Does my 1930s semi in Oadby or Wigston need a new fuse box?
Not always, but it is worth checking. A lot of homes in Oadby and Wigston date from the 1930s and the years around it, and while many have been updated, some still have an older fuse box or parts of their original wiring.
The signs that a board may need replacing:
- Fuse wire or cartridge fuses
- Instead of modern switches that trip and reset.
- No RCD protection
- No test button, or an old board with no RCD at all.
- A wooden back or cracked casing
- Common on boards that have never been replaced.
- Scorch marks, buzzing or a warm board
- Get these looked at promptly.
Do I need a full rewire or just a new consumer unit?
It depends on the wiring behind the board. A new consumer unit only makes sense if the cables it feeds are in reasonable condition.
Testing the circuits shows which it is. If the board itself needs replacing, Norman will tell you plainly. If the testing shows the wiring itself is worn out, for example old rubber-insulated cable, we talk it through with you before anything else happens.
A full or partial rewire is priced after a survey visit, and can usually be planned room by room so the house stays liveable. A new consumer unit is usually part of a full rewire; your quote explains how that part is handled. All work follows the current Wiring Regulations (BS 7671, 18th Edition) and is notified to building control as the law requires.
Can you install an EV charger or outdoor lighting at a larger Oadby home?
Yes. Oadby has a good number of larger detached homes with driveways and long gardens, which suit a home charge point, outdoor lighting or power to a garden room.
For an EV charger we need photos of the fuse box, the meter and where the car parks. The charger must meet the smart charge point regulations, and we tell the network operator, National Grid Electricity Distribution, as required.
For gardens, we can run an armoured cable to a garden room or shed, fit outdoor sockets, and add lighting along paths or on the house wall. Long cable runs are often easier to price after a quick survey visit.
Do you work on student lets and rented homes in Oadby?
Yes. Alongside the University of Leicester's student accommodation in Oadby, there are private rented homes and some shared houses in the area, and we work for landlords and letting agents as well as owners.
The main legal points for private landlords in England: an EICR at least every five years, remedial work within 28 days (or less if the report says), and a smoke alarm on every storey. Shared houses can bring extra requirements, so check current guidance from Oadby and Wigston Borough Council. We price the jobs on your list as one fixed price and send photos when they're done.
Are South Wigston's terraced houses any different to work on?
In some ways, yes. South Wigston has many older terraced streets, and houses like these often have a bathroom or kitchen in a rear extension added years after the house was built.
That layout brings its own common jobs. Bathrooms at the back of a terrace can be prone to condensation, so a properly sized extractor fan helps keep mould down. Pipework that has been extended over the years can develop slow leaks under sinks or behind toilets. And with less wall space, people often want sockets moved or added.
These jobs cross electrical and plumbing, but they can go on one request and one visit, priced as one fixed price before we start.