How much would you pay for...

[oxfordia]

We've heard from the electrician-gas-engineer. They've quoted us £1,000 to pull up some floor boards, find a cable and extend it, move a switch and install another one that we'll use when we have the money to buy an extractor fan to put over the cooker and change the fuse board. I have no idea if it's a reasonable price or not. Any thought?

Comments

This is Dave...

[gillo]

I'd suggest that you get at least one more quote.

Materials - a new consumer unit (ie fuse box) plus the switches and wiring you need - shouldn't cost more than about £200 at the worst; most of the cost will be labour. Has he said how long he's allowing (and how many people)?

Also bear in mind that anyone doing significant work on domestic electrical (or gas) services has to provide a certificate of compliance with the relevant current building standards. If that includes replacing the consumer unit, they have to certify that the whole installation complies - which means that if they find anything else sub-standard you have to get that fixed as well at extra cost (which is why we didn't have our consumer unit replaced when we had our kitchen ring man extended!).

Hope that helps.

Re: This is Dave...

[oxfordia]

Thanks, Dave! That quote was from people who fit kitchens so should have people with the right skills working for them and we checked them on checkatrade. Their website is http://www.mpslemergency.co.uk/.
They are also the only guys R contacted who got back to us...
But I am trying to get quotes from other people too. One of the guys R contacted said he was booked up until Easter (and then didn't bother to get in touch to arrange a quote).
Sigh...

[bronchitikat]

D'you know anyone who can recommend a reliable and good person to do the job?

But certainly get another quote.

Time was when you could, maybe, have done most of the work yourself, if you were somewhat DIY minded. These days the law requires you to employ trained people - that's people who have taken special courses and have paper qualifications. Whether that's any better . . .

Otherwise with This is Dave

[oxfordia]

I have asked around for recommendations and I've joined a local facebook page people use to get advice and so on. I don't know very many people yet so it's difficult to ask around, if you know what I mean.
There's somebody who works for a building company who says he knows people who are certified to do the job and might be free to take the job on privately. Fortunaley, having talked to these other guys first mean I know exactly what we need, which hopefully would make people less likely to try and swindle us. We'd probably arrange for R to be here when they come around for a quote. I'd feel safer and tradespeople tend to be more honest with men. Sad truth...