Garage and garden room electrics in Bristol
A safe, certificated supply for garages, workshops, garden offices and sheds: armoured cable, a small consumer unit with RCD protection, lights and sockets where you need them, and an earthing arrangement tested and chosen on site.
TrustMark Trading Standards Approved
★★★★★ on Google
Free survey
Notified through NAPIT
What we fit in garages and garden rooms
From a light and a socket in the shed to a fully powered garden office.
Armoured supplies
Steel wire armoured cable from the house, sized for the load and the length of the run.
How garage supplies work →Garage consumer units
A small metal board with RCBO protection for every circuit in the outbuilding.
Consumer units →Lights and sockets
Bright, even light over the bench and sockets where you actually work, not one at the door.
Lighting →EV chargers
A dedicated charger circuit in the garage or on the drive, with the supply checked first.
EV chargers →Garden offices and studios
Power, lighting and heating circuits for a room you will use every day.
Outdoor electrics →Garage conversions
First and second fix wiring for a garage becoming a room, notified with the rest of the build.
New wiring →How a garage or garden room supply works
The first question is whether the building needs its own supply at all. The answer depends on what you will run out there, how far it is from the house and how the house is earthed, and we work it out with you at a free survey.
A spur, or its own board
An attached garage with a light and a couple of sockets can often run from a circuit in the house. A workshop with power tools, a garden office with a heater or a car charger needs more: a new circuit from the house board, in armoured cable, to a small consumer unit in the outbuilding, with its own protection for each circuit.
Armoured cable, buried or clipped
Steel wire armoured cable is made for the job. It is buried at a safe depth with warning tape above it, or clipped along a wall, and sized for the load and the distance so the voltage at the far end stays within limits.
Earthing, tested on site
Many Bristol homes have a PME earth provided by the network. Taking that earth out to a detached building is not always the safe choice, so an outbuilding may need its own earth rod, known as a TT arrangement. We test and decide on site, and record the arrangement on your certificate.
RCD protection on every circuit
Every circuit in a garage or garden room gets 30mA RCD protection, usually from RCBOs in the new board. With power tools on a concrete floor, it is the part of the job that matters most.
Building regulations and paperwork
A new circuit to an outbuilding is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. We are NAPIT registered, so we self-certify it: you get an electrical installation certificate, and the notification goes to building control through NAPIT, with no separate application for you to make. Keep the certificate: a buyer's solicitor will ask for it when you sell.
| What you want out there | What it usually needs |
|---|---|
| A shed with a light and a socket | A small circuit or a spur, RCD protected, with a certificate |
| A garden office with lights, sockets and a heater | A new armoured circuit, a small RCBO board and notification |
| A workshop with power tools | A supply sized for the tools, sockets at the bench and RCD protection throughout |
| A hot tub | A dedicated circuit sized for the tub, with an isolator and RCD protection |
| An EV charger in the garage | A dedicated charger circuit, with the house supply and board checked first |
Garage and garden room prices
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| New supply to a garage, workshop or garden room | Free survey, fixed written quote |
| Outdoor weatherproof double socket | £295 + VAT (£354 inc VAT) |
| Outdoor security light | from £180 + VAT (£216 inc VAT) |
| Extra socket or light point on the same visit | from £110 + VAT (£132 inc VAT) |
| EV charger in a garage or on a drive | from £780 + VAT including the charger, runs up to 10 metres |
A supply to an outbuilding depends on the distance, the ground the cable crosses, the load and how the house is earthed, so we survey first and fix the price in writing. Our guide to garage consumer units explains the parts and the typical costs.
Garages and garden rooms around Bristol
Plenty of the 1930s semis in Knowle, Headley Park and Hengrove, and the larger houses of Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop, have a garage beside or behind the house. Many were wired decades ago with a single light and a socket on an old cable, or not at all, and turning one into a workshop or a charging point means starting again with a proper supply.
Garden offices have become far more common since more people started working from home. The longer gardens of Bishopsworth, Stockwood and Long Ashton suit them well, and the question is always the same: how far from the house, what will run out there, and where the cable can go with the least disruption to the garden.
How we price: no surprises
Every job is different, so we look before we quote.
We check what's actually there before quoting anything.
The price we agree is the price you pay.
If we find anything unexpected, we stop, explain it and agree any change with you before continuing.
Estimates are always free, and there's never any obligation.
What Bristol customers say
"Great quality work, punctual and very clean. Highly recommend."
"Great professionalism and clear communication. Luke was able to get us booked in the same week."
"The most reliable and knowledgeable electricians I've come across. Extremely professional."
Frequently asked questions
Does a garage need its own consumer unit?
Not always. An attached garage with a light and a couple of sockets can often run from a circuit in the house. A detached garage, a workshop or a garden office with heating usually needs its own supply and a small consumer unit, fed in armoured cable.
Is running power to a garden room notifiable?
Yes. A new circuit is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. We are NAPIT registered, so we certificate the work and notify it for you, with no separate building control application.
Do I need an earth rod for my garden office?
Sometimes. It depends on how your house is earthed and on the building itself. We test on site and choose the safe arrangement, which may be the house earth or a separate earth rod.
Can you fit an EV charger in my garage?
Yes, where the supply and the board allow it. A 7kW smart charger is from £780 + VAT including the charger for a run of up to 10 metres, £880 + VAT for 10 to 15 metres and £980 + VAT for 15 to 20 metres.
Get your free quote
A few quick details and we'll come back to you with next steps. Prefer to talk? Call 0117 2447 382
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TrustMark Registered Business and Trading Standards Approved, licence no. 4257835. TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home, and Trading Standards has also checked and approved us under TrustMark's Trading Standards Approved scheme. We are registered for domestic electrical work through NAPIT, our scheme provider. Check our registration on TrustMark