Typical timescales
For the electrical work alone, a small flat might take three to five working days. A typical three-bedroom house often takes somewhere around one to two weeks. Larger or more complicated homes can take longer.
Then there's making good – plastering and finishing walls and ceilings – which is usually a separate job afterwards.
The two stages
First fix is the messy bit: lifting floorboards, cutting channels, running new cables and fitting back boxes. That's where most of the time goes. After the walls are plastered, the electrician comes back for second fix – fitting sockets, switches, lights and the consumer unit, then testing and certifying everything.
The gap between the two depends on your plasterer, so it's worth lining them up early.
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What slows things down
- Living in the house while the work goes on
- Solid floors, stone walls or concrete ceilings
- Lots of extra points, lighting circuits or smart controls
- Changes of mind halfway through
- Faults or surprises found under floors – it happens
- Waiting for other trades
Planning tips
Agree a schedule with your electrician before they start, including which rooms will be done when and when you'll be without power. Ask whether they'll restore temporary power each evening – most do for occupied homes.
