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With more and more people working from home now and some just wanting that extra space, its no wonder people are turning to their gardens to have a garden office or summer house. But wait have you asked yourself the most important question how am i getting power to it. To get the most out of your garden office, mains-powered electricity is essential.

Things to consider before contacting your electrician.

There are a few things to consider before contacting your local electrician in Broxbourne. you will need to think about electronics you need to power. Will it always be an office or will it become a man cave / bar later down the line, or even a games room for the kids.

We will need to know the location of your switches and how many sockets you need. How much power you require will determine the size of the cable and whether an additional consumer unit is required. Make a list of all the things you will need to ‘plug in’, and don’t forget to include sockets for:

  • laptop/computer
  • phone/ipad charger
  • WiFi router
  • Smart TV
  • Amazon firesticks
  • smart speaker or radio
  • printer/scanner/copier
  • heating in the winter
  • fan in the summer

taking all these things into account, it’s a lot easier and more cost effective to fit additional sockets now, than realise too late that you haven’t got enough. Overloading extension leads is dangerous and could potentially cause an electrical fire.

What will need to be done?

We will need access the best way to get a power supply to your summer house. We will then need check a few other things.

  • Condition of the existing consumer unit, can it take an additional circuit or will you need a separate supply
  • Check the safety of the existing installation
  • Make a detailed plan of the new installation of the sockets, switches, lights and work out the power consumption to calculate the size of the cable needed.
  • Check the distance consumer unit in the house and the garden room to determine the cable size
  • Determine the best way to run the cable buried or clipped direct.

Once the above has all been discussed and agreed, traditionally we will run a steel wired armoured (SWA) cable it is designed for heavy-duty use and is typically buried underground where it is protected from accidental damage. However, you may choose to run the cable along a wall, if it is more efficient and cost effective.

With a variety of garden rooms available the construction is very dependant of the finish of installation. Some garden rooms are solid timber constructions, and these would either need to be surface mounted in conduit. We have the option of mounting this externally rather than having it on show inside so it’s more aesthetically pleasing. Alternatively, if you have a custom-built garden room all the cables can be concealed in the walls and ceilings. Planning is key to get the best possible result for your garden room.

If you need electrics for your garden room, give us a call today on 07742485307