First fix missed before the floor closes
Pipework and cabling that should have been laid before the screed went down has to be surface-run or chased in afterwards: slower, uglier and more expensive than doing it in the right week.
5 Hysopp Close, Hednesford, Cannock, WS11 7XAinfo@parker-james.co.uk
Our Services
Plumbing, Heating and Electrical Works in Cannock: On the Same Programme as Your Build
The trades your project depends on, run by the firm running the job, so first fix happens when the structure is ready and second fix happens when the plaster is dry, not three weeks after either.
- 40 years' building experience
- 10-year QANW structural guarantee
- £2,000,000 public liability insurance
40 years
of building experience behind the work
Family run
since 2013, you deal with Wayne Nolan
£2,000,000
public liability insurance in place
10-year guarantee
insurance-backed QANW cover on structural work
Mon–Sat, 9am–6pm
when you can reach us
What these works cover on a building project
Every project we build has a services element: hot and cold water, waste and soil, heating pipework and emitters, lighting, power, and the circuits that feed appliances and bathrooms. On an extension that means extending the heating system and running new circuits from the consumer unit. On a loft conversion it means an en-suite, a soil connection and a new lighting and power layout. On a kitchen it means dedicated appliance circuits and repositioned waste.
We carry out those works ourselves as part of the build. That is the difference between services designed into a project and services squeezed into it afterwards.
Who this is for
It is for clients having us build an extension, orangery, conservatory, loft conversion, garage conversion, kitchen or structural alteration who do not want to project-manage separate trades around our programme. Coordination is the single biggest cause of overrun on domestic building work, and it is the thing clients least want to spend their evenings doing.
It is also relevant when services need altering as part of a build: relocating a boiler that sits in a garage being converted, moving a consumer unit, rerouting a soil stack that runs through a new opening, or extending a heating system that has to serve additional rooms.
Why coordination is the whole point
Services work happens in two visits: first fix, when pipes and cables are run before walls and floors are closed, and second fix, when outlets, radiators and fittings are installed after plastering. Both sit inside narrow windows in the build programme. Miss the first fix window and floors and walls have to be reopened. Miss the second fix window and the job sits finished but unusable.
Because the same firm controls the structure and the services, those windows are simply part of one schedule. There is no chasing a subcontractor who is on another site, and there is no argument about who was supposed to leave the duct in the wall.
What goes wrong
What it costs when plumbing, heating & electrical works are done the cheap way
Extending a heating system beyond its capacity
Adding rooms to a system already at its limit produces radiators that never get hot at the end of the run. Capacity is checked before the extension is heated, not after complaints start.
Waste runs without adequate fall
New bathrooms and kitchens fail on drainage geometry more than on anything else. Insufficient fall gives slow drainage, blockages and smells inside a finished room.
Uncertified electrical work
Notifiable electrical work without proper testing and certification cannot be signed off, and the missing paperwork surfaces during a sale or an insurance claim.
Trades booked independently
The most common client mistake is arranging their own plumber and electrician to save money and then paying for it in weeks of dead programme while everyone waits on everyone else.
How we work
Five stages, in this order,
on every project we take on
Step 1
Services survey and design
Existing system capacity, pipe routes, drainage falls, consumer unit condition and circuit availability are all assessed before the programme is set.
Step 2
Layouts agreed with you
Socket, switch, lighting, radiator and outlet positions are agreed against how you will use the room, before anything is fixed.
Step 3
First fix
Pipework, waste, cabling and back boxes installed while the structure is open, pressure tested and left in a state the next trade can build over.
Step 4
Second fix and commissioning
Radiators, sanitaryware, sockets, switches, lighting and appliance connections fitted after plastering, then tested and commissioned.
Step 5
Certification and handover
Work tested and certified by the qualified trades carrying it out, building control notified where required, and everything demonstrated to you at handover.
What you get
The difference it makes
once the job is finished
No gaps in the programme
Services sit inside the build schedule rather than waiting on an outside diary, which is where most delay comes from.
One firm responsible for the whole job
If a pipe route and a steel position conflict, it is resolved internally rather than becoming a dispute between contractors.
Outlets where you actually want them
Positions agreed with you before first fix means no rethinking sockets and switches after the plaster is on.
Services designed with the structure
Ducts, chases and drainage routes are planned into the build rather than cut into it afterwards.
Tested and certified work
Systems are pressure tested, and electrical work is tested and certified by the qualified electrician carrying it out, as part of the handover documentation.
Covered by the same insurance
£2,000,000 public liability applies across the whole project, not just the parts one trade carried out.
In detail
Plumbing, Heating & Electrical Works: methods, materials and variations
Plumbing and drainage
Plumbing work on our projects covers hot and cold supplies in copper or plastic, isolation valves at sensible points, appliance connections, and waste pipework designed with the falls and trap arrangements that keep it working. New bathrooms and en-suites are planned around the soil stack position, and where a new connection to the existing drainage is required, that is designed with access and rodding points rather than buried blind.
Water pressure and flow are checked at survey. A loft en-suite fed from a system that cannot deliver pressure at that height needs either a different system arrangement or a pump, and that is a decision made at design stage, not at second fix.
Heating: extending systems, radiators and underfloor
Extending a heating system into new rooms starts with whether the existing boiler and pipework can serve the additional load. Where capacity allows, new circuits are run and balanced so flow reaches the end of the system. Radiator positions are chosen for both heat distribution and furniture layout, and pipework is run under floors during first fix.
Underfloor heating suits new insulated floors in extensions, orangeries and garage conversions particularly well, because the insulation and screed build-up is being laid anyway. It gives even heat, frees wall space entirely and works well with tile and engineered floor finishes. The choice between underfloor and radiators is made against the floor build-up, the heat source and the room's use.
Electrical work in extensions and conversions
Electrical works include new circuits from the consumer unit, socket and lighting layouts, dedicated circuits for cooking appliances and showers, external lighting and sockets, extraction, and any consumer unit upgrade needed to support the additional load. Bathrooms and en-suites carry specific zoning requirements for fittings and protection.
Cabling is run at first fix with back boxes set to the agreed layout, and second fix follows plastering. Work is tested and certified by the qualified electrician carrying it out, and notifiable work is dealt with through building control as part of the project rather than as a separate arrangement you have to make.
Boilers, meters and existing services in the way
Older properties frequently have services exactly where the new work needs to go: a boiler on the wall being removed, a gas meter inside a garage being converted, a soil stack passing through the position of a new opening, or a consumer unit in an understairs cupboard being reconfigured.
These are identified at survey and priced into the estimate rather than discovered on site. Boilers and meters must remain accessible and correctly ventilated, and relocations are planned so the finished room does not have a service cupboard designed around it as an afterthought.
Where we carry out services work
Plumbing, heating and electrical works are carried out as part of our building projects across Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley, Lichfield, Stafford, Birmingham, Solihull, Telford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Derby.
Questions
Plumbing, Heating & Electrical Works: your questions answered
How much do the plumbing, heating and electrical works cost?
They are priced as part of the project scope, based on the number of rooms, outlets, drainage routes and any system upgrades needed. Everything appears as itemised lines in your written estimate.
Do you carry out these works separately from building projects?
Our services work is provided as part of the building projects we carry out, so the trades stay on one coordinated programme. Tell us what you have in mind and we will be straight with you about whether it suits.
Can you extend my existing heating system into an extension?
In most cases yes. We check whether the boiler and pipework can carry the additional load first, and tell you if an upgrade is needed rather than adding radiators that will never get hot.
Can you fit underfloor heating?
Yes, and new insulated floors in extensions, orangeries and garage conversions are the ideal place for it, because the floor build-up is being constructed anyway.
Is the electrical work certified?
Yes. Electrical work is carried out and certified by a qualified electrician, and notifiable work is dealt with through building control as part of the project.
Can you move my boiler or consumer unit?
Where the project requires it, yes, with accessibility and ventilation requirements planned in at survey rather than worked around at the end.
When do the services works happen in the build?
In two stages: first fix before floors and walls close, and second fix after plastering. Both are scheduled inside our own programme.
Can I choose where sockets and radiators go?
Yes, and we agree those positions with you before first fix, because changing them afterwards means opening up finished surfaces.
How long do the works take?
They run within the overall build programme rather than as a separate job, so the timeline is the project timeline set out in your estimate.
Which areas do you cover?
Cannock, Lichfield, Stafford, Birmingham, Solihull, Telford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and the surrounding towns.
Related services
House Extensions
Single and double storey extensions that add genuine living space and lasting value to your home.
Kitchen Installations
Full kitchen fits including joinery, plumbing, electrics, tiling and making good.
Loft Conversions
Unused roof space turned into a bedroom, office or en-suite, with building control sign-off handled.
Garage Conversions
A fast route to an extra room, fully insulated, plastered and finished to match the rest of the house.
Where we work
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