Cost of replacing a boiler and rewiring?
Discussion
We will be completing on a 3 bed detached property in which the surveyor has flagged up the gas fired central heating boiler and the electrics as something which would need to be changed during our ownership of the property. I'd need some idea on timescales for the work as we may get it done before we move in?
He states that the boiler has not been replaced since the house was built circa 1970. Also advised us that the 7 radiators should be replaced to the more efficient slimline radiators. He's estimated that the cost will be around £2k to £2.5k to do the work.
Also the electric wiring needs to be redone and the fuse box upgraded to an RCD unit and ideally should be compliant with current 17th Edition regulations. All this is double Dutch to me but the main thing is his estimated cost of £3.5 to £4k.
Can I ask you guys what to look out for when selecting a new boiler? Any recommended brands. And what should I specify with the electrician when it come to rewiring?
How long should it take to do the 2 jobs and can they be done simultaneously? We want to be in the property asap but I don't fancy living there whilst the electric and heating might be off so we may stay in a hotel for a bit before we move in. Fortunately we've managed to negotiate £5k off our original accepted offer as a result of what the surveyor has flagged up but it's the first time I've ever had to carry out work like this.
Any advice appreciated
He states that the boiler has not been replaced since the house was built circa 1970. Also advised us that the 7 radiators should be replaced to the more efficient slimline radiators. He's estimated that the cost will be around £2k to £2.5k to do the work.
Also the electric wiring needs to be redone and the fuse box upgraded to an RCD unit and ideally should be compliant with current 17th Edition regulations. All this is double Dutch to me but the main thing is his estimated cost of £3.5 to £4k.
Can I ask you guys what to look out for when selecting a new boiler? Any recommended brands. And what should I specify with the electrician when it come to rewiring?
How long should it take to do the 2 jobs and can they be done simultaneously? We want to be in the property asap but I don't fancy living there whilst the electric and heating might be off so we may stay in a hotel for a bit before we move in. Fortunately we've managed to negotiate £5k off our original accepted offer as a result of what the surveyor has flagged up but it's the first time I've ever had to carry out work like this.
Any advice appreciated
The price for the boiler etc seems about right. You should be looking around the 3k mark for the rewire. Think carefully before doing any work , are you planning on extending etc. improving kitchen etc as it will work out cheaper in the long run to get sockets run in now rather than later.
I would advise waiting before moving everything thing in as it wil be easiler for the trades to do their jobs
Where you based?
I would advise waiting before moving everything thing in as it wil be easiler for the trades to do their jobs
Where you based?
We've just had 7 rads replaced from the old 80s behemoths along with 2 new ones plumbed in (so 9 in total) with the relevant pipework fed round. Total cost was £1550, took 2 guys 2 1/2 days to do, what seems like a quick job is soon complicated by old rad sizes (pipework has to be adjusted to fit), difficult to get to pipework etc. Our boiler also probably has about 5 years of life left in it and we were quoted circa 2k for a boiler swap (not a combi) by the 3 different companies who came to price up. We also had our rad done start of Feb when it was minus figures - an open fire and a couple of electric fan heaters were our saviours.
homeimprovements said:
The price for the boiler etc seems about right. You should be looking around the 3k mark for the rewire. Think carefully before doing any work , are you planning on extending etc. improving kitchen etc as it will work out cheaper in the long run to get sockets run in now rather than later.
Your user name suggests that you should know, but I think they may be Lincolnshire prices!I reckon the price stated by the OP for the CH change is too low, especially if he's thinking of having a combi, and his price for the rewire is about right for a reasonable but fairly basic installation.
The jobs could be done together and would save multiple floor board removals etc, but they may not like falling over each other.
Edited by Deva Link on Friday 1st April 17:45
All of those prices seem very cheap to me.
We had an electrician in to quote for what we thought was a rewire. On closer inspection he said the wiring and the fusebox was all new, so a rewire was not required. He still wanted £3.5k to add new sockets & lights to a shell of a house that is due to be completely reboarded & plastered. The plumber wants 3 times that to redo the central heating!
We had an electrician in to quote for what we thought was a rewire. On closer inspection he said the wiring and the fusebox was all new, so a rewire was not required. He still wanted £3.5k to add new sockets & lights to a shell of a house that is due to be completely reboarded & plastered. The plumber wants 3 times that to redo the central heating!
Webber3 said:
All of those prices seem very cheap to me.
We had an electrician in to quote for what we thought was a rewire. On closer inspection he said the wiring and the fusebox was all new, so a rewire was not required. He still wanted £3.5k to add new sockets & lights to a shell of a house that is due to be completely reboarded & plastered. The plumber wants 3 times that to redo the central heating!
Did you have your Porsche parked outside when these people came round to quote? We had an electrician in to quote for what we thought was a rewire. On closer inspection he said the wiring and the fusebox was all new, so a rewire was not required. He still wanted £3.5k to add new sockets & lights to a shell of a house that is due to be completely reboarded & plastered. The plumber wants 3 times that to redo the central heating!
Plenty of local companies advertise coplete CH installs for a couple of grand. OK, it'd be more fpr a bigger place, but £10K or so is bonkers.
I would move in and live with the kit you have for a bit. I have a seventies set up. the boiler has been very reliable over the last eight years (req a new gas valve @ £170)
The plumber was v impressed with the lack of carbon monoxide it produced (none)
The beauty of it is the simplicity modern boilers have a terrible reliability reputation.
As the man said "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
The plumber was v impressed with the lack of carbon monoxide it produced (none)
The beauty of it is the simplicity modern boilers have a terrible reliability reputation.
As the man said "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
Deva Link said:
Did you have your Porsche parked outside when these people came round to quote?
Plenty of local companies advertise coplete CH installs for a couple of grand. OK, it'd be more fpr a bigger place, but £10K or so is bonkers.
I did have, but this is a refurb project, not my own house. I made it clear that the prices needed to be keen if we were to make any profit, yet we're still getting these crazy quotes. To be fair though it is an unvented CH system that's required. Plenty of local companies advertise coplete CH installs for a couple of grand. OK, it'd be more fpr a bigger place, but £10K or so is bonkers.
One guy even tried to sell me some kind of air source heat pump. Apparently It pays for itself in 10 years!
When asked by clients I suggest about £3k for a boiler swap which includes a bit of sodding around with flues and valves. Replacing rads etc would be on top.
Don't do muchresidential stuff so I'm a bit out of it when it comes to rewire jobs but if it helps it is very easy to underestimate the cost of electrical work on commercial buildings.
What a sparky gang of 2 going to cost a day £600 I suppose, plus materials. Don't take long to get a big number for a weeks work does it?
Don't do muchresidential stuff so I'm a bit out of it when it comes to rewire jobs but if it helps it is very easy to underestimate the cost of electrical work on commercial buildings.
What a sparky gang of 2 going to cost a day £600 I suppose, plus materials. Don't take long to get a big number for a weeks work does it?
ATV said:
Also the electric wiring needs to be redone and the fuse box upgraded to an RCD unit and ideally should be compliant with current 17th Edition regulations. All this is double Dutch to me but the main thing is his estimated cost of £3.5 to £4k.
A current-spec fusebox is about £100. Plus fitting. The paperwork will most probably cost more than the fitting.Unless you're buying a house that's been DIY'd to death for 40 years, there can't be much else wrong with the wiring that a bit of extra earthing/bonding won't fix. I'd be 'shocked' if it really needs a complete rewire.
I dont see how it could take weeks to rewire a house when my dad, m8(sparky) and i did my whole house in a long weekend. This included channeling new sockets and all new light fittings. To be fair the house was a shell at the time with the boards lifted in preparation but still i can't understand it taking a few weeks.
Fergie87 said:
I dont see how it could take weeks to rewire a house when my dad, m8(sparky) and i did my whole house in a long weekend. This included channeling new sockets and all new light fittings. To be fair the house was a shell at the time with the boards lifted in preparation but still i can't understand it taking a few weeks.
Unless it's a big house, you must have taken it pretty easy! Mate of mine used to do council house refits and the wiring was done in a day.Deva Link said:
Fergie87 said:
I dont see how it could take weeks to rewire a house when my dad, m8(sparky) and i did my whole house in a long weekend. This included channeling new sockets and all new light fittings. To be fair the house was a shell at the time with the boards lifted in preparation but still i can't understand it taking a few weeks.
Unless it's a big house, you must have taken it pretty easy! Mate of mine used to do council house refits and the wiring was done in a day.
Deva Link said:
Unless it's a big house, you must have taken it pretty easy! Mate of mine used to do council house refits and the wiring was done in a day.
I spend large amounts of time putting 1 day rewires right...you get it done correctly or quickly, you very rarely get both.For a normal sized, 3 bedroom house, 2 or 3 days is reasonable with clear access.
Oh I know that. Based simply on experience of costs that I have seen.
Bear in mind though that the bare cost of the boiler is only half the battle. Adapting and fitting can take a lot of sodding around and I did say that my figure includes for that. I do accept though that the cost can be less, but not very often.
Bear in mind though that the bare cost of the boiler is only half the battle. Adapting and fitting can take a lot of sodding around and I did say that my figure includes for that. I do accept though that the cost can be less, but not very often.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff