When electrifying a shed or cabin, does the wiring HAVE to be underground?

hatrickpatrick

Been looking into getting a log cabin for the back garden. Was just wondering, as every guide I've seen for wiring one up involves underground wiring, is this the only way to do it? Could it be possible, for example, to run reinforced pipes along the garden wall to the cabin instead, and wire through those? Or anything like that?

The reason I ask is because our garden is heavily landscaped with large patio slabs covering the whole thing and several "levels" with little walls going up to the next level. There's also a large well on the side between the house and where the shed would go. So underground wiring would quickly become an absolutely monstrous and ridiculously complicated project.

That being said, is there any safe alternative to underground wires?

gutteruu

Just use SWA (steel wire armoured). Clipped to wall. No fancy trunking needed.

TopTec

I re-wired an old dairy, opposite my place on the lane I live on. My electrician and I ran armoured cable from the fuse box in my cottage, into the loft, along its length and out to a existing telegraph pole in the garden, then across the lane to a second redundant pole and down it and into the dairy.

The cable was cable tied to a steel cable for support with sprung fixings at either end.

So I think it is up to you. As long as it is safe. Get it checked by a qualified electrician to be sure.

TT