Rewiring a House is a significant undertaking
Your electrical contractor has recommended that your house, or part of it, be rewired. There are a few reasons that this might be the case. Perhaps you have knob and tube, ungrounded wires, aluminum wire, or otherwise outdated or undersized wiring that presents potential danger and requires an overhaul.
Rewiring is a major process, can cause significant disruption, can be quite expensive, and can leave you with the need to complete drywall/plaster repairs after the electrical work is completed.
We at Wheeler Electric will only recommend rewiring if we feel that it is necessary to ensure that your electrical system is safe and meets all the safety standards. We want to ensure that you understand the process and what it entails, so please consider the following.
Considerations—Technical and Practical
Rewiring can involve more than just replacing old wire. If your electrical panel is undersized or outdated (with a fuse panel instead of breakers for example), providing a new electrical service will likely be the first step.
A new, updated, and larger panel will allow you space in your electrical system to grow with your household needs, so considering future projects, such as heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems, Electric Vehicle chargers (EVSE), new appliances (anything from refrigerators to hot tubs!), or renovations. Your electrician will talk with you about what your current and future needs are to ensure that your system is adequate for your needs.
However, it is possible that the electrical panel is fine—new and large enough for all your needs, but the wires in your home still need to be replaced. Old and frayed, ungrounded, or aluminum wires and knob and tube can all be fire hazards, and your insurance may require that they be replaced, or you wish to do so for peace of mind.
This is a good time to think about minor, or even major, renovations. Think about your house room-by-room. Are there areas where you would like better lighting, more electrical outlets or outlets with USB capability? Are there switches that you would like to have moved, light fixtures that need to be replaced, or lights that flicker when another appliance is turned on? These changes and fixes can be done much more quickly and efficiently while your electrical contractor is already working in the walls to re-wire the circuits.
There is certain to be some cosmetic damage to repair after an electrical rewiring project, so combining projects could be the right choice for you. We’ve had the experience far too often that a homeowner says, after a major project, “I’d really like this done”, and it is something that would have been a minor addition during the re-wiring, but is a much more significant consideration after the rewiring work has already been done.
A great suggestion for thorough planning is to make up a simple drawing of your home that includes floorplan, circuit numbers, location of major appliances, electronics, lights, switches, and sockets, along with notes about where you would like to make additions or changes. Review the drawing with your electrician, who may suggest changes due to safety, practicality, or cost considerations. Ensure that you are comfortable with the plan before work begins and be aware that changes will add time and cost to the job. Sometimes, what seems like a simple change might in fact require complex wiring.
Budgeting Considerations
You can ask your electrical contractor for a quote for something like a service upgrade, and therefore know the cost of that part of the project in advance. However, because it is impossible to know the extent of re-wiring without looking into your walls, it is likely that this part of the project will be charged on a time-and-materials basis.
Speak to your electrician about your budget limitations and consider options like doing the work on a room-by-room or circuit by circuit basis, rather than a whole-house project.
Taking on some of the preparation and clean-up work can reduce the costs, allowing the electrician to get right to work. Moving furniture, pulling up carpets/rugs, clearing rooms in advance, and ensuring that your current panel directory is properly labeled, will reduce the time the electrician needs to spend doing this work.
At Wheeler Electric we do not recommend that you cut costs by using cheap materials. Ideally, this will be a system that you can expect to work safely and efficiently for decades, and the quality of the materials will be a large part of the lifespan of your system. If we need to make adjustments based on availability of materials, we will discuss with you any changes to help you make an informed decision.
Prepare for Disruption
Rewiring is one of the most disruptive home renovation jobs. Wires run throughout your house, and accessing them often means lifting carpets and floorboards, and opening walls and ceilings. Your electrician does not provide drywall or plaster repair, and while we will do our best to minimize any holes, you can be certain to have some patchwork and paint touch-ups to perform at minimum.
In extreme cases, the rewiring project could take several days and may require that electricity to several rooms or the whole house is not available. If this is the case, your electrician will be clear and may recommend that for your convenience, you consider staying somewhere else while the work is being done.
The images below provide some examples of the minimal damage that can be expected when re-wiring an old home. Holes in the ceiling allow us to gain access to the old wires and to run new wires through the walls and ceiling. You'll note that we always try to avoid cutting holes in walls with wallpaper, as this is more challenging to repair than plaster. You will need to arrange for patching and repair work to be done after your re-wire is completed.
