ᐅ Installing electrical wiring yourself?

Steven schrieb:

Hello

In my house, I installed 4,500 meters (14,764 feet) of wiring myself (electricity, alarm system, telephone, etc.). I chiseled all the channels myself, ran a lot of cables under the suspended ceiling, laid empty conduits in the basement ceiling, and pulled cables through. It took me about three months after work and on weekends (not continuously, as I also worked on other things during that time). For example, I have 64 sockets in my workshop, plus one socket and a switch for three-phase power. I planned everything myself because I know better where I need electrical connections than the electrician does.
OK, you do need a certified electrician to approve the work. But it saves a huge amount of money.

Steven

I also did almost everything myself and laid about 4.5 km (2.8 miles) of cable in total.
Planning and effort are not trivial. Like Steven, it took me about three months.
You should have an electrician on hand to answer ongoing questions, otherwise it gets complicated.
You definitely save a lot of money. I would do it again because during this time you keep coming up with new ideas that you implement as you go.

The general sequence of the process was roughly:
1. Planning phase.
The most important phase!
Furniture layout must be drawn into the final floor plan first, and only then do you plan the sockets, lighting, network, etc.
Just putting a double socket in every corner is not the right approach.
Sure, to be safe, you can add a few extra double sockets here and there.
But I believe most sockets should be positioned very specifically.
Even an electrician can’t really help with that.
I measured and labeled every socket, switch, lighting outlet, etc. on the floor plan and printed it for the construction site. Still, I made some corrections on site.

2. Created a complete materials list for the entire electrical installation (cables, switches, network cabinet, distribution board with all necessary components, satellite system, etc.). So, the entire electrical system.
Here I had support from my electrician. Otherwise, I would have been lost.

3. Requested quotes from several online suppliers.
Price differences were up to 30% just here.

4. Drew the ground floor layout.

5. Cut and chiseled the boxes, chased out the channels, and drilled holes.

6. - Pulled cables over the precast concrete floor for the ground floor
- Pulled cables over the precast concrete floor for outdoor lighting, awning control, network, etc.
- From above the ground floor for a few outdoor sockets we had forgotten and for the garden shed.

7. Installed flush-mounted boxes and secured the cables.

Then there was a break until the upper floor was fully built.

8. Same process as the ground floor, except you have to pull the cables along the floor and ceiling.
The workload was less, but more time-consuming because the cables had to be pulled and fixed on both the floor and ceiling.

8.1. Did the attic wiring in parallel with the upper floor (sockets, lighting, satellite, network, solar, etc.).
A small tip: as long as the exterior scaffolding is still up, consider mounting the satellite dish and aligning it with a satellite finder, installing a weather station if it is roof-mounted, cameras, or roof overhang lighting.

9. Pulled cables in the double garage and workshop (these were only fully built and roofed later).

Currently, the plastering has just been completed.
The next tasks are to install and wire the distribution board and network cabinet (this will be done by my electrician, so I won’t be involved there).
Then installing and wiring sockets, switches, etc.

I hope this was helpful.

AMNE3IA schrieb:

I also did almost everything myself and pulled about 4.5km (3 miles) of cable in total.
The planning and effort are not insignificant. Like Steven, it took me around 3 months.
It’s important to have an electrician on hand who can answer ongoing questions,
otherwise it gets difficult. You definitely save a lot. I would do it again anytime,
because during that time you get more ideas that you implement gradually.

The general sequence was roughly as follows:
1. Planning phase.
The most important phase of all!
Furniture layout has to be drawn on the final floor plan, and only then do you plan sockets,
lighting, networking, etc.
Simply putting a double socket in every corner is not the right approach.
Of course, you can add a double socket here and there just to be safe.
But I think most sockets should be positioned quite individually.
Even the electrician won’t be able to help much with that.
I measured and labeled each socket, switch, light outlet, etc. on the floor plan and printed it out for the site.
Still, I made some adjustments on site here and there.

2. Created a material list for the entire electrical installation (cables, switches, network cabinet, distribution board (including related components), satellite system, etc. – the complete electrical installation).
I had help from my electrician here. Otherwise, I would have been lost.

3. Requested quotes from several online suppliers.
There were price differences of up to 30% just here.

4. Marked out the ground floor.

5. Installed flush-mounted boxes, chased walls, chiseled, and drilled holes.

6. - Pulled cables through the concrete slab for the ground floor
- Pulled cables through the slab for outdoor lighting, awning control, network, etc.
- Ran cables from the ground floor to the outside only for a few sockets we forgot and for the garden shed.

7. Installed flush boxes and fixed cables.

Then there was a pause until the upper floor was finished with masonry.

8. The same process as on the ground floor, only this time the cables had to be pulled along the floor and ceiling.
While the workload was less, it was more time-consuming because the cables had to be pulled and secured on the floor and ceiling.

8.1. Did the attic in parallel with the upper floor (sockets, lighting, satellite, network, solar, etc.).
A small tip: as long as the exterior scaffolding is still up, I would recommend mounting, for example, the satellite dish and aligning it with a satellite finder, installing a weather station if it’s on the roof, setting up cameras, or installing downlights under the roof overhang.

9. Pulled cables for the double garage and workshop (these were only finished with masonry and roof later).

Currently, we have fresh plaster.
The next steps are installing and wiring the distribution board and network cabinet (this will be done by my electrician, I won’t be involved here).
Then installing and wiring sockets, switches, etc.

I hope this helps a bit.

Thanks for the detailed description.
- Can you estimate how much time you spent on the preparations, especially for chipping the wall openings?
- How large is your house?
- Did you approach electricians directly and explain what you wanted to do, or how did you find your electrician?

Best regards and thanks again

Christian144 schrieb:

Thank you for the detailed description.
- Can you estimate how much time you spent on the preparations, specifically for chiseling out the wall openings?
- How large is your house?
- Did you approach the electrician directly and explain what you were planning, or how did you find your electrician?

Regards and thanks again

- Once everything is marked, one working day per floor should be enough (at most 2 days). The ground floor might take a bit longer. Marking took me longer, depending on how precise you are and what type of masonry you have.

- The house is 190 square meters (2,045 square feet) in size.
- A close friend of mine is a certified electrician. He helped me out.

Christian144 schrieb:

for chiseling the wall cutouts?

Hello Christian,

definitely borrow or buy a wall chaser and two good diamond blades.
Whether to borrow or buy depends on your available time. If you can only occasionally cut grooves, it’s advisable to purchase a (good) brand-name wall chaser. You can usually resell it well afterward.

Steven

I only asked because we will be using a timber frame construction method, which means that chiseling as a preparation step is not necessary, and only the execution within the walls needs to be carried out.