7.14.1 - Temporary and garden buildings

Many dwelling houses have buildings associated with them which are not directly part of the main structure. These include garages, greenhouses, summer houses, garden sheds, and so on. Many of them have an installation to provide for lighting and portable appliances. It is important to appreciate that the lightweight (and sometimes temporary) nature of such buildings does not reduce the required standards for the electrical installation. On the contrary, the standards of both the installation and its maintenance may need to be higher to allow for the arduous conditions.

Particular attention must be paid to the following:

1. - supplies to such outbuildings must comply with the requirements for overhead and underground supplies stated in {7.13}, Garden layouts are very likely to change over a period of time, so all cables should be buried to a depth of at least 450 mm with a route marker tape at 150 mm. Cable runs must be recorded on careful drawings, and wherever possible should follow the edges of the garden plot,

2. - the equipment selected and installed must be suitable for the environment in which it is situated. For example, a heater for use in a greenhouse will probably meet levels of humidity, temperature and spraying water not encountered indoors, and should be of a suitably protected type,

3. - the earthing and bonding must be of the highest quality because of the increased danger in outdoor situations. All socket outlets should be protected by 30 mA RCDs.