
This guide, from RJS Innovative Building in South Woodford — a Which? Trusted Trader and FMB firm working across Greater London, North & East London, Essex and Hertfordshire — explains what typically sits inside a renovation package, what needs a specialist, and how we coordinate both so you are not left managing trades alone.
Part P in plain English
Part P covers electrical safety in dwellings. In England, notifiable work includes installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and additions or alterations to existing circuits in defined special locations, such as the zones around a bath or shower. Kitchen or outdoor work is not automatically notifiable simply because of its location. All work must still comply with the applicable safety requirements. Agree the notification and certification route with your electrician before work begins. See the government’s Approved Document P guidance.
Certificates are not bureaucracy for its own sake. They protect you at handover, at sale, and if an insurer ever asks how the installation was altered. We treat paperwork as part of the job, not an optional extra.
What your builder usually coordinates
On an RJS renovation or extension, loft conversion or fuller refurbishment, we typically manage the programme so first-fix wiring happens after the structure is sound and before plastering. That includes chasing routes (where agreed), back boxes, cable runs, and coordinating positions with your kitchen or lighting plan. Second fix — faceplates, switches, pendant ends — follows decorating readiness.
- Agree socket and lighting layouts early with you.
- Protect existing circuits while demolition and steel works proceed.
- Schedule the electrician in the correct trade sequence.
- Allow for inspection and testing before finishes close up.
- Collect certificates for your handover pack.
We do not treat electrics as a vague provisional sum with no conversation. Where design is still open — scene lighting or a future EV charger, for example — we discuss capacity and containment now so you are not ripping plaster later.
What needs a registered specialist
Full or partial rewires, new consumer units, new circuits for showers or ovens, alterations in bathrooms, and outdoor power for workshops or garden rooms generally need a qualified electrician on a recognised scheme. Complex smart-home hubs or three-phase supplies may need further specialists. If your existing fuse board is dated or overloaded, we flag that at survey stage rather than mid-project — another reason we survey before we quote.
Heating controls, boilers and heat pumps sit with Gas Safe or MCS-competent engineers as appropriate; we coordinate those interfaces so thermostats, pumps and electrical supplies meet without finger-pointing between trades.
Kitchens, bathrooms and wet areas
Kitchens are electrically busy: ovens, hobs, extractors, dishwashers, island sockets and task lighting. Zoning and RCD protection matter. Bathrooms add location rules for fittings and extract ventilation that ties into building control. We plan appliance specs before first fix wherever possible. Changing a range cooker late can mean a different cable size and a frustrating reopen.
Lofts, basements and extensions — extra loads
A new loft bedroom needs lighting, smoke detection strategy and often dormer or roof-window electrics. Basements may need pump alarms, forced ventilation and careful routing in waterproofed zones — see our basement services. Rear extensions frequently add load plus outdoor lights or patio sockets. Each is a chance to tidy legacy wiring rather than extend a messy installation another decade.
Everyday power niggles
Tripping circuits, warm plugs, flickering lights and a shortage of sockets are common reasons people renovate. Sometimes the fix is local; sometimes it is a symptom of an undersized board or older alterations. We would rather diagnose properly than keep adding adaptors. During works, temporary site power is managed safely so trailing leads do not become a long-term habit.
How to brief us well
Bring appliance lists, thoughts on dimmers versus simple switches, desk and TV positions, and any future plans (annex, EV, garden studio). Mention if you work from home and need reliable lighting in a particular room. Ask how electrical provisional sums are written and what triggers a firm price. For the wider sequence around first and second fix, our project timeline post helps set expectations.
If you want clarity on what is included versus specialist, we are happy to talk it through on a free no-obligation survey. Soft next step: contact RJS with a few photos of your existing board and the rooms you intend to change.
Tel: 07783 449736 · Raphael.Sappa@RJSInnovativeBuilding.com · rjsinnovativebuilding.com
