What the electrical work costs
For a standard attic conversion in Limerick, the electrical element typically runs €1,200 to €3,000. That is the wiring, not the whole conversion.
| Element | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Lighting, sockets and switching for one room | €700–€1,400 |
| Interlinked smoke and heat alarm system | €400–€900 |
| Extra circuit back to the board | €200–€400 |
| Consumer unit upgrade, if needed | €350–€600 |
Your fuse board usually decides the price
An attic conversion adds circuits. If your board has spare ways and modern protection, they go straight in. If it is full, or it is an older board with a single RCD covering everything, it has to be upgraded first.
This catches people out because the builder quotes the conversion and the electrician later finds the board cannot take it. Have someone look at the board before you finalise the budget, not after the joists are up. What a board upgrade involves.
Alarms are not optional
Adding a habitable storey changes the fire safety requirements of the whole house. In practice that means interlinked smoke and heat detection covering each storey, so an alarm triggering in the attic sounds downstairs as well, and vice versa.
This is the part most likely to be skimped on by whoever is cheapest, and the part an engineer will look for if the conversion is ever assessed during a sale. Have it wired and certified properly.
Things worth deciding early
Where the sockets go
Attic rooms usually have sloped ceilings and limited full-height wall, so socket positions are more constrained than in a normal room. Work out where the bed, the desk and the TV go before first fix, not after.
Lighting under a slope
Recessed downlights need depth that a sloped ceiling may not have, and cutting into insulation causes its own problems. Surface or track lighting is often the better answer, and it is cheaper.
If it is going to be an office
Say so at the start. A home office wants more sockets, a data run if the Wi-Fi is weak two floors up, and better task lighting than a bedroom needs.
Certification
New circuits are controlled electrical work, so the job must be carried out and certified by a registered contractor, and you should receive a Completion Certificate. Keep it with your conversion paperwork. When you sell, the attic is exactly the thing a buyer's surveyor will ask about. How to check a contractor is registered.
Get this priced
Send your eircode, a photo of the fuse board, and a line about what you need. Most jobs can be quoted without a call-out.