Electrical work
New installations, extensions and repairs. Replacing fuse boxes, running cables, adding outlets and lighting.
From adding a single outlet to completely rewiring a house. We work to the AREI, the Belgian electrical code, so your installation passes inspection without remarks.
An old panel with screw-in fuses is replaced with a modern electrical panel with RCDs (residual-current devices, the European counterpart of GFCI protection) and circuit breakers. That is often the first step in making a house from the seventies or eighties safe and compliant again.
When we finish, you receive the single-line diagram and the layout plan, together with the inspection report.
What we take care of
- Complete wiring for new builds and renovations
- Replacing an old fuse box with a compliant electrical panel
- Adding circuits: kitchen, bathroom, attic or garage
- Outlets, switches and lighting points
- Data cabling for internet, TV and Wi-Fi points
- Outdoor lighting, outdoor outlets and gate control
- Tracing and repairing faults
- Inspection and re-inspection, including clearing any remarks
From an old fuse box to a compliant electrical panel
Houses from before the nineties often still have a panel with screw-in fuses and a single RCD for the whole house. When something trips, the entire house loses power and you are left searching with a flashlight for the culprit.
We replace that box with an electrical panel in which every circuit gets its own breaker. Wet rooms and outlet circuits go behind a 30 mA RCD, the rest behind the main one. Every row is labeled, so you can see for yourself which circuit tripped.
This is usually the first step in a renovation: as long as the electrical panel isn't right, the rest of the installation won't pass inspection anyway.
Renovating without tearing everything open
Not every house needs to be stripped back completely. Where the existing conduits are still usable, we pull new cable through them. That saves on demolition, dust and replastering.
If the conduits are too narrow or missing, we cut new channels. We agree in advance which walls will be opened and which won't, so you know where you stand before a drill comes anywhere near.
Fault finding
An RCD that trips for no apparent reason almost always has a cause: moisture in an outdoor outlet, an old water heater, a cable damaged during building work. We test circuit by circuit until we find the leak.
You hear what it is and what it will cost to fix before we start. Sometimes it's just one outlet that needs replacing.
The electrical panel
The heart of your installation. Every circuit gets its own breaker, and wet rooms and outlet circuits go behind an RCD. We label everything, so if something trips you can see which circuit it was and the inspector doesn't have to go looking.
Inspection and handover
Every installation we put in is inspected by an accredited inspection body. We book the appointment and are there on inspection day.
You receive the single-line diagram, the layout plan and the inspection report. You will need all three when you sell your home; an installation without paperwork costs you time and bargaining room.
If the inspection does raise a remark, we resolve it and arrange the re-inspection.
Frequently asked questions: Electrical work
When does my electrical installation need to be inspected?
For a new installation, after a significant extension, and when a home is sold. There is also a periodic re-inspection. We arrange the inspection and make sure the single-line diagram and layout plan are ready, because without those two an inspector won't get far.
What does it cost to replace a fuse box?
That depends on the number of circuits, whether the existing conduits can be reused and whether the grounding is in order. We come and look and give one fixed price, inspection included. We don't replace an electrical panel without checking the installation behind it: otherwise you'd be buying a nice new box for an installation that still fails inspection.
My RCD keeps tripping. What's going on?
Almost always leakage current: moisture in an outdoor outlet, an old water heater or a cable damaged during building work. We test circuit by circuit until we find it, and tell you what it will cost to fix before we start. Sometimes it's a single outlet.
Do you have to open up every wall for a rewire?
Not necessarily. Where the existing conduits are still usable, we pull new cable through them. We only cut channels where conduits are missing or too narrow. We agree in advance which walls will be opened, so you know where you stand.
Do you charge 6% or 21% VAT?
For a home older than ten years, the reduced 6% rate generally applies; for new builds it is 21%. The rate that applies to you is stated on the quote, together with the condition it is based on.
Want to talk your project through?
Book an appointment at a time that suits you, or simply call. You'll get an honest answer about what's possible, what it costs and how long it takes.