Kitchen rewires in Sawbridgeworth – what homeowners should consider

At EJB Electrical, kitchen electrical work can cost around £1,500–£3,000 depending on the size of the kitchen and how much needs changing. We recently worked on a 1960s detached family home on The Crest, Sawbridgeworth where the kitchen was getting a completely new layout, including a central island with the hob and extractor above it.

Does a new kitchen mean you need new electrics?

Not always. If your home’s wiring is relatively modern and in good condition, there may be no reason to have a full kitchen rewire. But when you’re changing the layout, you’ll probably need some of the electrical work moved around to suit it.

That’s exactly what was happening at the home on The Crest. The house had actually been fully rewired, including a new fuse board, around 10 years ago, so the existing electrical installation wasn’t particularly old.

The kitchen, however, was about to look completely different. The old layout was being ripped out and replaced, so it made sense to look at the electrics at the same time rather than trying to make the new kitchen work around where the old sockets and supplies happened to be.

Plan kitchen electrics before the work starts

It might not sound exciting, but knowing where everything is going before the kitchen is fitted can save you a lot of hassle later.
Where will the kettle go? What about the coffee machine? Where’s the dishwasher going? Do you want lighting underneath the wall units? Then you’ve got the bigger appliances to think about too.

Once the worktops and cupboards are fitted, moving things around becomes much more difficult.

Kitchen islands are a big one. They’re great for extra worktop space and somewhere for everyone to gather, but putting appliances in the middle of the room means the electrics need a bit more thought.

At The Crest, the new kitchen was having the hob positioned on the central island, with an extractor above it. That meant we needed to make sure the electrical supply for the hob and extractor was properly planned around the new layout. It’s much easier to sort this out while the kitchen is being installed than trying to work it out afterwards.

When you’re planning your dream kitchen, it’s easy to concentrate on the units, worktops and appliances and forget about the things you’ll actually use every day.

Sockets are a good example. You may want several around the worktops for smaller appliances, as well as dedicated supplies for your fridge, freezer, dishwasher and other appliances. You might also want USB charging points, under-cabinet lighting or additional switches.

Have a think about how you actually use your kitchen. If you always have three appliances plugged into one socket, now is the perfect time to change that.

Do you need a full rewire?

Despite the title, not every kitchen renovation needs a complete rewire. For the homeowners on The Crest, the house had already been rewired around 10 years ago, so there was no need to start again from scratch.

Instead, we could work with the existing installation and make the necessary changes to suit the new kitchen. That’s an important point because you don’t want to spend money replacing perfectly good electrical work when you don’t need to. At the same time, you don’t want to cut corners and end up with sockets and supplies that don’t suit your new kitchen.

For anyone considering kitchen rewires in Sawbridgeworth, we’d always recommend getting an electrician involved before the kitchen installation gets underway. It gives everyone a chance to work out what needs doing and where.

At EJB Electrical, we’re happy to have a chat about your plans, look at your existing electrics and explain what we think you’ll need.

If you’re planning kitchen rewires in Sawbridgeworth, contact EJB Electrical today by phone on 01279 939600 or via our contact form. We’d be happy to talk through your plans.