Electrical work for renovations and extensions involves two distinct phases: rough-in (running cables, installing conduit and junction boxes before plastering) and fit-off (installing switches, power points, lights, and making final connections once the walls are finished). Millar Electrics co-ordinates with your builder to ensure both phases are completed on time and to specification. Kitchen and bathroom renovations involve some of the most regulated electrical work in a home — specific requirements around wet area circuits, rangehood wiring, and appliance connections. We're experienced in working within these spaces and liaising with cabinetmakers, plumbers, and builders to ensure the electrical fits the brief.
When to involve us in your renovation
Earlier is better. The most expensive mistakes come from electrical work being treated as an afterthought — power points in the wrong position, no dedicated circuit for the new oven, missing data points in the home office, lighting plans that don't match the cabinetry. We're happy to attend a site meeting before framing starts to walk through your plans and flag anything that needs adjustment.
Compliance and certification
For prescribed electrical work — anything beyond like-for-like fitting replacement — we lodge a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) with Energy Safe Victoria on completion. Most renovation work is prescribed: new circuits, new GPOs, new switchboard, alterations to existing wiring. The COES is required for your final building inspection and stays on file with ESV.
Owner-builders and project managers
For owner-builders, we can act as the responsible qualified person (RQP) for electrical compliance — we lodge the COES under our REC number and remain accountable for the work. For builders running multiple projects we offer scheduled rough-in and fit-off windows that lock in pricing and team availability for the duration of the build.
Standards we work to
Renovation and extension wiring is installed to AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules) — the whole-of-installation standard that governs final sub-circuits, RCD coverage, wet-area zoning, and isolation. New circuits are cable-sized under AS/NZS 3008. Wet-area work in bathrooms and kitchens follows the zone definitions in AS/NZS 3000 Section 6. Where smoke alarms are added or relocated as part of the renovation, placement and interconnection follow AS 3786 and the Victorian Building Regulations. The COES lodged with Energy Safe Victoria records compliance against each of these.
