The walls here are not what most electricians expect
EV Charger Installation in Norlane
Norlane is Victorian Housing Commission housing built between 1947 and 1976 with the peak from 1951 to 1957, some 2,464 houses in total. More than 1,200 of them were prefabricated units shipped in from Holland and France, and they do not behave like standard brick veneer when you open a wall.
- Norlane 3214
- Powercor network
- REC 37223
The short answer
EV charger installation in Norlane 3214 has one complication nowhere else in the region has. Of the 2,464 Housing Commission houses built here between 1947 and 1976, more than 1,200 were prefabricated units imported from Holland and France, and their wall construction is not what an electrician expects from conventional Australian brick veneer, so cable routes have to be confirmed rather than assumed. Powercor is the distributor. Expect $800 to $3,500 for a board and $1,200 to $2,200 for the charger.
From one of our jobs
A Tesla Wall Connector on a dedicated 32A circuit
Photographed on site in Melbourne’s west. REC 37223.
Knowing that before quoting is the difference between a clean job and a surprise. The blocks themselves are excellent to work on, uniform with wide frontages and clear side access, so once the cable route is settled the rest of a Norlane charger job is straightforward.
The prefabricated houses and the cable route
More than 1,200 of the houses here are imported prefabricated units from Holland and France. The wall construction is not conventional Australian brick veneer, the cavity behaves differently, and the fixing substrate is not what a bracket is normally specified against. An electrician who has only worked standard stock will guess wrong.
So we confirm the route rather than assume it. That means opening a small inspection point at the quote stage where the wall type is not obvious, and choosing the mounting position around what the wall can actually take. It adds a little time at the front of the job and it removes almost all of the risk from the back of it.
Wall type confirmed first
We identify whether it is a prefabricated unit before we commit to a cable route or a mounting position.
Fixings specified to substrate
A bracket specified for brick veneer is not automatically right on these walls.
Route decided at the quote
Not on the day with a drill in hand. That is how a straightforward job goes wrong here.
Wired for a Ford wage in 1953
These houses were built for Ford, International Harvester and phosphate works employees in the early 1950s, and the original installations were sized for a fraction of a modern household load. A charger drawing 32A continuously is a very different proposition to what the designer had in mind.
In practice that means the board and often the consumer mains both need looking at, not just the board. Replacement runs $800 to $3,500 depending on scope, and we quote it separately from the charger so you can see which part of the invoice is the car and which part is the house catching up.
Original sizing
Sized for a 1950s household load. A 32A continuous charging circuit is well outside that assumption.
Mains as well as board
A new board fed by original consumer mains still cannot carry the load. We check both.
Quoted separately
$800 to $3,500 for the supply side, $1,200 to $2,200 for the charger install itself.
Asbestos and how a board comes off
Housing of this vintage frequently has asbestos in sheeting and meter box backing, which changes how a board is removed. It has to be identified before anyone cuts or drills, and on the prefabricated units it is worth being especially careful because the construction is unfamiliar.
We look at the meter box and the intended penetrations at the site visit and tell you plainly whether a licensed removal step is required. That keeps the timeline honest. It also means the quote you get is the quote you pay rather than an opening position.
Meter box backing
Frequently asbestos sheet on this vintage. It changes the method and sometimes the timeline.
Identified at the quote
Not discovered with the board already off, which is how a one day job becomes a three week one.
Unfamiliar construction
On the prefabricated units we are more cautious about penetrations because the build-up is not standard.
Uniform blocks make the rest of it easy
The Commission blocks here are uniform with wide frontages and clear side access, laid out for standardised house types rather than individual designs. Once the wall type and the board are settled, getting cable to a carport or a rear garage is about as simple as it gets in this region.
One practical benefit of standardised estates is that the streets repeat. When we have done a charger on one house type in Norlane we know what the next one of that type looks like, which is why we book work here in blocks and why that scheduling genuinely helps the price.
Clear side access
External conduit runs are the default here, which is the cheapest way to reach a rear parking position.
Standardised house types
The streets repeat, so the second job on a given type is faster than the first.
Booked in blocks
We schedule Norlane work together, which is how the travel from Altona stays off a single invoice.
Single phase, running costs and the paperwork
Norlane streets are single phase on the Powercor network, so 32A and about 7.4kW is the ceiling, adding 40 to 50km of range per hour. That is not a limitation for a car that sits at home overnight, and a phase conversion here would be money far better spent on the board.
Where a charger pays for itself in this suburb is the running cost. Charging at home overnight on an off peak tariff is a fraction of the price of public charging, and for a household making the drive to Melbourne several days a week that difference is substantial rather than marginal.
32A single phase
About 7.4kW, or 40 to 50km of range per hour, which fills any car overnight.
Off peak scheduling
Set at commissioning so the cheapest window is used without anyone managing it.
Certificate of Electrical Safety
Issued under REC 37223 with the commissioning current recorded, plus a 100% workmanship guarantee.
On the ground
Norlane specifics
- More than 1,200 of the houses here are imported prefabricated units from Holland and France. Their wall construction is not what an electrician expects from conventional brick veneer, so cable routes and fixings are confirmed rather than assumed.
- The estate was built between 1947 and 1976 for Ford, International Harvester and phosphate works employees, so original installations were sized for a fraction of a modern household load. Consumer mains often need checking alongside the board.
- Housing of this vintage frequently has asbestos in sheeting and meter box backing, which changes how a board is removed. We identify it at the site visit rather than mid-job.
- Uniform Commission blocks with wide frontages and clear side access make the cable run genuinely easy here, and the standardised house types mean the second job on a given type is faster than the first.
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Answers
Norlane questions
Their wall construction is not conventional Australian brick veneer, because more than 1,200 of them were shipped in from Holland and France in the 1950s. The cavity behaves differently and the fixing substrate is not what a bracket is normally specified against. We confirm the wall type before committing to a cable route or a mounting position.
Often you cannot tell from the street, which is exactly why we check. Where the wall type is not obvious we open a small inspection point at the quote stage rather than guessing. It adds a little time at the front of the job and removes most of the risk from the back of it, which is a trade worth making here.
Very likely. These houses were built for Ford and International Harvester employees in the early 1950s and the original installations were sized for a fraction of a modern household load. We check the consumer mains as well as the board, because a new board fed by original mains still cannot carry a 32A continuous charging circuit.
Only if it is discovered late. Housing of this vintage frequently has asbestos in sheeting and meter box backing, and it changes how a board is removed. We look at the meter box and the intended penetrations at the site visit and tell you whether a licensed removal step is needed, so the timeline you are given is the real one.
Less than in most of the region. The Commission blocks are uniform with wide frontages and clear side access, so an external conduit run is the default rather than a roof space route. Underground crossings run $60 to $120 per metre with trenching and reinstatement, but an overhead run along a fence line is usually possible and costs less.
Yes, on a scheduled basis. It is about 55km from our base, which makes it one of the closer parts of the region, but we still book work here in blocks and nominate the week rather than the hour. Powercor runs the network here and in our own area, so the load addition process is one we already use regularly.
Other work we do in Norlane
- Electrician in NorlaneTwelve hundred prefabricated houses that do not open like brick veneer
- Solar installation in NorlaneThe houses shipped in from Holland and France
- Home battery in NorlaneKnow the wall before you hang anything on it
- Split system in NorlaneThe wall you are drilling is not what you think it is
- Heat pump hot water in NorlanePrefabricated walls, original boards, off peak tanks
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