Branksome, Branksome Park and the chines
EICR Branksome: from pine wrapped houses to the lets by the station
Branksome EICRs from £160
Branksome covers a lot of ground. Large detached houses under the pines, apartment blocks with sea glimpses, and busy rented streets near the railway. Whatever the property, the price comes from one table and you know it before we arrive.
Jump to: Prices · Park and town · Large houses · Pools and saunas · Apartment blocks · Owners who live away · Pines and sea air · Station side lets · Included · Codes · Questions · More pages
Branksome prices, set by your circuit count
One flat rate per band of circuits, wherever the house stands. A big Branksome Park home often runs past sixteen circuits once a garage board, a pool house and outside lighting are counted, so the last row matters more here than in most places.
| Circuits counted | A typical Branksome example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 | Apartment in a purpose built block | £160 |
| 7 to 10 | Terrace or bungalow near Poole Road | £210 |
| 11 to 15 | Detached family house | £265 |
| 16 or more | Large house with sub boards and outbuildings | £345 covers 16, then £20 for each circuit after that |
Count every breaker on every board, sub boards included, but not main switches or surge devices. Send a photo of each and we confirm the total in writing.
Replacing an elderly board? £675 covers the new unit with the EICR included
A new consumer unit with surge protection, installed and certified, with the condition report on the rest of the installation carried out on the same visit. Read more on fuseboard changes.
Branksome Park and Branksome are not the same place
People say Branksome and mean one of two quite separate neighbourhoods.
Branksome Park, in BH13, is the wooded estate laid out in Victorian times among the pines, running down through The Avenue toward Branksome Chine and the beach. The original villas stood in large plots. Many have since been replaced by apartment blocks, and the houses that remain are often large, extended several times and full of electrical additions.
Branksome proper, mostly BH12, sits further inland around Branksome station and the Poole Road, reaching up toward the open heath of Bourne Valley. It is a working neighbourhood of terraces, semis, bungalows and conversions, with a high share of rented homes.
Both are a short run from Pete's home in Poole.
Large houses: sub boards, outbuildings and long cable runs
The bigger the house, the more places the electrics branch off. In large Branksome Park homes we regularly meet:
- Sub boards in a garage, an annexe or a utility wing, each fed from the main board. We check the cable feeding each one is sized for its load and properly protected at the start.
- Outbuildings such as a double garage, a gym or a garden studio. Some have their own earth rod rather than sharing the house earth, and that arrangement needs testing in its own right.
- Long runs to electric gates, driveway lights and a far corner of the garden, where the length of cable alone can stop a breaker tripping fast enough in a fault.
- Additions by several firms over the years, so labels on the board no longer match what each switch actually controls. We correct the chart as we go.
Pools, hot tubs and saunas
BS 7671 treats swimming pools, saunas and rooms containing a bath or shower as special locations, because water and bare skin lower the body's resistance to a shock. Wherever one exists we look closely at:
RCD protection on the pool pump, heater and lighting; supplementary bonding where the rules call for it; the cable, burial and isolator feeding an outdoor hot tub; and sauna heaters, which run hot and draw a heavy current.
Pumps and filters are not inspected as machinery; we test the supply that feeds them.
Apartment blocks and managing agents
Branksome Park has a large number of apartment blocks, and each one holds two kinds of electrical installation.
- Inside each apartment, from its own meter and board onward, the wiring belongs to that owner. An owner or the landlord of a let apartment books an EICR for that home alone, and the first row of the table usually applies.
- Everywhere shared: hallway and stair lighting, emergency lights, door entry, lifts, car park and garden lighting. That is the responsibility of the freeholder or residents' management company, and it needs a commercial inspection of its own. See our commercial page.
If you are a director of a residents' company or a managing agent, we can quote the shared parts and separately quote any owners who want their own apartments done the same week.
When the owner lives somewhere else
A good share of Branksome Park homes are second homes, or apartments owned by people who live elsewhere in the country or abroad. You do not need to be here for us to test.
Keys can come through a letting agent, a concierge or a key safe. Tell us about freezers, alarms or anything on a timer, and we reset clocks before leaving. The signed report arrives by email, followed by a phone call about anything coded.
Pines, sea air and the chines
The chines, Branksome Chine and Branksome Dene Chine among them, are lovely to walk and hard on outdoor electrics. Houses close to them face damp, shade and wind off the sea.
Salt in the air speeds up corrosion on outdoor fittings, exposed terminals and metal boxes. Pine needles block gutters and build up around outside lights. Tree roots shift buried cable over the years. On an EICR we open outdoor accessories where we can, test the insulation of buried runs, and check that every outside socket is protected by an RCD. Any fitting that has started to rust inside gets recorded with a photo.
Station side lets, and the County Gates edge
Around Branksome station and along the Poole Road there are many rented terraces, converted houses and small flats. For landlords here the 2020 regulations set the rules plainly:
- A satisfactory report at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so.
- A copy to each tenant within 28 days of the test, and to the council within 7 days if it asks.
- Any work the report requires done within 28 days, or a shorter time if stated, with written confirmation once complete.
Our landlords and letting agents page covers how we work with tenants in the property. At the eastern end, County Gates is where Branksome meets Westbourne and the Bournemouth side of the conurbation. Streets there are covered at exactly the same prices, and the Bournemouth EICR page covers the neighbourhoods beyond.
What the inspection includes
Every circuit is inspected and tested against BS 7671. The report sets out:
- The condition of each board, including sub boards.
- Insulation readings that reveal tired or damaged cable.
- Loop impedance, so a fault clears in time, even at the end of a long run.
- RCD trip times measured with a test instrument.
- Main earthing, and bonding to incoming gas and water.
- A sample of sockets, switches and fittings opened and checked.
Not part of it: portable appliances, gas appliances, and cable we cannot reach without lifting floors or cutting walls. Concealed cable is still tested electrically. More detail is on our EICR page. An apartment is usually a morning; a large house with a pool and outbuildings can take the whole day, and we say so when booking.
What the codes on the report mean
- C1 Danger present. Made safe before we go. The report is unsatisfactory.
- C2 Potentially dangerous. Needs putting right. The report is unsatisfactory until it is.
- C3 Improvement recommended. Not a fail, simply below today's standard.
- FI Further investigation. Needs tracing before it can be coded. Unsatisfactory until resolved.
You receive a written quote for any C1, C2 or FI and decide who does the work. If it is us, the retest is included and we update the report. The inspection fee does not change with what we find, so there is no reason for us to code anything up.
Branksome EICR questions
From owners, landlords, residents' companies and agents across Branksome.
Is Branksome in Poole or Bournemouth?
Branksome and Branksome Park sit in Poole, close to the Bournemouth border at County Gates, and both have been part of BCP Council since 2019. For an EICR it makes no difference, as we cover the whole area at the same prices.
Is the pool house or garden office included?
Yes. If its supply comes from your installation it is part of the inspection. Its circuits are counted with the rest, including any on a separate board, and the price comes from the same table. A building with its own earth rod gets that earth tested too, because it does not share the house earth and can drift out of range on its own as the ground dries out or the rod corrodes.
Can you test my apartment while I am abroad?
Yes. Arrange keys through your agent, a concierge or a key safe, and let us know about anything that must stay powered. The signed report comes to you by email and we will phone to explain anything that needs work.
Who pays for testing the hallway and lift wiring in our block?
The communal areas are the freeholder's or management company's responsibility, not individual owners'. They need a separate commercial inspection. We can quote it for the residents' company or managing agent directly.
How many circuits does a big Branksome Park house have?
It varies widely, but large houses with a garage board, a pool and garden lighting often have more than sixteen. Send photos of every board and we will count them and confirm the price in writing before booking.
Does living near the sea make my wiring fail sooner?
It does not fail the report by itself, but salt air speeds up corrosion on outdoor fittings and metal enclosures. We check those closely and record anything that has deteriorated, with a photo, so you can deal with it before it becomes a fault.
I let a terrace near Branksome station. What does the law ask of me?
A satisfactory report at least every five years, a copy for each tenant within 28 days, a copy for the council within 7 days if requested, and any required work done within 28 days with written confirmation. We can deal with your tenants directly to arrange access.
Will the inspection damage my decoration?
No. We remove board covers and open a sample of accessories, then put them back exactly as they were. We do not lift floors or cut into walls as part of an EICR.
If the board needs replacing, can that be done on the same visit?
Not usually, because a replacement needs its own booking and parts. We give you a written price, and if you choose the board change offer, the condition report on the rest of the installation is included in that job.
Do you also cover Canford Cliffs and Westbourne?
Yes, both, along with Lilliput, Parkstone and the rest of the conurbation. Prices are the same everywhere we work.
Neighbouring areas are on the Parkstone EICR page and the Poole EICR page.
Book a Branksome EICR
Pick your circuit count, see the price, and send the request. We come back with dates, and can arrange access through an agent or key holder if you are away.