Electrical, Plumbing & Gas Under One Point of Contact
Vetted electricians, plumbers and gas engineers sequenced into your build by us, specialist trades done by specialists, with one programme and one number to ring. Free site visit and quote.
Specialist trades belong with specialists, the coordination belongs with us
Electrics, plumbing, heating and gas are regulated, certificated trades, and they should be carried out by people who do them all day. What usually goes wrong is not the trade work itself; it is the coordination. Cables routed after the joists were boarded, pipework notched through a joist where it should not be, sanitaryware fixed to plasterboard with no noggin behind it, a boiler position agreed too late to run the flue sensibly.
We bring in vetted, trusted electricians, plumbers and gas engineers we work with regularly, and we manage them inside our own programme. They arrive when the building is genuinely ready for them, they get the wall and floor structure they need, and their work is sequenced against carpentry, plasterboard and second fix rather than squeezed in around it.
For you that means one point of contact, Calum - for the whole build, including the specialist trades. You are not holding three separate contracts and trying to work out whose turn it is on site.
What's included
Subcontracted electricians
Subcontracted plumbers and gas engineers
Coordinated first and second fix
Sequenced around the build programme
Single point of contact throughout
Who it's for
Self-builders and homeowners who do not want to appoint trades individually
Extension and refurbishment clients needing services extended or renewed
Developers needing services coordinated across plots
Landlords needing work carried out to a lettable standard between tenancies
Anyone who has been left coordinating trades that will not turn up in order
When it's needed
A new build or extension has reached first fix stage
A refurbishment needs rewiring, replumbing or heating renewal
A kitchen, bathroom or utility reconfiguration needs services moved
A boiler, heating system or consumer unit needs replacing as part of wider work
Services need to be coordinated with structural and carpentry work
Why It Matters
What uncoordinated services cost
Structural timber cut in the wrong places
Joists over-notched or drilled outside permitted zones to get a pipe or cable through lose a large part of their strength. It is one of the most common defects on self-managed builds, and it is nearly always a sequencing failure.
Work opened back up
Plasterboard fixed before first fix is complete, or a socket position agreed after the wall is skimmed, means cutting into finished work. Every one of those is an avoidable cost with a visible repair.
Nothing to fix fittings to
Wall-hung basins, radiators, cisterns and kitchen units fixed into board because no noggin was fitted at first fix work loose, and the failure usually involves water.
Trades waiting on each other
Separately appointed specialists will not sit and wait. Miss their slot and they move to the next job, and your programme loses weeks for a day's work.
Missing certificates and sign-off
Electrical and gas work needs the appropriate certification, and building control wants evidence. Work carried out by whoever was cheapest, with no paperwork, is a problem at sale, at letting and at insurance renewal.
Boiler and service positions that force compromises
Decided late, a boiler, meter or soil stack position dictates flue routes, pipe runs and boxing that you then live with. Decided at design stage, it costs nothing.
Common mistakes we're asked to put right
Letting each trade route services wherever is easiest for them
Boarding and plastering before first fix has been checked
Leaving kitchen and bathroom layouts undecided at first fix stage
Appointing specialist trades separately and self-managing the sequence
Not obtaining or keeping the certificates for notifiable work
Deciding boiler, consumer unit and stack positions after the structure is built
Our Process
How the job runs, step by step
Every job follows the same order, so you always know what has happened and what comes next.
Step 1
Free site visit and requirements discussed
We go through what the building needs: power, lighting, heating, hot water, drainage points and appliance positions - and identify the decisions that have to be made before first fix.
Step 2
Scope and price agreed
Specialist trade work is included in the overall scope and priced with the rest of the job, fixed or cost-plus, with stage payments and no deposit normally required.
Step 3
Design and layout decisions locked in
Socket, switch, lighting, radiator, sanitaryware and appliance positions confirmed with you and marked on site, along with boiler, consumer unit and stack positions.
Step 4
First fix coordinated with carpentry
Electricians and plumbers work alongside our carpenters, so cable and pipe routes stay within permitted notching and drilling zones, service voids are formed, and noggins and grounds are fitted for fittings.
Step 5
First fix checked before covering
Runs, positions and fixings inspected against the agreed layout before insulation and plasterboard go on. Anything wrong is corrected while it is still open.
Step 6
Second fix and commissioning
After plastering, second fix electrics, plumbing, sanitaryware and heating are installed, then systems are tested, commissioned and certificated by the appropriate trade.
Step 7
Sign-off, paperwork and handover
Certificates collected and passed to you, building control satisfied on notifiable work, and everything handed over as part of the completed build.
What You Get
The difference this makes on your electrical & plumbing job
One number for the whole build
Calum manages the specialist trades along with everything else, so you are not coordinating three separate contracts.
Structure protected
Because our own carpenters and the specialist trades work to one programme, joists are notched and drilled within permitted zones only.
Trades arrive when the site is ready
First and second fix are sequenced against carpentry, plasterboard and finishes, so nobody turns up to a building that is not ready and disappears again.
Fixings in place before boarding
Noggins and grounds for radiators, wall-hung sanitaryware, cisterns and kitchen units fitted at first fix, not improvised later.
Positions agreed with you, not assumed
Sockets, switches, lighting, radiators and appliance points are marked out and confirmed before anything is buried.
Certificated work and paperwork you keep
Specialist work is carried out and certificated by the appropriate trade, and the certificates are handed to you for sale, letting and insurance purposes.
Trades we actually know
Vetted subcontractors we use regularly, so their standard of work and reliability is known rather than hoped for.
Fully insured main contractor
£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability and Contractors' All Risks cover on the contract works, with SMSTS-certificated site management.
In Detail
Electrical, plumbing and gas coordination in detail
How the arrangement works
We are a building contractor, not an electrical or gas company. Electrics, plumbing, heating and gas are carried out by vetted, trusted subcontractors we work with regularly, all under Calum's project management. They are appointed by us, sequenced by us and managed by us, and their work is inspected as part of the build. You deal with one contractor and receive the appropriate certificates for the work at the end. Being straight about that structure matters; you should know exactly who is doing what on your property.
Electrical work within a build
Typical scope on a new build, extension or refurbishment covers consumer unit position and supply arrangements, circuits for power, lighting, cooking and heating, socket and switch layouts, external and garden power, smoke and heat alarm provision, and data and TV cabling where wanted. The decisions that have to be made early are position-based: where the consumer unit sits, where the meter and incoming supply come in, and how the kitchen will be laid out, because that dictates first fix. Certification and any notifiable-work paperwork is provided by the electrician carrying out the work.
Plumbing, heating and hot water
Plumbing first fix covers hot and cold distribution, waste runs to the drainage we have installed, heating pipework, and provision for appliances. Second fix is sanitaryware, taps, radiators, cylinders and the connections. Heating and hot water strategy: boiler type and position, cylinder location, radiator sizing or underfloor heating layout - is worth settling early, because underfloor heating in particular has to be agreed before the floor build-up is poured, and flue routes constrain boiler positions. Gas work is carried out and certificated by a qualified gas engineer.
Sequencing and the interface with our own trades
The value we add is in the joins:
Service routes agreed with our carpenters so notching and drilling stay within permitted zones
Service voids and boxing planned at first fix rather than improvised at second
Noggins and grounds fitted for radiators, wall-hung sanitaryware, cisterns, rails and units
Waste and soil connections tied into the drainage we installed at ground stage
Duct routes for incoming services laid while the ground was still open
First fix inspected and signed off before insulation and plasterboard
Second fix sequenced after plastering and decoration so finishes are not damaged
Kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms
These rooms carry the most services in the smallest space, and they are where late decisions cost the most. Appliance positions, sink and waste locations, extract routes, wall-hung fittings and lighting all need deciding before first fix. We mark out the layout on site with you where it helps, so you can see where sockets and taps will actually be rather than reading it off a plan. Waterproofing behind wet areas, adequate extract ventilation and correct fall on waste runs are all detailed as part of the build rather than left to whoever fits the suite.
Refurbishment and rewiring existing properties
In older properties the work is as much about what comes out as what goes in: redundant circuits, old pipework, dead flues, previous poor alterations. On a rewire or replumb the disruption is significant, so it is sequenced with the plastering and decorating that follow: chasing walls, lifting floors and boxing services is builder's work as much as trade work, which is exactly why coordinating it under one contractor saves money. We make good properly afterwards rather than leaving a plasterer to deal with somebody else's chases.
Certificates, building control and evidence
Notifiable electrical and gas work needs the appropriate certification, and building control wants evidence of it on projects it is inspecting. We collect the certificates from the trades and pass them to you, because they are documents you will be asked for when you sell, remortgage, let the property or renew insurance. On notifiable building work we book, attend and clear the building control inspections as part of the overall project.
What we do not do
We do not present ourselves as electricians, plumbers or gas engineers, and we would not carry out that work with our own labour. If you only need an electrician or only need a plumber, with no building work involved, you are better off going straight to one, and we will say so. Where this service earns its place is when specialist trades have to be woven into structural, carpentry and finishing work on the same programme, which is where most self-managed projects lose time and money.
FAQs
Electrical & Plumbing questions we get asked most
If your question isn't here, ring Calum and ask, a straight answer costs nothing.
Do you employ your own electricians and plumbers?
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No, and we are straight about that. Electrics, plumbing, heating and gas are carried out by vetted, trusted subcontractors we use regularly, appointed and managed by us under Calum's project management. You get one point of contact and the appropriate certificates from the trade that did the work.
Can I use my own electrician or plumber instead?
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Yes, plenty of clients do. We will coordinate them into the programme in the same way, though we can only manage their sequence, not the standard of their work. If you have someone you trust, that is often a sensible arrangement.
Will I get certificates for the electrical and gas work?
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Yes. Certification is issued by the trade carrying out the work, and we collect it and pass it to you. Keep it; it is the evidence your solicitor, letting agent or insurer will ask for.
How is this work priced?
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The specialist trades are included in the overall scope and price for your project, quoted fixed or cost-plus alongside the rest of the work. Stage payments against completed work, and no deposit is normally required.
When do I need to decide sockets, radiators and bathroom layouts?
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Before first fix, which is earlier than most people expect. Once cables and pipes are in and boarding starts, changes mean cutting into finished work. We mark layouts out on site with you where it helps so you are deciding from what you can see rather than from a plan.
Can you install underfloor heating?
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Yes, via our heating subcontractors, but it has to be agreed before the floor build-up is poured, because insulation, pipe layout and slab or screed thickness all depend on it. Deciding late is the one thing that makes underfloor heating expensive.
Can you rewire and replumb a whole house?
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Yes, as part of a refurbishment. It is disruptive work, so it is sequenced with the chasing, lifting, boxing, plastering and decorating that go with it, which is exactly the coordination that costs people money when trades are appointed separately.
Do you replace boilers and consumer units?
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Yes, through the appropriate qualified trades, normally as part of wider building or refurbishment work. If a boiler swap or consumer unit change is all you need, with no building work involved, you are better off going straight to a specialist and we will tell you so.
Who is responsible if something goes wrong with the specialist work?
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You deal with us. We appointed and managed the subcontractor, so it comes back to Calum rather than you having to chase a trade you never appointed. Our own work is covered by £5m public liability and £10m employers' liability insurance.
Which areas do you cover?
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All of Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter, from our base at Horningtops just outside Liskeard: including Liskeard, Callington, Menheniot, Dobwalls, St Ive, Looe, Saltash, Torpoint, Bodmin, Launceston, Fowey, St Austell and Tavistock.
Related Work
Services that usually go with this one
Most jobs cross more than one trade. Taking them together keeps the programme and the price tighter.
Get a free electrical & plumbing quote from someone who's walked the ground
Calum will come out, look at the site and give you a straight price: fixed, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job. No deposit normally required, and stage payments as work is completed.
Send us the details and Calum will come out, look at the ground and give you a straight, free quote: fixed price, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job.
