First of the First Fix Electrics - UK vs. EU Wiring - Portugal Property Renovation

We're pressing on with our Portugal property renovation and it's time to bring in the pros (or at least one) to help us out with the electrics fix fix.
Today we welcome Mark the Spark - a DJ and professional electrician - to the show. He'll work with us for a couple of days to show us how to install first fix electrics so we can continue on under our own steam. We'll bring him back for some of the more technical work like installing and wiring the consumer unit but that's quite a long way off for now.
The order of the day is knocking a bunch of holes in the stone walls and running lots of cable and conduit. Stay tuned to see how we get on.
www.makedogrow.com

[@ankiking]

Suggestion: make a simple plan drawing with walls numbered or named, take photos of each wall and match file name to the wall. That way you can look back at the wiring if you need later. Learning a lot from you! Thanks!

[@SwimCoach8]

Love seeing the method in other countries. An electrician gave me this tip quite some time ago. In your conduit, where your running Cat6 or any conduit that may need a wire added. When you pull your conductor through, tape a pull line to it. That way, if you decide you need another Cat6 wire or conductor going to a fixture, there is a pull line already living comfortably inside your conduit runs. Many moons ago I put a structured media box in my home. All cable tv lines, phone lines and Cat5/Cat6 lines run to the box in conduit. I left pull lines in each conduit. As my gamer boys reached high school age they decided we needed more Cat6 outlets and cables. They popped to cover off the media box and pulled Cat6 line to every telephone point in the house and added duplex covers to the boxes. (phone/Cat6) The pull strings/lines waiting inside the conduit made this job a snap. They pulled new strings through as they informed us they would some day upgrade the house to fiber optic cables. We informed them, we were not made of money and Cat6 cable would be fine. Thanks again and hold onto that electrician....worth his weight in gold!!!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Interestingly they sell conduit here with the pull line already in it, had never seen that before. Not shown on video (as we did it a couple of days later) we added another larger conduit for running cat6. We don’t need the line in every room (we’ve actually designated several tech-free rooms in the house) but figured it was good in case we later change our design

[@antoniodasilva1230]

Just lubricate it first before pulling

[@amng75]

@@MAKEDOGROW And in Norway, they sell conduit with 3 wires already in it. Cool, right?

[@MAKEDOGROW]

@@amng75 they sell that here too, but quite expensive. Mostly people run single wires in the conduit. We’re using sheathed which is somewhere in the middle in terms of price but gives us two layers of protection

[@SwimCoach8]

@@MAKEDOGROW After my teens convinced me to buy the fastest, baddest, wireless router for our FioS fiber optic web connection...I also thought I had no need of more internet connections. Only to come home and find them with half a mile of Cat6 cable, some high speed switch thing in the structured media box and duplex outlet plates....Cause cat6 is a tiny bit faster for gaming. So they left a few years back and I now have a house wired with data cables. A back up wired routed in the media box and Audio, video and even automation in nearly every room.

[@Lucia-yn6so]

Portuguese-Canadian Citizen from Ontario, Canada, enjoying the journey, the educational moments and good laughs. Can't wait to see it all done. No pressure!!!

[@interteatment]

I am from Bangladesh 🇧🇩 i am also electrician same way i do work in my Factory. I really enjoyed and learning from your channel

[@jamesrivis620]

Great to see some professional installations in such teachable moments. Very interesting.

[@sharol946]

So enjoyed watch a professional work at his craft and be willing to teach you as well

[@carolined3058]

Apprenticeship Guy & Kylie ,well done

[@roberttamcken5817]

A wine appreciation room. I’d love one of those. Looking good guys.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Wait until you see our wine rack … holds 60 bottles (worth sitting back to appreciate) 😃

[@jooproos6559]

Well,i stick to the way we do it in the Netherlands.First placing the STIFF pipes on the wall and the boxes and then put a spring through the pipes with the WIRES attached to it and pull those through the pipes.Stiff pipes because they are smooth inside and getting the wires through is far easier.The wires from the switch box in a special cupboard close the main door goes direct to the first box in the ceiling in the room and from there to the other boxes and the switches.We do with wires because they are going more easily through the pipes.And you can always put a extra wire or wires in the pipe if needed. And about placing the pipes on the wall,we have clips who are put on the wall and then click the pipe in it..Easier!!

[@gaynor3976]

I'm excited to seeing the electrics going in. Nice guy is Mark. Great progress Kylie and Guy xx

[@ShawnRitch]

I too am delighted to see the electrics going in. And yes, Kylie and Guy are doing a remarkable job.

[@markthesparkdj2396]

Thank you Gaynor for your Nice Comments!

[@janek_86]

It is worth marking wires in junction boxes. Years later, when you want to change something, it's worth knowing which cable is power and which one goes to the receivers (lamps, sockets). I use strips of tape for this. Small tags with nimeras or inscriptions - it's important to have documentation :) The idea with pictures of the walls when the electrics are ready is also very good

[@johnvanhal2450]

Didn't know they made lime out of NHL players. Makes sense though 🤣 Don't know the rules here in the Netherlands, but that UK system with safe zones would be the way I would do it, if building my own house, shed or whatever. Because it's very logical. Like the cable tie solution, too.

[@d.j.robinson9424]

Lot's of great progress. You'll be sippin wine in that cozy space in no time.👍👍💖🍷🍷🍹

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Let’s hope so 😃

[@vickihoneycutt456]

Great to see your progress.

[@kitsurubami]

I love it! Fascinating. Thank you both as always.

[@JustinBellingerTV]

Great update, thanks for sharing.

[@tinanieborg787]

great job guys, the most important things in a house are hidden behind te walls. greetings from Holland

[@pennypacheco3868]

Huge step forward! 🎉❤

[@monalingan9523]

I’m so pleased for you two. This is a huge milestone. 😊

[@Neelie1947]

This is very interesting/exciting. Loved it, will be so great to see it all plastered.

[@dawnford5919]

So exciting!! Job well done. I do love the plastic attachment idea. Looking forward to your Christmas goal!

[@soniawoolley366]

Very exciting to get first fix electrics done !!!

[@naturalcombinations]

You guys are doing great stuff on every single video, your brilliantly planning out every detail and your house is amazing in your hands!!

[@cindypickett8167]

Fabulous, to watch the rebuild and excited for you both. Hope you reach your Xmas goal

[@DerDummePunkt]

Been waiting for this one. Mark the Spark (fantastic name by the way) does really well on camera, that was a fun watch. Safety Zones for cable installation definitely vary from country to country within the EU. Here in Germany, there are DIN norms for this purpose (of course there are, there are DIN norms for absolutely everything), same principal as in the UK, go vertically or horizontally out of sockets, switches and boxes, keep 90° angles, keep a certain distance from the floor, ceilings, corners, doors, windows, etc., non of that diagonal funny business. To me they just seem like common sense. Personally, I'd go with Cat6A for the networking stuff, 10gig is going to be a thing, prices are falling rather quickly, CAT6 can do that too of course, 6A simply gives you a bit more wiggle room in terms of lengths of the runs and the level of perfectionism when patching, but hey, use what you got :D One thing I would strongly recommend though, especially around the TV/Lounge/media area: Put in additional, empty conduit, multiple if possible, let them terminate in empty boxes. You'll be so glad you did that when in 5 years time the next connector/cable/whatever standard comes along and you need to run cables for it. Cutting new slits for more runs into walls like that is no fun. Well maybe it is, if you're masochistic, some Aussies I know are into some weird stuff, no judgement here :D

[@mariaeugenia7599]

Great progress! And ambitious goal! Congratulations.

[@Tubroos_Bz]

Fascinating seeing different approaches to wiring...

[@celiasnyman2885]

Wow what a job!!! Blows my hair back!

[@luminyam6145]

Getting the electrics in is a huge job, wow, you guys are just amazing!🥰🥰🥰

[@lisawoods9391]

I'm so excited for you guys! Can't wait to see the finished product :) You two are so inspiring! Thank you for all your videos and sharing your knowledge :) I so look forward to them each week. :) I've gone through ALL of your videos, so I patiently wait for each and every one! lol

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Thankyou 😀. You have no idea how such lovely comments like this spur us on to continue making videos 😍

[@ScottAndJen]

The guts are going in!! Would be interested in the contact details of the very helpful man in the video as we will potentially starting our own renovation here in Portugal soon. Thanks guys. It's getting there

[@carolbulmer8253]

Wow… it will be very good to have the wiring done👏👏

[@SuperAbcdabcdabcdabc]

Hello from Canada. Bravo. You are moving ahead

[@anitamoolman168]

You’re really getting things done.

[@markgayle5453]

You don’t even need the plug , if you bend the cable tie about a screw & half length & push it in the wall ( it will be like a u shape ) that will act as the wall plug , far quicker & just as secure.

[@GeneLinetsky-GAL]

Two suggestions: 1. I'd agree with the earlier comment that more CAT6 could be needed. It'd be a lot easier to string CAT6 to all the places where you plan to have your RJ45 wall outlets *now* rather than later. Given the IT skills of you two, I'd assume that some rooms will need more than one RJ45 outlet locations. In my house, I'd run along a duplicate CAT6 cable to all of my room RJ45 outlets -- for redundancy and to have more than outlet in a given location. The incremental cost of such cables/conduits is minimal yet it would save you tons of time/aggro in the future. Even though WiFi has gotten so much faster and reliable, there is nothing as speedy, universally compatible and rock-stable as your Ethernet (pardon for stating the obvious). 2. You should decide ASAP where you want to stick your large-panel LCD screens and put in the conduits with the unconnected HDMI 2.0 (2.1) cables and behind-the-screen power feeds. Do make an accurate estimate of the cable length you need -- too long is as bad as too short as you can't cut HDMI off and stick a new plug on...I had an M&E (mechanical and electrical) floorplan drawings done for all of my floors well in advance of my first fix -- a life saver. Loyally yours.... PS It would be nice to find out the contact details of your local Mark the Spark guy.

[@Neilhuny]

Massively agree with point 1 here! But I guess Guy and Kylie are well ahead of us - but it absolutely does no harm to say this. I don't really understand point 2 - it is WAAAAAYYY over my head! Large panel LCD = computers screens? Isn't that only in shopping malls and the like, where adverts are controlled from a central point? I can't see how it matters in a house (assume extreme ignorance on my part!)

[@GeneLinetsky-GAL]

@@Neilhuny Sorry, I meant large TV screens. It's just that broadcast TV is nearing extinction, I can't bring myself to call large screens "TV screens". But large screens are still useful for group viewing of content from other sources -- YT, streaming platforms, etc...

[@djthyrax]

What you've done in the video looks ok, I'll leave a couple of tips to avoid you some headaches in the future. For washing machine/dishwater/oven/stove top, run direct lines from the main board using 4mm2 wire (or even 6, if you expect some of them to be very peak power hungry) rather than using normal socket lines with 2.5mm2 wire - it's mandatory if you need to recertify the electrics for a grid connection, and it will also help you future proof. Don't forget to split all your circuits in reasonable pieces to 1) avoid too much peak load on the circuits and 2) balance the load, and also make sure you keep lighting and sockets in separate circuits. For the lighting derivation boxes (the ones where the switch and fixture wires join), you can attach a 2nd one that will help a lot when wiring specially if you start going with fancy domotics. For coax/twisted-pair/fire optics, you have to follow the ITED regulation (from ANACOM, you can get it for free on their website) if you have to request a "licença de habitabilidade" in your municipal council - there is a couple of standards depending on whether your are doing new construction or rehab, so make sure you look into that before you need to start redoing stuff after all is done.

[@matthunt2128]

As always, I watch with a view to how to do things in my Portuguese property 👍

[@beautybird2668]

Mark is such a lovely guy, great team work;✨✨✨

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

I just love your ethics... in a few years time you will look back on all this as your proudest achievements. Sending you super strength, love and laughter. 🥳🥳🥳

[@ChristineKelly1000]

Keep up the good work.

[@lynh8378]

Ohhh running the electric. You both must be so excited!

[@SettleinSpain]

that tip with the tie wraps is genius! :)

[@lorimontcalm9086]

Please do an upclose demo on how you attached the zip tie please!! I think I followed the verbal instructions but doubt it cause I can't make sense of it! Exciting video... Can't wait for the others. Hugs from 🇨🇦

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We tried to do a closeup but it didn’t do well in the dark room. We’ll have another go on the next electrics video 😀

[@simonwalker8300]

Thank you i learnt a lot, or rather had confirmed what i thought i already knew, very useful. It'll be great for you, now you know, you can push forward at Kylie speed, should be done in no time at all. Looking good for Christmas.

[@LifebyLiving]

Very interesting video 👍🏼 I’ve got some electrics planned for next year, so it’s great to hear about Portuguese/European wiring first hand from someone qualified.

[@glenyscallaghan1195]

Bye bye great work, It is coming together. 5 weeks mmmmmm.😄❤️❤️👋👋👏👏

[@kebergify]

I'd say the cable tie trick is pretty awesome too!

[@amng75]

Thank you for the video, guys! It’s good to see your progress! Regarding the safety zones, I don’t know if they are or aren’t regulated in Portugal but, I’ve been involved in a great number of construction and restoration projects here in Portugal over the last three decades and not once did I see an electrician lay conduit in any other way than horizontally and vertically. Several electricians told me that, even though it’s not necessary in ceilings nor floors, everyone still lays the conduit in straight lines and right angles for safety reasons. Electrician work tends to attract neat and organized people who enjoy doing things in a tidy and straight manner. Because professionals naturally do it correctly might be the reason there was never a need to legislate the safety zones. That's just my 2 cents. For those wondering, much of the UK’s legislation originates from just after WW2, when there was an impossible number of houses to be rebuilt and a severe shortage of copper. The wiring system they developed at the time allows for the use of less wiring (copper) but, it is inherently unsafe, and that’s why they need those gigantic and overkill sockets and plugs, plus fuses everywhere.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

What is interesting is that the back boxes we bought (Legrand and EU certified) don’t have knock out holes that allow you to run horizontally. So I have no idea how these electricians you refer to could have done it? The boxes have to have the conduit exit on a slight diagonal that means running out of the safe zone, even if you then manage to get the run back in the safe zone. That’s what I was pointing out in the video. Of course we’re trying to run as vertically and horizontally as the boxes and walls allow.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@MAKEDOGROW I know those boxes and you can still run horizontal conduits within the safe zone with a slight bend, just like the connection between your double sockets. I suspect the reason for not having knockouts on the sides is the risk of fixing claws damaging wires that enter through the sides, I've seen that a few times.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

@@Ragnar8504 the UK safe zone means horizontally/vertically within the height/width of the back box … with the diagonal exit point it’s impossible to not go outside that zone when using conduit (or at least the conduit we have … I tried)

[@Ragnar8504]

@@MAKEDOGROW Sounds like your conduit is fairly rigid and the boxes are tight. With the conduit and boxes I can get in Austria it's definitely possible to stay in line with the boxes.

[@anajoaquina]

Satisfação ver sua obra de eletricista importado da Inglaterra, para fazer os trabalhos. Vcs são ótimos. Abraços

[@nosoygringo5980]

thanks for sharing, i would say far from leaving mark without a job, this will land him a bunch of jobs. i will add him to my list of professional experts for my project. one thing i fear about buying a ruin in portugal is not having the help or coaching on how to do some special jobs like masonry, plumbing, roofing, electrical installations. its great to see you tubers doing it, but to actually do it yourself alone is a different story.

[@andreabartsch]

I suggest to take a picture of all the walls before plastering it. You will this way get a record for the future where your wirings run.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We have loads of video footage…..

[@ulie1960]

@@MAKEDOGROW Just make sure to look at those if you want to install something to the wall later on. I also have pictures of all the walls in our house before they were closed, and even so I hit a pipe for the heating system when I wanted to hang an cupboard on the wall. I forgot to look at the picture for this wall back then....

[@uytteb]

I'm in Belgium - not sure if we do things the same way but it must at least be similar. Those junction boxes near the ceiling aren't common here. And yes, you can run wiring diagonally but it is generally considered to be bad practice. Usually, horizontal or vertical wiring is preferred - I have had builders redo wiring because they had done it diagonally. There may be no safe zones, but knowing everyting is horizontal or vertical does make locating wires more predictable.

[@layna8924]

HELLO KYLIE & GUY...INTERESTING INFO REGARDING THE DIFFERENCES IN ELECTRICAL ISSUES BETWEEN THE U.K. & EUROPE...ALOT OF FIDDLING & FADDLING ALONG WITH IT...ALL THE BEST...🙏🏻;)

[@NickAskew]

I think others may have said this, but firstly you are only allowed one circuit (or group as they are called here) in a conduit. This means that, for example, suppose you want to have a separate circuit for the washing machine and the tumble drier (why would you have one of those in Portugal 🙂) well you cannot simply run two sets of live, neutral, and earth down one conduit. I understand that there are two reasons for this, firstly if you switch off one circuit then you can expect that nothing live will remain in its conduit, secondly packing multiple circuits into one conduit means that overheating is more likely and possible a fault could cause wires to become live that you thought were isolated. But leaving extra conduits in place is a good practice and we have empty wall boxes that were installed when the house was built which have conduits to something but trying to figure out what or where that something is is difficult as they are mostly embedded in concrete.

[@NickAskew]

I'll have to check Dutch standards, but we absolutely have a mix of wiring for lighting and we are European (as the UK is too ;-)). What I mean by that is that in some cases live comes from the fuse board to a backing box behind a light and then goes off to the switch while the live might then also be split off down another conduit towards a subsequent socket or light. However sometimes that split is done at the switch, so live, neutral, and earth come from the fuse board to the switch's backing box and then switched live, neutral, and earth go on to the backing box of the light. The Dutch system also has another strange feature and that is that sockets with earth are not all over the house. They are required for areas with water such as bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens, but commonly other circuits has the continental European two pin socket without the earth. I can see why that would not be needed if you are plugging in a device with no earth, such as a TV perhaps. But I don't see why you'd make such a distinction unless it is just a cost saving matter.

[@bryansarty3821]

An especially interesting episode coming from my former sparky and IT backgrounds in Canada, plus moving to Portugal ourselves. Future planning (where it's possible) is the key and you two do such a job of it all.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Almost everything we do we try to future proof … either for ourselves or future owners. I’m sure there’s something we’ll have overlooked though, or want to change but can’t. Human nature 😂

[@bryansarty3821]

@@MAKEDOGROW For various reasons we've recently decided that when we move that we are going to renovate an older place rather than building new, so this episode is a great reference. Like yourselves, I was wondering how to run electrical in or around stone walls. In our province, Ontario, Canada, we would have to channel out the stone or block work and run rigid conduit in the channel or the conduits would have to be surface mount. Like in the UK, everything would be run at right angels at certain heights and with certain distance requirements. The joys of learning new and different ways. 😃 Your repointing and hemp plaster episodes are also the bomb! Cheers again to you both!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

@@bryansarty3821 wait until you see how the blue conduit lines get hidden in the lime- hemp plaster. We’re so chuffed it worked.

[@bryansarty3821]

Really looking forward to it! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

Bryan - Are there any significant wiring differences between the US and Canada ? I learned what little I know about 3 phase wiring connected up computer equipment back in the 1990s. Most was split phase (120V) but some devices did actually use 3 phase, which they broke down inside the cabinet.

[@Bobrogers99]

Planning is one of your strong suits, so you know where sockets, light switches and fixtures need to go. That's especially important when dealing with stone/cement construction, and once the plastering is done the wiring is where it is for the Duration. In the US we're mostly wood-framed, so making last minute changes in the wiring usually isn't that difficult.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We’re also more used to timber framed/plaster boarded structure, so this is very much a learning experience. What is great to know is that it’s fairly straightforward to chisel out a channel in the hemp-lime plaster. Very messy and dusty, but much better than channeling in stone or cement

[@deedaw9246]

Im excited FOR YOU! Not even my house! You are getting closer and closer to being in the house. It would be wonderful if you could get into the lower part of the house for winter. Live down there instead of in the tent. Can't wait to see what happens next! Fantastic job!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

No chance we’ll be in the lower part for months and months. The plastering takes ages to dry, especially in the colder weather. Next winter is the goal 😀

[@evahegarty741]

Closer to moving in! Bit by bit..

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Slowly step by step is the name of the game around here. Starting the plastering in this room today, very exciting! 😀

[@migueloliveira4242]

Sametimes connect the box by box used the flex plastic tube inside the inox pipe and outside the wall close the ground.

[@Lordosvk]

Actualy in eu in new buildings all the cables are in cement floor or in ceiling with isolation.

[@stevewoodw]

You did a good job of making an area that isn't the most interesting quite nice to watch with the problem solving and differences between EU and UK regulations clear. (You've got a huge pile of hydrolic lime sacks and haven't put them in plastic sacks - with rain coming down in the background....remember what happened last time....!) Good video, nicely shot and edited - the sweeping wasn't too loud. Good luck with the plan to get downstairs done on time! Was the lighting wiring system rather like a ring main to the junction boxes or a radial circuit like UK wiring? You could do a midweek video giving a comprehensive explanation of the differences between typical UK wiring and EU wiring using some graphics? it might get you a lot of views for other people doing the same in Europe.

[@sports872]

Interesting video, I'm a qualified electrician currently studying at university and recently considering moving to Portugal in a couple years. Good to see their wiring over there. It looks not bad to install and I like the flexi conduit.

[@buteos8632]

Just be aware imigration is increasing violent crime and corruption seem to be the voting choice for my fellow country folks.

[@richardteychenne3950]

Today was a good day, I learnt lots of new things 😀 Portuguese wiring seems simpler somehow, more aligned with safe DIY and less with dubious standards. E.g. No live lighting sockets unless you switch them on. You just need a good cable finder afterwards to find where the spiders web goes 🧐🤣👍

[@michaeltempsch5282]

Photos of each bare wall, roof etc, before rendering (or whatever sheet mtrl you use in a more conventional build). Electronic and/or physical prints (physical might be handy in an outage situation) organized in some logical manner can also help. . A folder of prints can also be a good place for manuals, warranties etc for any electrical item in the system. Even without prints a folder for that sort of stuff is handy. These days much of it might be electronic, so might go into some online system like Evernote/OneNote/dropbox or whatever you prefer...

[@ruthnoronha8206]

Awesome progress. You both are super brave with wanting to learn and take on electric. I hope you learn a lot and things go well. It’s always so annoying to change sockets after the fact. But you both plan really well so I’m sure it’s going to be good.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Not as daunting as you might think since I, Kylie, was trained in electrics in the UK. So it’s just about learning the differences and what’s required to get sign off

[@CLFL14256]

when my cottage was renovated 36 years ago, the electrician asked me how many sockets I wanted and where. The kitchen was well planned and easy. The bedrooms and living room not so much. I thought I was being extravagant when I requested a double socket on every wall, just to be flexible and one double socket in each tiny bedroom. How things have changed, so many everyday items are electric now

[@florentinalily]

Great job! We have red conduit (gaine) for electricity here in France and the blue for water. The cable tie method is genius and we are already planning where to use!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We thought the colouring was strange, and asked about it. Apparently there’s no reg around it but blue is typically used, so we went for blue (trying to keep everything as standard for the sake of future owners). If we hadn’t known we probably would have used grey, or anything else other than red/blue for water

[@jooproos6559]

Why is that important?We have clips,and we screw it on the wall and click the conduit in it.Especially that clicking is easier!

[@RosaFelix]

Hello there! I don't know if anyone else asked previously but what are the plans for the house, each room, floors? Kitchen and living room in the first floor and bedrooms on the top floor? I'm enjoying your videos and your sense of humour very much and the farm is beautiful!

[@montedaestrada3563]

Hello Mark, fancy seeing you here, how are you doing buddy?

[@herbertgonswa3503]

So take a second look if there is the socket for Rudofs red nose ! Good job !

[@bobbob2831]

In France I created my "safe zones" by drawing a "plan" of each wall noting the passage of the tubing. If you don't have time to do that a photo of each wall would be useful.

[@kappa2ou3]

In Portugal is easy to know where the cables are and there are rules to follow.

[@rbto7465]

Hi Guys, love to see your videos, just to clarify there are actually strong rules in Portuguese law regarding what you call "safe zones" , you find it in Portaria 949-A/2006, the only way you can run some cable in diagonal is for instance, if you open a way in a wall and cover those pipes with concrete, which is not you case ... anyway loved to see your electrician 5stars for his work.😀

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Interesting. So why is covering in concrete exempt, but not lime render. You could still drill into concrete to hang a picture 🤔 In the UK there are no exceptions

[@y03y133]

Good to take a picture of each wall with measuring tape, so in the future if you want to hang up something you know where the tube is.

[@andreacrashe9894]

*Wow, that wiring setup is also so different to NZ as well... But in saying that, it is good to see how how other countries wire up their homes etc. So when you do the next room/s by yourselves, Will Mark pop back to 'inspect' it is up to 'spec'. I like the 'zip-ties' idea. Please take photos and draw diagrams of where it is all laid out in case anything needs to be changed in the future.*

[@kappa2ou3]

Diagonal is a no no in Portugal. In Portugal you know where the cables are because of the connection boxes but never drill a hole in a Portugueses flat floor or house floor.

[@Gabriel2536]

It's great, that you do it this way, so you can lay the outlets and stuff in a way you need and have someone show you how to do it right. I remember in our house when we needed another outlet so we pigtailed a cable from another to make this one, but since it housed 4 high-wattage appliances, it kept tripping the breaker if we used more than 2. It took us 2 years to get fed up with this and call for professional help. I was also wondering...did you consider using hemp bricks for the outer walls and if so, why did you decide against it?

[@GriotsMedia]

Love to see how other countries do their wiring. Have you thought about hiding the wiring under faux wood wall beams for easy access? It would also help remind you where not to drill in the future.

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

One big difference in US wiring is that if you are using conduit the cabling does not have to be inside of a sheath. You can use individual insulated conductors that are typically stranded so they are easier to pull. Also it you are using metal conduit (EMT), the conduit can act as you ground. Wire color codes in the US are different. Black (or sometimes red) is "hot". White is neutral (US uses 240V/120V split-phase). Green (or bare if inside of a sheath) is ground. 240V is uncommon in US residents. It is typical only used for appliances that draw a lot of power (water heater, stove, A/C).

[@markthesparkdj2396]

Thank you Jack for your input! Yes i could use single insulated cables in flexi conduit here in Portugal but as experience tells me Double insulated cables are perfect for older properties ..... I do over engineer my jobs! But that's the way i have always done in Europe!

[@susanfabian1521]

Interesting. 👍

[@mike123abc]

With the walls open so to speak, take some photos especially with some measurements visible (like with meter sticks). It is a lot easier looking at each wall in photos than trying to do it with video in the future when you want to do something new with the wall.

[@offgridwanabe]

Good to have your local expert I would have done all wrong with an open ceiling all the wires would have been run up there and just a few drop downs for the boxes.

[@Cidtalk]

Knowing what I have learned about the two of you from your videos, I would not be surprised if there would be electrical certification courses in your future:)

[@MAKEDOGROW]

I, Kylie, was already Part P certified (it’s the min qualification to be able to do domestic wiring) in the UK …. not really interested in going through exams etc for it here

[@Cidtalk]

@@MAKEDOGROW I knew you would have some desire to accumulate the knowledge and the know how! I am always learning from your videos, and it gives me genuine confidence that I could do so many more of these things myself! For most of your work and projects though, I live vicariously:)

[@andypsunshineisle5655]

Interesting to see the differences in wiring and fittings from the UK. Nice that the wiring is starting from scratch and the users are the installers as any "thats good enough" shady shortcuts are unlikely.All the cabling being used must be the more flexible multi strand conductor type as drawing through of a solid conductor of more than 1mm would get pretty tricky with more than a couple of bends involved. When we used to draw multi cabling bundles into conduits if it looked a tight fit we used french chalk as friction reducer. Could get very messy.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We’re using sheathed cabling and it runs really well in the conduit, even around corners (we tested it). The conduit/pipe is 20mm and the cable is round rather than the UK oblong style, definitely seems to make it run easier. The conduit is also used here for fire protection regs

[@PedrocamaroSS]

didn't even thought safe zones existed, don't know if you guys ever saw the inside of a house in construction here, they normally draw a line to map the circuit before putting in the tubes and the wires, an it's normally in a straight line so i think the safe zones aren't needed because people will know the wires are where the switches stay at, makes sense the safe zones tho

[@mariushegli]

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

[@FransBlaas1]

Lot of work and a bit pity these beautiful stone walls are plastered …. Anyway good luck… liking all your work..😮😊😊

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Wait for it …. not all of them are being plastered 😀 ps. the rooms would be way too dark with all the stone exposed due to the very small amount of light entering the rooms (and not being able to add windows)

[@mk-xq1tt]

Things are happening there!

[@robertgeorge2170]

Yes, very different! In North America all the conduit would have to be braided or metal shielded, puncture resistant "safety conduit", as an alternate to the safety zone idea

[@buteos8632]

That's to cope with tha dangerous practice of running the wiring through the studs and also screwing things on them. I'd say nothing really makes it safe like that, on the other hand if everyone has to do safe zones by code... can't go wrong!

[@michaelellard4664]

Wish we had modern fittings in our home.

[@universoALC]

As far as I could understand from the many news I read, many more houses burn in the United Kingdom because of electrical short circuits than in Portugal! Here in Luxembourg it's the same!

[@IAmThe_RA]

Mainly because of stupid ring final circuits and they also seem to be a fan of non concrete wall which is much more prone to fire than concrete is.

[@uytteb]

Mark is really good at speaking to camera. Does he have any experience presenting? Or did he use to teach perhaps?

[@christinetrewin9717]

I thought that too, good lecture voice, speed and timbre, great on video. He should start a channel ! Wish we’d known about the cable tie trick 20 yrs ago when rewiring our French farmhouse, would have saved a load of time. Great episode, good luck with your work goal !😍😎🇫🇷

[@slanwar]

Here in the states we don't have safe zones as well we use a stud finder which detects if is a live wire behind the wall.

[@buteos8632]

N americans run their wiring through the studs and screw stuff on those same studs, crazy!

[@ruthkirkparick3535]

Would it be a good idea to take photos of the walls after all the conduit is in place? You'd have a visual record of where all the lines are. I'm thinking of this for our own project and we've run into that problem before.

[@Pete-nl8ok]

In the future you may want to hang or attatch something to your walls. If you take photos and measurements of the walls after installing the cable you can have a good idea of where not to do this.

[@Saebb]

In Germany you are also allowed to go straight down and horizontal. Which makes it amazingly easy when you want to drill somewhere...

[@buteos8632]

As in most european countries, such as Portugal. The UK had little copper back in the day, hence the risky but enomical method.

[@perolofjohansson4924]

It seems every country has their own ways of handling the electrics , I think i Sweden we also have the system that you are not allowed to have any lines in a horizontal position all should come from the above and absolutely no diagonal

[@brianobrien9413]

In Spain they make a plastic rawlplug with a loop on top,you just drill a hole in the wall or brick and loop a cable tie through the loop to secure your conduit.You can buy these in any ferreteria (hardware store}they are made of hard plastic so you can use a hammer to secure them in the wall so no metal at all to react or rust in a wall. I was also wondering why bother using a cement to attach the back boxes in the wall in that situation i use expanding foam much quicker and if you `need to remove the box much simpler and quicker to remove .A tip when installing with foam clean the hole first and the mist a little water in the hole then foam will stick much better.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Ohh, those fixings sound great, do they have a special name (so I can see if I can find them on Amazon ES). Regarding foam, we try to use natural and breathable products as much as possible - foam is filled with who knows what 😬

[@allanb9360]

Cool

[@michaeltempsch5282]

If I was setting up a new electric system, I'd go with self powered radio switches and skip the need for switch wires, just straight power runs to sockets and light points. A relay module in the light points , controlled by the switches. Want to add another switch for dual/multipoint control (stairs/hallways etc) because you changed a layout, opened up new door, useage pattern change, etc, it's just a matter of pairing up switches and relays. Switches are thin and can be freely moved...

[@harveythepooka]

Some how putting in wiring makes it seem closer to being done than even plastering the walls. But if I were you, I'd probably attach a picture rail to the floorboards above so you don't have to worry about where the wiring is, maybe not even for you, but if you ever sell the place.