Constructum Code delivers the mechanical and electrical work within our projects across London: electrical installations, heating and plumbing, ventilation and air conditioning. Most of it goes in at first fix, before the plastering — the cheapest point in any build to run a cable or a pipe, and the most expensive to revisit. We also take this on in its own right where the scope warrants a fully managed project — a property-wide rewire, a complete heating system, or air conditioning throughout.
Electrical
Full and partial rewires, consumer unit replacement, lighting and power circuits, data, and external supplies. Installations are designed and tested to BS 7671, with the electrical installation certificate issued on completion.
Most period London houses reach us with a board that predates RCD protection and an installation that has been extended several times without being tested. An electrical installation condition report establishes what is safe to keep before anything is priced, which is usually cheaper than assuming the worst and rewiring throughout.
Heating and plumbing
Boiler replacement and full heating systems, radiators and underfloor heating, hot water cylinders, kitchen and bathroom services, and drainage. Systems are flushed and balanced on completion, and gas work is certificated.
New gas boilers have to meet Boiler Plus, which sets a minimum efficiency and requires one additional control measure — weather compensation, load compensation, flue gas heat recovery or smart controls. Which of those is worth having depends on the system it is going into, not on what is cheapest to fit.
Ventilation
Extract ventilation to kitchens and bathrooms at the rates Part F requires, background ventilation, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery where a property is airtight enough to benefit from it.
This is the part most often value-engineered out of a refurbishment, and the reason a well-insulated house can end up damper than it was before the work.
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Air conditioning
Split and multi-split systems for homes and offices, and larger installations on commercial projects. Refrigerant work is carried out by F-Gas certified engineers, condensate drainage is designed rather than improvised, and the position of the outdoor unit is settled early — on a flat, or in a conservation area, siting can need consent before anything is ordered.
How we work
Survey first. The condition and capacity of the existing installation, the incoming supply, where services currently run, and what can be reused. On a refurbishment this decides how much of the building has to be opened up, which is usually the largest cost in the job.
Approvals. Notifiable electrical work is certificated and registered with building control, gas work is certificated on completion, and where an installation forms part of a wider build it runs through the building control route with everything else.
Costs agreed upfront. An itemised estimate before work begins. Where lifting a floor or chasing a wall reveals something that changes the scope, it is priced, explained and agreed with you before the work proceeds.
One team, one programme. First fix before plastering, second fix after, then testing, commissioning and certification — sequenced so that services are never the thing holding up the finishes.
Minimal disruption. Services work means floors up, walls chased and power off in sections. Both the sequence and the periods without heating, hot water or power are set out in the programme rather than discovered on the day.
Guaranteed on completion. A 12-month guarantee on first fix — the pipework and cabling installed before plastering — alongside the manufacturer warranties on boilers, units and controls, and the test and commissioning certificates for the installation.
Fully insured and accredited. £10m employers’ liability, £5m public liability and £1m professional indemnity cover. Constructum Code Ltd is a TrustMark registered firm, and registered with Certass and FairTrades.
What it costs
Priced by the installation rather than by a rate, because the work is mostly in the access, not the equipment.
- How much has to be opened up. Running new circuits or pipework through a finished house costs far more than through one already stripped back.
- What can be reused. A sound installation that needs extending is a different job from one that has to be replaced.
- Property age and construction. Solid walls, suspended floors and lath and plaster all add labour that a modern house does not.
- System type and specification. Underfloor heating, heat recovery ventilation and multi-split air conditioning sit well above a like-for-like replacement.
- Whether it runs within a wider project. Services installed while the walls are open cost a fraction of the same work retrofitted afterwards.
We price after the survey, so the estimate reflects the installation that is actually there.
Common questions
Will you take on my building services job?
We take on system replacements — a rewire, a heating system, ventilation or air conditioning across a property. A fault, a single circuit or a service visit is work for a local electrician or heating engineer, and we will say so rather than quote for it. Within an extension, loft conversion or refurbishment there is no minimum.
Does the whole house need rewiring?
Often not. An electrical installation condition report tests what is there and grades what it finds, and the result frequently allows sound circuits to be retained with the board, earthing and protection upgraded. Where cabling is rubber or fabric insulated, or the installation has been extended repeatedly without testing, a full rewire is usually the cheaper answer over ten years.
Does air conditioning need planning permission?
The internal work does not. The outdoor unit sometimes does — permitted development covers external units on many houses within size, siting and noise limits, but flats, conservation areas and Article 4 areas are treated differently, and some leases prohibit external units outright. It is worth settling before equipment is ordered.
Can we stay in the property during the work?
For most installations, yes. The disruptive periods are the days when power, heating or hot water are off, and where floors are up across circulation space. Both are identified in the programme so you can plan around them.
