Garden & Outdoor Electrics in Slough
Weatherproof sockets, power to sheds and garden offices, hot tub supplies and garden lighting. All properly protected, buried and certified for the way we actually use our gardens.
I'm Billy, and a big chunk of my week is spent turning gardens into proper working, usable spaces. Since so many of us started working from home, the garden office has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have, and every one of them needs real power out there: sockets, lighting, heating, the lot. That's the sort of outdoor work I do day in, day out across Slough and the villages around it.
Outdoor electrics are a different beast to indoor work. Everything outside has to cope with rain, frost and the odd mower or spade, so it gets treated differently from the moment I plan the route. The fittings are IP-rated to keep water out, the circuits are RCD-protected so they cut out instantly on a fault, and the cable running across your garden is armoured SWA buried at the right depth, not a lead trailed over the lawn.
Outdoor sockets done right
A weatherproof socket on the back of the house sounds simple, and for me it is, but there's more to it than screwing a box to the wall. It needs to sit on an RCD-protected circuit, use a proper IP-rated enclosure, and be wired so water can never get to the connections. Get that right and you've got somewhere safe to plug in the mower, the pressure washer, Christmas lights or a patio heater without an extension lead snaking out through a window.
Power to sheds, offices and hot tubs
This is where the armoured cable comes in. To get power out to a shed, workshop, garden room or hot tub, I run SWA (steel wire armoured) cable from your consumer unit, buried at the correct depth so it's protected from spades and roots, and terminate it into a small board at the far end with its own sockets and lighting. The riverside gardens down in Datchet, the bigger family plots out in Wexham, the summerhouses and garden studios all over Burnham... they've all had this treatment. Hot tubs in particular need their own dedicated, correctly sized supply with a local isolator, and I always work to the tub's own spec so it's safe and the warranty stays intact.
Garden and security lighting
Good garden lighting changes how a space feels of an evening, and it's practical too. I design and install lighting that picks out the planting, washes a patio or lights a path, all on weatherproof fittings and a protected circuit. On the security side, PIR floodlights over a driveway or back gate are one of the cheapest deterrents going, and I set them so they light what matters without blinding the neighbours. For interior LED downlights, kitchen and feature lighting, see lighting installation.
Why DIY outdoor power goes wrong
I get called out to more than a few gardens where a well-meaning bit of DIY has gone bad. The usual culprits are extension leads left out in the weather, sockets that aren't really weatherproof, and cable buried too shallow with no armour and no RCD behind it. Water and electricity outdoors is exactly where the wiring regulations get strict, because it's where faults turn into shocks. Every outdoor circuit I install is RCD-protected and, where it's a new circuit, notified under Part P and handed over with the certificate, so it's safe, it's legal, and it stands up when you sell the house or claim on insurance.
Outdoor Work I Do
- Weatherproof outdoor sockets (IP-rated, RCD-protected)
- Armoured SWA cable runs to sheds and garden offices
- Dedicated hot tub and spa supplies
- Power to garden rooms, workshops and summerhouses
- Garden lighting design and installation
- Security and PIR floodlights
Done Safely & Properly
- Every outdoor circuit protected by an RCD
- IP-rated fittings that keep water out
- Correctly buried and armoured cable, not garden extension leads
- Proper earthing and cable sizing for the load
- Part P certified and notified where required
- Full testing and certificate on completion
Built For The British Garden
Weatherproof
IP-rated sockets and fittings built to shrug off British weather all year.
Buried Properly
Armoured SWA cable run at the right depth so it's safe and lasts decades.
RCD-Protected
Every outdoor circuit trips instantly on a fault, keeping the garden safe.
Certified
Part P notified where needed and handed over with the paperwork.
Common Questions
What supply does a hot tub need?
Most hot tubs want their own dedicated, RCD-protected circuit run from your consumer unit, usually on armoured cable with an outdoor isolator switch nearby. The exact requirement depends on the tub's rating and how far it sits from the board, so I always check the manufacturer's spec before quoting. A shared socket or garden extension lead won't cut it and isn't safe.
Can you run power out to my shed or garden office?
Yes, that's one of my most common outdoor jobs. I run armoured SWA cable from your consumer unit out to the shed, garden room or office, buried at the correct depth, and fit a small board out there with its own sockets and lighting. Great for the WFH garden offices that have popped up all over Wexham and Burnham. The job comes down to the cable run and any trenching, which I'll assess on a free visit.
Do outdoor sockets have to be RCD-protected?
Yes. Any socket or circuit used outdoors must be protected by an RCD (30mA) so it cuts the power in a fraction of a second if there's a fault or someone catches a cable. It's a wiring-regulations requirement, not optional, and it's exactly what stops an outdoor fault from becoming a shock. If your board is old and has no RCD, I'll sort that as part of the work.
How much does outdoor electrical work cost?
It depends almost entirely on the cable run and whether trenching is involved, so I can't give a fixed figure over the phone. A socket on an outside wall is a small job; a buried armoured run across the garden to a hot tub or office is a bigger one. I come out, look at the route, and give you a clear no-obligation quote with no pressure and no hidden extras.
Why not just use an outdoor extension lead?
Extension leads run across a garden are one of the most common things that go wrong. They're not weatherproof at the joins, they trip over, mowers catch them, and water gets in. Proper outdoor power means fixed IP-rated sockets on a protected circuit, wired to last. It's safer, it's tidier, and it adds value rather than being a trip hazard by the back door.
Do I need certification for garden electrics?
Adding a new outdoor circuit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. As a Part P registered electrician I notify it and hand you the certificate, which matters for insurance and when you come to sell. DIY outdoor power that isn't certified can invalidate cover and often has to be redone properly anyway.