Electrician in South Yarra, VIC
Electrical work in South Yarra
South Yarra is centred on the crossing of Chapel Street and Toorak Road, which had shops by the mid-1850s and still run as its two shopping spines. The work sits in three kinds of building: the Victorian terraces of Park Street, Leopold Street, Domain Road and Darling Street; the apartment blocks that began going up in the 1930s, such as Beverly Hills on Alexandra Avenue; and the shops and flats along the two main roads.
Terraces are narrow and built hard against each other, with a front door straight onto the footpath, so there is nowhere to park a van and tools come in by hand through the hall. The meter box can be on the front wall or in a back lane, and an owner may need to be home to open it. In an apartment block your flat has its own small board, but the main switchboard and the meter room belong to the building, and the manager holds the key.
Terraces from the 1880s land boom were built long before household electricity, so every circuit in them was added later, run through walls, under floors and across ceilings that were never planned for cable. Apartment blocks put up around the station in the 1960s and 1970s have limits of their own: small boards, few spare ways, and risers shared by every flat in the block.
What we do here most
What terraces and flats keep needing
Narrow old buildings and shared blocks. In both, space is tight and much of the job is getting past a wall, a lift or a locked meter room.
Switch Installation
Switches on every floor of a tall terrace
Some terraces here run up three or four floors, with a stair from the front door to the top. Lights on the stair and landings are often switched from one end only, so you carry the dark with you. We add two-way switches at the top and the bottom, and where the plaster is old and decorative we plan the cable route so it does not mean cutting new channels through it.
Circuit Breaker Replacement
An ageing board in a flat or terrace
Boards in 1960s and 1970s flats near the station are small, and the breakers in them are of that age. When one trips, we check what is on the circuit first, then replace it and label the board clearly. In an apartment block, work on the main board is for the building manager to arrange, so we separate what is inside your flat from what is not.
Renovations
A rear extension on a Victorian terrace
Terraces have little room at the back, and an extension is often a single room added behind the old kitchen. The old wiring in the existing rear wall usually has to be traced, cut off and re-run before the new room's circuits can be added. We plan the cable routes and the board position early, because the party walls leave very little space to move things afterwards.
Appliance Installation
A new cooktop in an apartment kitchen
Apartment kitchens are small and built around a fixed layout, so a new oven or cooktop has to use the cable already in the wall. We check the breaker and the cable for that circuit before the old unit is disconnected. Anything that touches the building's main board or the risers is for the building manager, and we keep our work inside your flat.
If it is urgent
If the power drops in a terrace or a flat
- 1Check whether the neighbours or the other flats have lost power too, and look at your own board for a tripped breaker or safety switch.
- 2Leave the building's main board, the meter room and the risers alone, even if you hold a key, and do not reset a breaker that trips straight back.
- 3When you call, tell us the street, whether it is a house or a flat and which floor, where the board is, and who holds the meter room key. We answer the phone at any hour, every day.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What electrical services do you provide?
We do domestic and commercial electrical work. That covers repairs, circuit breaker replacement, switches, outlets, lighting, appliance installation, switchboard upgrades, safety inspections, car chargers, renovations and new builds. The services page lists each one.
What happens when I call?
You describe what is going on: which room, what the power was doing, and whether a breaker has tripped. We ask a few questions and tell you what we think it is and what the next step is. If it is urgent, we say so and deal with that first.
Do you do emergency callouts at any hour?
Yes. We answer the phone at any hour, every day, and emergency callouts run at any hour too. If something smells hot, a switch is sparking or the power will not come back, call rather than send a message.
Do you handle new builds and renovations?
Yes. For a new build we work through the electrical from the switchboard out, including power points, lighting and cabling for appliances, data and security. For a renovation we work around what is already in the walls, and we coordinate with the builder where there is one.
Can you upgrade the switchboard in my older home?
Yes. Older switchboards often struggle with the load of modern appliances and can be a safety risk. We open the board, look at what is there and tell you what needs replacing, whether that is a few breakers or the whole board.
How often should I have an electrical inspection?
About every 5 years for a standard home. Have one sooner when you are buying a property, when the home has outdated wiring, or when breakers trip often. We check the wiring, the switchboard and the circuit breakers, and you get a plain report with recommendations.
Can you install an electric car charger?
Yes. We start with a consultation on your property's electrical system to decide where the charger should go and what suits your car. If the switchboard or wiring needs work to carry it, we do that as part of the job, then test the charger and show you how it works.
Do you install and replace lights?
Yes, inside and out. That includes downlights, pendants, wall lights, LED upgrades, and outdoor and garden lighting. We can also fit switches and dimmers to go with them.
Can you add or replace outlets and switches?
Yes. We fit new outlets where you need them, swap worn or faulty ones, and replace switches. If an outlet keeps failing, we check the circuit behind it rather than just changing the faceplate.
Do you connect ovens, dishwashers and other appliances?
Yes. That includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. Some need their own circuit or a hardwired connection, and we set that up and test it. We can take the old appliance away on request.
What should I send with an enquiry?
Photos help. A shot of the switchboard with the cover open (only if you can do it safely), the faulty fitting, or the room where you want the work done. Add a line on what happened just before it stopped.
Which areas do you cover, and what if my suburb is not listed?
We work across Melbourne and the surrounding areas: the south-east, Casey and Cardinia, plus Box Hill, Hampton and South Yarra. The service areas page lists the places we work most often. If yours is not there, call and tell us the suburb, because the list is not a boundary.
Everything we do here
Services in South Yarra, VIC
These are the services we offer across South Yarra, done here to suit narrow terraces and blocks of flats with shared supply.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Electrical work in South Yarra
Tell us whether you live in a terrace or a flat, and who can open the meter room or let us in. In a block, that one answer decides whether we can start or must wait for the building manager.
0432 167 19624 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead