Cost Comparison: Drawing Your Single-Line Diagram Yourself vs. Hiring an Electrician

If you need an electrical inspection in Belgium, you need an up-to-date single-line diagram and a situation plan. The obvious question: do it yourself or hire an electrician? We crunch the numbers for three typical scenarios.

TL;DR — Cost Comparison at a Glance

What Does an Electrician Cost?

Prices for creating a single-line diagram by an electrician in Belgium vary depending on the region, company, and scope of the installation:

Typical Prices (as of 2026)

• On-site survey + single-line diagram: €269-450
• Single-line diagram + situation plan: €350-600
• Electrician hourly rate: €40-60/hour (excl. VAT)
• Rush surcharge: +30-50% for urgent orders
• Travel costs: €30-50 flat rate or per trip

On-Site Survey

For a correct single-line diagram, the electrician must survey your entire installation on-site. For an average home, this takes 2-4 hours:

• Document the distribution board
• Identify and trace all circuits
• Note protection devices (RCDs, circuit breakers)
• Check cable cross-sections
• Record devices in each room

What Does PlanElec Cost?

PlanElec is currently in free Early Access:

• Currently no product fee and no active payment processing
• Available: project planning, switchboard editor, single-line diagram and situation plan as PDF, and an assisted self-check report
• Still roadmap: bill of materials, complete dossier and quotation

Hidden Costs with an Electrician

Beyond the basic fee, there are often hidden costs that drive up the price:

Waiting Time

Good electricians in Belgium are heavily booked. Expect 2-4 weeks of waiting time until your appointment. For urgent matters (e.g., property sale with inspection deadline), this can become a problem — and the rush surcharge drives up the price.

Travel Costs

Many companies charge a travel flat rate of €30-50, especially in rural areas.

Changes Cost Extra

Has something changed since the survey? Forgot a circuit? With most electricians, changes to the finished plan cost extra — often at the hourly rate again.

Second Appointment

Sometimes one visit is not enough. For complex installations or incomplete documentation, a second on-site visit may be needed.

3 Calculation Examples with Concrete Numbers

Example 1: Existing Plan for Inspection (Single-Family Home, ~12 Circuits)

With an electrician:

With PlanElec:

*Your own time is not free. Depending on the project, survey, professional review, and inspection costs may also apply.

Savings depend on your own effort and the professional support required.

Example 2: New Build (18 Circuits, 3-Bedroom Apartment)

With an electrician:

With PlanElec:

No fixed saving can be calculated responsibly without assessing the project.

Example 3: Property Sale (Urgent, Inspection in 2 Weeks)

With an electrician:

With PlanElec:

Actual savings depend on the project and the professional support required.

With a property sale, the time factor also plays a role: with PlanElec, you can start immediately instead of waiting 2-4 weeks for the electrician.

When to Hire an Electrician Anyway

There are situations where an electrician is the better choice:

• Complex industrial installations: Installations with dozens of circuits, frequency converters, or compensation systems go beyond PlanElec's scope.
• Extensive installations: From 30+ circuits, planning can become demanding (three-phase is increasingly standard in Belgian single-family homes and is not a complexity indicator on its own).
• When you feel uncertain: If you do not know your installation or feel uncomfortable with electrical engineering, professional help makes sense.
• Old installations without documentation: For very old houses (pre-1981) without any documentation, the survey can be complex.

Drawing It Yourself — Is That Really Possible?

Important: Anyone is permitted to draw the plans. The installation work itself, however, must be carried out by a licensed electrician.

PlanElec can also be used by non-specialists for technical documentation. It does not replace professional expertise, an electrician, or an inspection body:

1. Step-by-step wizard guides you through the process
2. Electrical symbol library supports consistent representation
3. Automatic layout reduces manual drawing work
4. AREI self-check flags supported planning issues
5. PDF export provides a basis for professional review

What you need to know: which devices are in which room and how your distribution board is set up. You can document this yourself on-site.

Note: A self-created diagram is checked just as strictly during the inspection as one from a professional — a diagram created with PlanElec does not automatically mean a positive inspection. The diagram must correctly reflect the actual as-built state of your installation.

Conclusion

PlanElec is currently free during Early Access, but professional review and the official inspection remain separate services. For private individuals, it is therefore a supplementary technical option, not a replacement for an electrician.

Related Articles

• PlanElec vs. Excel/Paper

Save Money on Your Single-Line Diagram

Create your electrical project with PlanElec in the currently free Early Access, directly in the browser. The self-check report is guidance and does not replace an official inspection. Get started now →