Laying conduit in preparation for electrical work? UK

Question

I am planning to renovate an external brick garage which currently has no electric fed to it. The plan is to eventually have lights and sockets.

One of the tasks I want to do in the week is add dot and dab plasterboard to the walls as I have some unexpected time free. Unfortunately I can't get an electrician in before I do this due to time constraints on the project and my sporadic annual leave availability with work.

Is it ok if I add (unwired) plug sockets, light switches, light fixtures, and plastic conduit channels throughout the plasterboard to make wiring possible when the electrician is booked in for X months time? I can also in preparation dig a channel in the ground between house and garage ready for cable laying.

I don't plan to do any of the wiring myself. My concern is I don't know enough about electrical work to reliably add enough conduit and junction boxes, or even in the right place, for the electrician.

Is this reasonable approach? Would I be helping an electrician by doing this or just making the problem worse.

Answer 1

Call around to local electricians to see if doing this would cause any problem. Since they don't know your skills, they will likely recommend not doing it, but you never know.

Some of it might be acceptable, while some others would be too risky.

I don't know about the codes where you live, but I believe I've read that in some places the walls and wiring would need to be exposed in order to have an inspector look at them. Since this is just a garage, not sure if you're going the whole "permit" route.

I understand your desire to get things done while you're off work, but don't rush into something that'll cost you more in the long run.