A lot of Glastonbury's housing is small and old: flats above High Street shops, cottages in the town centre and around Bove Town, and holiday lets that see a new guest every few days. Those properties rarely need the same treatment as a family semi. Often a partial rewire of a flat or one part of a cottage is the sensible job, and we price it that way.
A partial rewire replaces the circuits that test badly or are unsafe and keeps those that are sound. In a one-bedroom flat or an annexe that may be most of the wiring; in a cottage it might be the upstairs lighting and the kitchen. The decision comes from test results, not guesswork, which is why we normally start from an inspection report.
A flat usually takes 3 to 4 days on site, and a partial rewire is priced on what the test results show needs replacing. Where the readings are poor throughout, we will tell you a full rewire is better value than patching.
Flats on and around the High Street come with their own practical questions. Which board feeds the flat, and which feeds the shop? Is the meter in the shop or on the stairs? Who holds the keys to the shared entrance? We sort all of that at the survey, confirm the flat's supply and earthing, and agree working times so the business below is not left guessing.
No two flats or cottages are wired the same, so we don't publish a price list. The price depends on the size of the property, how it is built, how much of the wiring needs replacing and how easy the access is. We survey first, then give you a fixed written quote.
Landlords in England must have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner if the last report says so. Where the report requires remedial or further investigative work, it has to be done within 28 days or sooner if the report says so. If a property keeps producing the same coded items at each inspection, a planned partial rewire between tenancies can stop that cycle. Holiday lets should have the installation inspected and tested at least every five years.
Our landlord compliance page for Glastonbury covers inspections, alarms and paperwork in more detail.
One of the tests that decides a rewire is insulation resistance. We apply a test voltage between the conductors and to earth and measure how well the insulation holds it back. Healthy modern cable gives very high readings, often hundreds of megohms. Old cable that has dried out, been damaged or got damp gives low readings, and low readings across several circuits are a strong sign the wiring is near the end of its life.
Low readings are not always the cable, though. In a town-centre flat this year, we traced a low reading to a specific fault, fixed it and re-tested. That is the difference between testing properly and condemning a whole installation on age.
Real work in the town this year, anonymised. Each one involved testing older wiring and putting faults right rather than replacing everything.
The medieval and Georgian cottages in the centre tend to have small rooms, uneven floors and walls that do not take kindly to deep chasing, so we work from floor voids and lofts where we can. Victorian and Edwardian terraces are more regular and usually easier to route. Farmhouses out on the Levels bring outbuildings and longer supply runs into the picture. For listed or very old buildings, see heritage rewires in Glastonbury.
Leave your details and a line about the job. We will ring you back to talk it through and arrange a survey or a written price.
Often yes, but it depends on the size of the flat and how much of it is being rewired. In a one-bedroom flat the work takes over most rooms for 3 to 4 days, and many landlords prefer to do it between tenancies. We discuss what is practical at the survey and agree access with you and, where relevant, your agent.
Not normally. A flat over a shop usually has its own supply and board, but we confirm that at the survey rather than assume it. If the supplies are shared or tangled together, we explain what that means and plan any shutdown with the business.
We plan the job into a gap between bookings. A flat or small cottage partial rewire is a matter of days, so a short closed period is usually enough. Tell us your quiet dates when you book the survey and we will build the programme around them.
An inspection and test answers that. The report lists each circuit with its readings and any coded faults. If the problems sit in two or three circuits, a partial rewire makes sense. If poor readings run right through, a full rewire usually costs less over time than repeated repairs.
Interlinked mains smoke alarms on every level and a heat alarm in the kitchen, with sealed back-up batteries. In a flat that might be a smoke alarm in the hall and living room and a heat alarm in the kitchen. In let property we also check whether a carbon monoxide alarm is required by a boiler, gas fire or wood burner.
Priced by the job, not by the hour. A written, fixed price after a survey, NAPIT certification on every notifiable job.
07889 334849