Short answer
There are two moments. The first is the first fix, when the walls are open and channels can still be cut and cables pulled. The second is the second fix, when everything has been plastered and painted. In between comes the work of the plasterer and the painter. Call well ahead of the first moment, because the layout of the cable runs determines what is possible later.
Who this article is for Anyone about to renovate. This is the article you had best read before anything is demolished.
Two moments, and they are far apart
The first fix. The walls are open or not yet closed. This is when conduits, cables and flush boxes go in. It determines where sockets, switches and light points can go later, and so also what will no longer be possible.
The second fix. The walls are plastered and painted, the floor is down. Now it is the turn of the sockets, switches, light fittings and the consumer unit.
There are often weeks or months in between. Both moments need to be in the schedule, and the first is the most important.
What needs to be decided beforehand
Before the first fix I want to know:
Laying a network cable or an empty conduit now is the cheapest decision of the whole renovation.
- where the kitchen goes and which appliances go in it, including hob and oven
- what goes where in the bathroom: shower, bath, mirror cabinet, underfloor heating
- whether there will be outdoor lighting, and where the cable then needs to go
- whether there will be an EV charger or solar panels, even if that is two years away
- where the wifi and network need to go, because you can run a network cable now for almost nothing
People consistently forget that last one. A cable to the loft or the shed is fifteen minutes of work now, and half a day of chasing walls later.
The order in a renovation
- Demolition
- Shell and structural work
- Electrics, plumbing and heating: first fix
- Walls closed, plasterer
- Floor, tiling, painting
- Kitchen and bathroom fitted
- Electrics: second fix and connecting
- Handover and testing
A kitchen fitted before the electrical first fix is in is the classic sequencing mistake.
The meter cupboard has a say too
A renovation almost always means more circuits: a kitchen with induction and an oven, a bathroom with underfloor heating, an extension with its own lighting. Does that still fit in the existing consumer unit?
A renovation is often the natural moment to renew the consumer unit, because the walls are open anyway. What that involves is explained in consumer unit replacement and how many circuits.
What it costs if you are too late
Not so much my hours, but the consequences: chasing into new plaster, having it replastered, waiting for the painter, and a kitchen that can only be connected a week later. That adds up faster than the extra work itself.
Half an hour of thinking it through at the start costs nothing and saves all of that. I would rather come and look an extra time than have to repair afterwards what went wrong in the planning.
From my own work
During a renovation in Beek the kitchen had already been ordered and the tiler booked when I got the call. The hob was going in a different place from the old one, and there was no power circuit. A freshly plastered wall still had to be chased. Two days of delay and an angry plasterer. A phone call three weeks earlier would have prevented that.
When to call an electrician
- You have a renovation planned and do not yet know what electrical work is needed
- The kitchen or bathroom has been ordered but the cabling is not in yet
- You want to know whether the meter cupboard can handle the new plan
Better to call too early than too late, even if it is just to think it through together. +31 43 204 18 26 or request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
When should I call the electrician for a renovation?
As soon as the plan is ready, so well before any demolition. The first fix happens while the walls are open, and anything left out then means chasing walls later.
Does the electrician come twice?
Yes, two set moments: the first fix when the walls are open and the second fix when everything has been plastered and painted.
What if the kitchen has already been ordered?
Then I want to see the appliance list straight away. The hob in particular determines whether the connection can handle it, and upgrading takes weeks.
Further reading
What does an electrician cost in 2026? Hourly rate and call-out charge explained
Hourly rate, call-out charge, material margin and VAT, without beating about the bush. Including what I charge myself and why a fixed call-out charge is fairer.
Electrics in the bathroom: what is allowed where
The bathroom is divided into zones. For each zone the standard sets what may be installed and how well it must be protected.
Electrics in a new kitchen: which circuits and where
A modern kitchen easily has four to six circuits. Induction almost always needs its own power circuit.
Questions and comments
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