Are We Finally Connected? Revealing Our New Electrical Wiring in the farmhouse, Ireland

After powering 12v LED lights from the solar power by using the original, if not a little scary, electrical cables in the derelict house and original Bakelite switches, the time has finally come on our Farmhouse renovation in Ireland to let the electrician inside to work his magic.
Now that winter is upon us, the solar power is working less and less as most days are only 8 hours of daylight and the sun is very low in the sky not to mention the Irish weather. What better time for our old Irish farmhouse to have new electrics installed.
A previous video showed the ESB installing the electricity pole outside. Since then we have waited for the electrician to come and fit the new wiring. That day has come.
Join us on day one of this basic electric install and a final word from Ben on how things are going four weeks later. Are with connected to the Irish electric grid yet?
#irishfarmhouse #farmhouserenovation #electrician #renovation

[@PJC1310]

Very neat wiring from the electrician and his crew, looking good 👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

They did a very good job and we're really pleased with how well it all went. 😁

[@bobbiebrandel3152]

So nice to know you will have power at last!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We can't wait and we are counting the days down. Our only hope is that they do connect the pole and the house on the final day of the count down. Then we need a quick visit from the electrician to connect his tales and away we go. Not having to wonder if we will have any power left in the morning or not will be a nice thing. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@bwitched3810]

Omg I just want to hug you two ..fingers crossed .Yah. Christmas lights Love and hugs

[@thecornerhouseproject]

aww 🫂hugs all round! Thanks Sandy, we have our fingers crossed so tightly that we’re connected soon 🤞

[@Andrewcc.]

Great progress guys , lets hope the connection is quick.🤞

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We can only hope. Thank you very much for watching and commenting 😁

[@patkilmurray4702]

You've probably thought of this but don't forget to install a shaver socket in the bathroom, something we forgot and regretted it ever since. Great to see such progress.❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We couldn't decide if to have one fitted at the time of this install or not. The only shaver we have is a 3pin UK/Ireland plug and we use manual tooth brushes, but we were still torn. It won't be too much work to add one at a later date though. Thank you for the tip. And thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@ruairithomson6915]

I remember the day we had electric put into our house down here in Kerry, It was a whirlwind with what seemed to be fifteen to twenty lads running around and swinging from rafters. we went out to the workshop and hid in there until they wired that up. We were in shock by the end of the day. Then having it happen again with the second fit... Congratulations - a huge leap forward. Now you an justify more powertools ;-))

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahaha! Yes exactly like that, it truly was quite a manic experience! They were all over the place! We were in shock by the end of it too! Luckily they were back the next day and done and dusted! Ooh yes power tools will be so much easier. Some of the tools running on the generator need our electric fan running first before the power tool starts up!🤯🤣 so it would be lovely to just plug them in and of course acquire a few more lol!

[@TheHavasu_77]

Since I’m in America, it’s always so fascinating to me to see how things are done in other countries. The electrical is soooo different than how we do it here! Absolutely fascinating to me! Also, I agree with Dawn, I like the old round switches compared to the modern square ones, they look neat! 😊💚

[@thecornerhouseproject]

They’re great switches aren’t they?! I kept most of them. We won’t be able to reuse them but I’d like to get modern day equivalents because I think they look great! I’m not sure with electrics over here but I know in England the specs for doing electrics are changing all the time. Ireland is also different to how it’s done in England according to Ben, I don’t have a clue 😂

[@user-vy3vk2sb8p]

Great progress!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you 😊

[@kategreen-adarkcarnival6747]

Wow fantastic progress guys and lovely you've got your son Luke staying with you now! Hopefully just a few more days before you can do the big electric switch on! All best, Kate xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Kate, yes hopefully not too much longer for the electric! it’s getting a little bit of a struggle at the moment without it 🫣 Yeah it’s blooming lovely having him home, makes life a little more normal! xx

[@neutonrenda2303]

Looks like he did a great job of it. At least you are rid of all those wires hanging upstairs. Fingers crossed.❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

To be honest, they really did do a good job. The wiring is tidy, well clipped and makes life normal for us, even though we are still using the solar to power the sockets and lights. Shame you didn't live closer, as you would have been our go to electrician lol. Thank you for always watching and commenting with such nice words.

[@ronaldlucas5360]

Nice

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thanks Ronald :-)

[@lavignemorte]

I think it's a good idea to surface mount as a first step. I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple until you know your final plan. There is nothing worse than making huge expensive changes and finding later that your ideas just don't work. We have an outbuildingthat hass been partially converted (badly). When we redo the electrics we will surface mount everything because it's a beautiful old stone building. Seeing Dawn's book collection I can tell the house is in good hands. 🏡❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Completely with you on keeping it simple until the final plan, especially as we don’t have any huge plans at present other than to keep it simple lol. I really like the surface mount look too. So think it might stay as it is but lose the wood panels, not a huge fan of those 😂 Those books are really handy to have because doing this sort of thing is a bit of a minefield isn’t it? They give me a starting point to then look further into something. I’m still a stickler for reading and taking it in better from a book! 📖 😂

[@kathryncooper7452]

Good progress, can't wait to see the switch on. I've not had time to watch your videos lately, hopefully will catch up with them all soon.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

This isn't really acceptable Kath, maybe you need to stop working so hard and procrastinate a little hahaha. Hope you are well. 👍

[@kathryncooper7452]

@thecornerhouseproject ha ha, work is crazy at the moment but I'm cracking on with it. All well thanks 😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Don't work too hard Kath, you most certainly know I wouldn't :-)

[@kathryncooper7452]

@@thecornerhouseproject 🤣🤣🤣

[@paulafinn8005]

Everything crossed for u all xxx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha, We hope you didn't cross your fingers for too long and we really appreciate the good vibes! Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@paulafinn8005]

@@thecornerhouseproject I'm 55 now so I'm constantly crossing my legs now so fingers are a breeze 😂😂

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahaha you and me both! 😂😂

[@OfficialWheelo]

My votes with the recessed cabling too, but hey, i don't count, go with both head and heart. We have everything crossed for you, hopefully you get to put up all your decorations and more importantly lights. Welcome to.Ireland Buzz. I hope you're ready for Leitrim, and Leitrim is eeady for you, enjoy!!!!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Of course your vote counts, we just won't count it lol. Well you know better than we do with how it rolls over here, maybe the website is telling the truth and they will climb the pole next week and chuck some power through our wires. Buzz has come home and embraced it, I think maybe a bit of a shock having no power and still an outdoor shower lol

[@LewisC1944]

It's wonderful to watch your joy at getting the electrics ready for the grand switch on. I hope Luke is as enchanted with the place as you both obviously are. You might find the robin prefers to eat from a flat dish, mine does. If you put some food on the roof of one of your outbuildings you might find he prefers that, Best wishes to you all. I bet they will see the glow from your Christmas light from the Moon

[@christinerowlands539]

You don't appreciate things until they're taken away.so pleased for you guys, you've both done so much,so proud of you both and what a pleasure it is to be able to follow you on your journey.😊 love Auntie Chrissie and uncle Dave and families 🌹😘😘

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thank you Auntie Chris! Oh yes it certainly does make you appreciate things more when you’ve had to change the way you live like this. So much more conscious of how much water we use now as well 😂😘😘❤️

[@johnoneill5812]

Really happy that this milestone has been achieved and hoping for final connection very soon. Installation looks very clean and professional. I would be interested to see in a future video where they put the meter... on the side of the house or at the pole? Probably significant differences in electrical codes between Ireland and North America.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Yeah, although we are not connected to the grid, it is nice to be able to use wall sockets and lights brighter than about 40 watts to light a big room. Hopefully just a matter of days now. We will try to remember to do a video showing the meter, but it will be fitted to a surface mounted box which on the the outside wall of the house. Thanks again John for watching and commenting :-)

[@evelyngorfram9306]

Looking forward to your grand hallway chandelier with lots of hanging crows and black glass crystals and light-up skulls. Congratulations on getting the wiring in; & lighting a virtual fire under the ESB to finally get you connected posthaste.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh us too! Love a little bit of the darker side of home decor! We’re so chuffed with finally having the electric wiring in! It’s been a long time coming nearly 5 months from the first communications with another electrician! 🫣

[@carolarnold7148]

Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 for you 😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Carol, our fingers are crossed for it being before Christmas gets here! 🫣

[@joesture9991]

Glad all that pre-planning and documenting what was needed has resulted in a very professional looking installation and one that will be around for many decades to come. Well done and enjoy the novelty of having light switches and sockets, it will be strange in the new year to start receiving bills for electricity instead of the local fuel depot for the generator.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Plenty of pre-planning Joe and a drawing or two, many thanks, it has worked really well and easy to expand upon. Light switches which turn on a bright light bulb are lovely in each room although the 12v lights were perfect when we had no other choice, I would do this again and again if needed. The big generator is unwell at the moment so we have a smaller 2.8kw petrol, this is much quieter and less thirsty, but yes, the fuel station thought they had won the lottery when we pulled in all the time. Thanks again Joe, you helped make the wiring easy.

[@minisareus]

I hope you get electric by Christmas

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Please keep your fingers crossed. It is a matter of days now according to the electricity companies website but we will see. Thank you for watching and commenting, it means a lot to us.

[@sharonschauer3257]

I thought waiting 10 days for hook up was outrageous (used to be 4) here in the states! You've been waiting a month! I am impatient though. Can't wait for upcoming videos!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh that is only half the story..... We had an electrician come round in July to quote. I chased the quote and we would still be waiting if we didn't go to someone else. Second electrician came round and that was a month before he could start work. Then two weeks for his certificate to be processed and now 10 days for he connection. So really we have been waiting 5 months. Lets hope the companies website it accurate and it will be one day next week. Thank you Sharon for watching and commenting :-)

[@10928rob]

Fantastic news that will make your lives so much easier fingers are crossed for the Christmas lights to go up. great video so pleased for three, xx♥

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww Pa, we really hope it’s soon. It’s been hard going at times doing all of this without mains power! 😂 to be able to have Christmas lights lit up without a generator running will be the icing on the cake! 😘❤️

[@10928rob]

@@thecornerhouseproject ❤️❤️

[@mocarra100]

I've been watching you guys, and you're really coming along nicely! Much love from Oklahoma USA Jackie 🇺🇸 💖 PS I can't wait till you start painting and wall papering! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💖 So happy your son is home!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thanks Jackie, we are still getting there. Painting is a long way off we feel, but when we do start to splat some coloured lime up the walls, you will be one of the first to see it. His first outdoor shower was a frosty day, poor sod. But we are a little closer with the shower coming inside. Thank you for always watching and commenting. Have a nice evening :-)

[@colettelavery7452]

Great to have the wiring finished. You both must be delighted as that is a massive job done Please God by next weekend the house will be all lit up for Christmas 🎄. Take care Dawn with your back,as it's no joke. God bless and take care xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh we really do hope so Colette!❤ it would be amazing as traditionally we put our decorations up on the 4th December as that is our daughters birthday and it would be lovely to be able to have them all lit up properly. Thank you with the back, it’s been soo painful 😢 sitting down makes it worse so I’ve been stood most of the time to try and help it, hot water bottles and plenty of painkillers!

[@WestCorkWander]

Fingers crossed for you and your lights :)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thanks very much, we will keep you posted. Hope all is good your end. Will be watching your latest video a bit later on and looking forward to it as always 👍👍

[@user-jz4mm7eo3c]

just finished catching up with your job and journey and think you are doing great for not being builders big respect to you both and the very best of luck going forward, cant wait to see how it turns out hope you get your lecky for x mass

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you very much for catching up and for the nice comments. The biggest thing we have done was to repair a 30 year old caravan and make it like new. Surely this is just on a bigger scale..... maybe not lol. Fingers are crossed for the electric next week. We will see. Thanks again for watching and commenting :-)

[@horza4530]

You should be well connected by Xmas. In the old days in Ireland there was just one guy with a golden finger who had to turn everything on in the country and supply you with a new phone. It only usually took about two or three years. :) I would be inclined to chase your cables into the walls. It's not the end of the world if you don't, but surface mounted can be ugly and get in the way of wall hangings etc. You have a lot of work to do on the walls anyway, so digging out a a cable run in the existing plaster wouldn't give you all much more to fill in than you already have.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Fingers are crossed, but yes, we should be. That means we can buy a little work top cooker and have a roast, that will be nice. You could be right with chasing the walls out, you are also right with the ease.... the walls fall off as it is lol. We may go for recessed cabled but exposed Bakelite wooden mounted switches to reproduce what was here. Thanks for always watching and then spending time commenting. It really is appreciated.

[@lavignemorte]

I love the old circular bakelite switches. There are amazing repos now. Go for it!

[@pitsnipe5559]

🤞🏻❤ Interesting to see how they run the electrical cables. Those surface mount conduits are what I thought they’d use.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thanks again for watching and commenting :-) We had a choice of round or square, and we went with square but this may be replaced with metal conduit... or maybe even recessed.... once we have decided we will let you know. Don't hold your breath for anytime soon hahaha. Thanks again, as always.

[@adammurray741]

ring your local esb yard ot tip down there and have a word and rell them theres a bottle off whiskey waiting if they can get to you asap as you need this doing immediately that your ready for the connecion.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

haha! Well according to their website, they have 1 more business day to connect us, so we will give it until Monday as we haven’t had any contact so far and then maybe give them a ring and see how much longer we have to wait, hopefully not too long 🤞😬

[@LewisC1944]

it's wonderful to see how you are progressing and the joy you obviously get with each step forward. I hope Luke will be as enchanted with Ireland as you both are. Looking forward to seeing the grand switch on I bet we will see the glow from your Christmas lights all the way to the Midlands. Best wishes to you all XXX

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We love what we are doing and learning all the time. We will catch up with the videos over the next week or so to bring it all up to date. He has had his first outdoor shower with frost on the ground... it has been chilly. Not sure we will have as many Christmas lights as normal unless we get connected. Fingers are soooo crossed we can light up Leitrim :)

[@dorygeancunningham8027]

Glad your son made it home safe and sound! Our mini barn was finished today…now to get electricity to it…it’s always something isn’t it. Oooo, what light will Dawn pick for the landing? I myself am partial to black lanterns. Will you really put crows on it? Now all I can imagine is a black chandelier with no crystals but candle like bulbs with crows perched on the different arms. We Marylanders love our Ravens and Orioles and they would fit on something like that…you two always get me imagining…now to Pinterest. LOL

[@thecornerhouseproject]

oooh congratulations on the barn! Now to fill it! haha! Yes, just as one job finishes another begins! Hmmm….lights, it will be something on the darker side lol I’m quite partial to skulls and Ravens! We shall see! I absolutely love a bit of Pinterest! it gives you so much inspiration doesn’t it? it’s a bit like KZbin with sending you down the rabbit hole of ending up somewhere completely unrelated from where you started! Also like you, black lanterns I love! Eventually I would love two black lanterns either side of the front door, Victorian style. ❤️

[@dorygeancunningham8027]

@@thecornerhouseproject I am already there…lovely black lanterns with old fashion Edison bulbs. Then we have small black solar lanterns lighting the path up to the house.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

That sounds bloody lovely! Love those old fashioned Edison light bulbs too!

[@marionmounsey4737]

Aww so happy for you, hope they can get all the electrical work done before Christmas 🙏, you have both worked so hard, well done, can see this house becoming a beautiful home xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We really hope so too. If their website is telling the truth, it could be just next week. Due to Dawn's back, we are having a little rest at the moment, which is very nice. Lets us recharge before the big rest over Christmas hahahaha. Thank you for always watching and commenting, it means a lot :-)

[@joanobrien7754]

Wow, how exciting for you guys. Lets hope it's in 4 days.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We are really excited now but trying not to bank on it too much as disappointment is horrible. We have the generator and solar batteries for the night time so we are ok. This cold snap would be easier with an electric blanket to get into bed though hahaha. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@wilmaireland9308]

I would put your trunking into the walls as you wouldn't be able to put furniture against your walls

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We may well do, or possibly some rustic, industrial conduit. At the moment we are undecided, but you do make a very good point, thank you :-) Thank you also for watching and commenting :-)

[@SerendipitySharon]

modern conveniences, hard to live without them, eh? fingers crossed.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We had got quite used to having to make sure lights were turned off and trying not to charge things in the evening as everything was running from solar. Since the seasons have changed and the days are a lot shorter, the solar is struggling and we are having to use the generator more :-( Being connected to the grid will put an end to the worry of waking up without electric, but we will still be very conscious about saving energy. As always, thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@SerendipitySharon]

@@thecornerhouseproject I understand totally as I have lived in a similar way. When the power goes out here, sometimes for days in the winter, I am glad I have an oil furnace and a good battery. So important to be warm for the long damp months of winter. Step by step!

[@christinerowlands539]

Oh! How nice having Lucy's home,Hi Lucus👋

[@thecornerhouseproject]

He says Hi! Yeah lovely to have him back. ❤️

[@rebekahvenn201]

Wow so pleased to see your electrics are in and very much hope you are connected to the grid very soon. You are coming on in leaps and bounds now and it's heart warming to see. Hope Ben gets his Christmas lights switch on. Take care.xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you so much for your hopes, our fingers are crossed for next week. Ooooh Christmas ⛄🎁 lights. The way I talk you would think it will be like Harrods, all lit up... Not quite that grand, but always looks nice. Thank you for your continued watching and commenting 😁

[@derrickmurphy9859]

Bit of a disgrace that they are taking so long to connect you lot thats a shame.Hopefully in the next few days Electrician's did a tidy job.Keep it up guys❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I know, its frustrating to be so close to having electric but just not quite there! The countdown on the esb site ran out as well...so their not close to doing it at the moment. Ben will give them a ring today and see if he can hurry it along at all. Electricians were amazing! In and out in 2 days...1st and 2nd fix! ⚡️💡😊

[@tracybush8115]

You guys have come so far with this project, I love it. Your family must be so proud of you both. Praying you get connected to the grid very soon. Did your son like Canada?

[@thecornerhouseproject]

When we sit and look back, we have done so much and the really nice thing is that we did it and did it together. Yes, our families are really happy and proud. Not only are we doing the house, they read all the comments on here and say how lovely everyone is.... You included. He loved it thank you. 5 months out there and now at his new home here in sunny, warm, Ireland. He likes his room, if a little rough around the edges and still running on solar, BUT, we will get there. Fingers are sooooo crossed for next week and being connected to the grid. We will see. Thank you Tracy again for watching and commenting :-)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Oh yes very proud! 😁Ooh we hope so too with the electric, it’ll bring some very welcome normality to our life! Yeah he loved it came back just as it was getting chilly 😂

[@user-cv2iz8ie5l]

I’ve seen on other channels, there is machine you can rent to make channels in the wall for the electrics. Seems not that difficult. I would definitely not surface mount.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Surface mount was the fastest option to get the electrics done and also the cheapest, with it all coming to over 11,000 euro, we needed to save in one or two places, labour costs was the biggest saving. We had already discussed the option of surface mounting before we had moved here, keeping the look traditional in stone buildings. We can recess an an option providing the plaster is thick enough but only when we are ready to lime plaster the walls. We wouldn't be chasing out the solid stone walls though. If left surface mounted, the wooden wall planks would be removed and a much nicer final finish will be done. around the house. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@lavignemorte]

For the robin they like to ground feed in a saucer or wire tray. Not idea with pussy cats but you could place something on a bird table or on top of yours sheds flat roof. They love meal worms.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We do have a really good bird feeder with a wire bowl on it, but it’s still packed away in a box somewhere at the back of the outbuilding 🫣 keep meaning to try and dig it out….must get that out.

[@coby6417]

🤞🌟👍🍀💐

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🤞hopefully not too much longer! 🍀🤛😘

[@PhilHiggins-jn9bl]

Are you going to get Spray insulation in the Roof area, expensive but worth it, What size joist did you use when replacing Floor Joists, Will you screw OSB board now, what are you doing about up and down window?

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi, no we won’t be going with spray insulation, we’re going to be using sheep’s wool insulation because of its breathability in stone buildings so as to try and minimise condensation/moisture. The joist size we used was 44x175 and yeah the osb is screwed down, it won’t be our permanent floor as in the future we plan on getting floorboards back down. Did you mean what are we doing with windows? If so, we plan on keeping the windows as they are for the near future as really they aren’t too bad and are so expensive to replace, so for the time being will stick some wood hardener in places, repair some and then sand and repaint them all just to preserve them until we can afford to be able to replace them.

[@PhilHiggins-jn9bl]

Sheep expensive and inclined to fall over a Period of time, Timber floors boards I think might be a special order if getting new ones, You have done your research on what you want to achieve with the CornerHouse, I admire that, Yes PVC up and down window 🪟 but what a difference they make, you can buy Parting bead and Staff beads for existing up and down window with Draft excluders on them, Have you got the Weights for the Sashs there is a pocket on either side of window giving access to weights. I would have used a 225X 50 timber underneath the Floor joists running opposite direction and sitting on a Pad stone in Walls to support joists. Keep up the good work 👏 🙌 👍

[@SweetOne.]

December 4th should be the day your electric is turned on. Only 3 more sleeps lol Welcome home to your son! What did the electrician think of your solar power set up?

[@thecornerhouseproject]

3 more sleeps, hahahaha, lets hope so, we all hope so and fingers are so so so crossed but we are not holding our breaths. He said it wasn't bad but he wouldn't give it a cert to connect it to the grid lmao. but, he does seem to be the guy to know if we do decide on permanent solar to plug into the grid. Lets get through winter first though and get the couple of jobs done that need doing. I am sure they won't take long........ He has settled in well considering it was 0.2 degrees this morning and he went out for a shower. Sod that, it is freezing lol. Hope all is well with you :-) and thanks, as always.

[@SweetOne.]

@@thecornerhouseproject Hahaha I can imagine your son's reaction too. He hasn't had time to acclimate to the weather so he will really be feeling the chill. Lots of hot soup and hot drinks, double socks and an inside scarf, he will be just fine lol Just thinking.. showering to Cow song while birds drop blessings from the sky at 0.2 - that could be a new tictok challenge hahaha

[@thecornerhouseproject]

@@SweetOne. hahahaha love it…little blessings from above! Yeah he is really feeling the cold….🥶 heated blankets when the generator is on and a couple of gas heaters running most of the day lol ooh and a few steaming cups of Ovaltine too!

[@dianerayburn1728]

Get the robin a mince pie then he'll forgive you...

[@thecornerhouseproject]

That's a great idea! I'll definitely try giving the robin a mince pie and see if it works. Saying that, he may have to fight me for them, I am quite partial to a nice mince pie. hahaha Thank you for watching and commenting :-)