Have very recently completed lighting works in the kitchen for a customer.  Supplying their own light fittings, 3 different styles of lighting have now shaped 3 areas of their large kitchen/dining space. 

Having had good access to the large area as room was empty of appliances and furniture which enabled me to chase sockets into the wall.  Fortunately a small trap was discovered under the floor so new circuits could be run under the floorboards and clipped to floor joists.  The void is 1-2 metres deeps so there is no risk of cables getting wet and easy access for the future. 

New circuits were added from the fusebox to accommodate the kitchen lighting and to run their appliances: oven, hob and dishwasher and fridge/freezer.

Customer has opted for contemporary lighting with 2 low voltage track lights in the main area of the kitchen.  Multi-coloured hanging lights [separately switched] were fitted above an area which will house an L-shaped work surface which will act as a divider between the kitchen and dining space.  The funky looking bright lights can be pushed up back into a cavity/bowl area, allowing the user to adjust the length of the lights as and when it suits them. 

Lighting in the lounge had already been installed on an earlier visit.  An additional supply was also fitted for a light in larder cupboard to be added at a later date.

We cannot wait to see the finished result! 

Recessed downlights are great to have installed in areas where you want a nice spread of light in room such as kitchens and large rooms. They are a perfect solution if you have low ceilings and don't want to hit your head on low hanging fittings.

If you are considering recessed downlights  in a room with beams you must have a void between the ceiling and the floor above.  This can be achieved either with a false ceiling in which the ceiling has been lowered below the height of the beams and covered with plasterboard OR having infills.  This is where the spaces between each beam are battened and plasterboarded leaving the bottom of the beams exposed, thus creating the necessary void for downlights.

Downlights must be installed correctly as even a low voltage or low wattage lamps get very hot in a short period of time.  When switched on a large amount of heat expels upwards and in a lot of cases can heat up the supply cable very quickly.  I have been to a few calls where the light has stopped working and found the transformer [12v] scorched and supply cables burnt.  The most common cause of this is due to insulation.  Where a downlight is fitted, it is recommended that a diameter of 500mm above the light is not insulated .  This will allow the heat to disperse safely.  Supply cables should be sheathed with a heat resistant sleeve. 

Next time you change a faulty lamp, make sure the light switch is off and check to see if the insulation is pushed away from the fitting above.  Not only will your lamps last a lot longer, but you will avoid overheating or a fire hazard.

The pictures below show cable that had been scorched.  Fortunately the cable was sheathed in a heat resistant cover, protecting the cable from serious damage. 

Installation of electrical cables and wiring in the UK is somewhat easier than France, when compared to work being carried out on the older traditional properties of rural Poitou Charente.  In the UK it is simpler because most houses are guaranteed to be straight brick or plasterboard.

Older rural properties in France tend to have cables in surface mounted conduit as the walls are very thick with un-even brick work and unknown material or consistency.  

British homeowners in France tend to want new wiring to be hidden within the wall rather than exposed trunking and with extremely thick and non plastered walls, exposed brick work  can be a challenge.  There are plenty of great trunking cases which allow me to run the cables neatly and I keep this line with skirtings and door edges wherever possible.   The other common resolution is to have a stud wall fitted so there is a cavity in which the cables can run and sockets and switches can be installed flush to the finished surface.

I am working at property at present where the client has requested some new additional wiring to cater for sockets and lighting and kitchen appliances, and has chosen the option of having cables and wires chased into the walls.  The pictures above show the chasing out of walls to allow me to run the cable through to sockets and light fittings.  Once finished the builders will be able to visit and make good the walls with plaster. 

Either finish is a matter of personal taste to the customer, but there are times when chasing a wall is impractical and well installed trunking finish is the best solution.  The advantage of trunking  is that cables can be added or changed easily at a later date.

The picture here shows a finish with external conduit and to be honest you will struggle to see it.  The customer was delighted as she asked where was it, and what an extremely tidy finish it was.