Getting your electrics right

Avoid a shock and plan ahead

There are so many decisions that you need to make when you’re renovating your home and many of them not particularly exciting ones at that!! What’s often difficult is to know which decisions you’ll need to make when and from our experience your builders won’t give you much notice and time to plan ahead. So, unless you have a dedicated project manager you’ll tend to find that the electricians and plumbers have turned up to do their first fix and you’re expected to tell them where you want everything way before you’ve even thought about those things.

Here are some top tips when it comes to thinking about your electrics. And try to think about these things way before you think you’ll need to.

You’ll always need more sockets than you think

More is definitely more when it comes to sockets. Just think about the technology we all use nowadays, everything feels like it needs to be plugged in at some point during the day. Your kitchen will need at least 3 x double sockets excluding the main appliances. You’ll need to account for charging phones, laptops and ipads as well as the usual lamps, hairdryer and maybe a tv in the bedroom. So, make sure that you account for plenty of double sockets in each room. Better to have too many than too few and to have to add any in the future.

Think about the different lighting zones that you have within a room

Most homes have a light fitting in the middle of the ceiling and that’s about it. You might get lucky and have some wall lights too. But will this suit the way you plan to live in the space?

If you’re planning a kitchen extension with an island or peninsula, you might want to consider some feature lights above it, with some other pendants over the hob and near the fridge/freezer?

Maybe you’ve got a couple of alcoves that are a bit darker and need some light. Will you want to do this via a standalone lamp or would a wall light be something you should consider?

Maybe just one light fitting in the ceiling will be enough, but do you need a fitting that can point the light in different directions to light up the full room?

What about ceiling height? If your ceilings are low then often spotlights are seen as the answer but in our experience, they’re often poorly fitted and end up hanging out of the ceiling after the first time you’ve had to change the bulb. Maybe a combination of wall lights and lamps would be a better alternative.

To dim or not to dim? That is the question

I’m definitely not a dimming kind of person, I much prefer to create mood lighting with the use of lamps. But I know that’s not the same for everybody. Make sure you think about whether you will want to dim the lights in your living areas and bedrooms particularly. And think about where it is that you think you’ll be wanting to switch the lights on and off. It might mean you need a 2-way switch in some areas. For example, you might want a switch for your bedroom light by the door and by the bed.

However you decide to light your home, make sure you’ve had plenty of time to think about it before you’re put on the spot by the electrician. There’s nothing worse than being forced into deciding on something quickly and regretting those decisions later.

If you are thinking about renovating your home, or in the middle of a project, and want some help to think about your electrics or plumbing, do get in touch with us at here. And don't forget to follow us via Instagram, Facebook and our upcoming blogs.