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House Rewiring Guide
In this guide, we will go over everything you need to know about the cost of house rewiring and what the process of rewiring a house involves, as well as the questions to ask when looking for a local qualified electrician.
If you are considering rewiring a house, always use a registered electrician as it is a complex and high-risk job, whereby any mistakes can prove costly to repair.
Table of Contents
- What Is House Rewiring?
- What Are the Benefits of Rewiring a House?
- Warning Signs That You May Need to Rewire Your House
- How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House?
- How to Rewire a House
- Building Regulations & Planning Permission for House Rewiring
- Questions to Ask When Hiring a House Rewiring Specialist
- FAQs
What Is House Rewiring?
House rewiring is a process whereby a qualified electrician will carry out a full house rewire, including the removal of any old wiring and electrical cables, along with replacing your fuse box with a new consumer unit.
Plug sockets, lighting circuits and light switches are also replaced as part of the electrical rewiring to meet modern safety standards.
It is also worth noting that rewiring a house involves not only turning off your power supply, but a full rewire can also be quite disruptive to other areas of your home life too. Walls and skirting boards may need to be cut into so that new wiring can be hidden out of sight, and it's also possible floorboards may need to be removed to allow access to electrical cables that run under the floor.
As such, a full house rewire is often carried out as part of a wider refurbishment project, or in an emergency due to warning signs that uncover a significant electrical fault as well as risk of electrical fires.
Rewiring your house makes your electrics much safer and more reliable. It also allows you to add more sockets, lights, and switches as needed.
You can even completely move the location of your sockets and switches, allowing you to customise the room to exactly how you want it.
What Are the Benefits of Rewiring a House?
There are several benefits to rewiring a house. Here is a quick look at some of the main benefits:
- Safety — The main reason why you should get your home rewired is to improve the safety of your electrics. This ensures that you and your family remain as safe as possible, and it reduces the risk of many electrical problems.
- Cheaper Insurance — Some insurers may provide cheaper insurance if you have a more reliable electrical system. If you get your electrics regularly serviced, you may be able to make savings on your home insurance.
- Easier to Sell — Upgrading the electrical system in your home means you will have an Electrical Installation Certificate, as well as a Building Regulations certificate if you live in England or Wales. Without these, you may find it difficult to sell your house.
- Prevent Malfunctions — Faulty wiring around your home can affect your appliances. As a homeowner, you will want to ensure that your appliances are in good working order. If you leave faulty wiring, it can start to cause disruptions and could end up costing you a lot of money in appliance repairs or replacements.
Warning Signs That You May Need to Rewire Your House
There comes a time when you may need to replace old wiring around the home due to its age, as the result of a previous electrical fault or down to one of the following warning signs:
- Multiple blown fuses, power surge or short circuits.
- Outdated fuse box, which may mean the wiring is also due for an update.
- Flickering lights, or lightbulbs not lasting.
- Signs of discolouration or cracked plug sockets.
- Buzzing noise from sockets, light fittings or electrics.
- Current wiring is more than 50 years old and hasn't been inspected.
- Issues highlighted within an EICR report.
- Property damage due to flooding or electrical fires.
In the event you need an urgent second opinion outside of regular working hours, you can call an emergency electrician. However, note that minimum call-out fees and additional charges may be included.
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House?
The cost of rewiring a house will depend on several factors, including the size of your home, the location of your property, the type of contractors, the quality of your existing wiring, and the complexity of the rewiring project.
As you can imagine, the cost of rewiring a three-bedroom house is more expensive than the cost of rewiring a two-bed house.
For an accurate quote, it's best to contact a professional who will be able to provide you with a more accurate quote for the work needed on your home.
With MyJobQuote, you can compare multiple quotes from electricians near you, which are fast, free, with no obligation to go ahead.
How to Rewire a House
There are several steps involved in rewiring a house, and unless you are a qualified electrician, it's not something recommended to carry out yourself to try and save on rewiring costs.
Incorrect installations can potentially leave your home unsafe and at risk of causing electric shocks and personal injury, or even electrical fires with devastating consequences. As such, any rewiring project work should be completed by a qualified electrician who is also able to self-certify their work.
With MyJobQuote, you can find local electricians in your area, for a fast and free quote on how much it will cost to rewire your house, with no obligation to go ahead.
Below we take a look at the steps involved with rewiring a house:
Before the Job Starts
- Planning — When planning your house rewiring, you will need to determine the components you want in your property. Once you've decided on this, you'll then need to decide how many lights, switches, and plug sockets you would like in each room and the ideal location for each of these.
- Initial Assessments — Before you go ahead and arrange a complete rewiring job, it's a good idea to get an electrical installation condition report first. This will inform you of whether your existing electrical system is safe and if anything needs upgrading.
During the Job
- Removing Old Wires — Your electrician will remove any old wiring, fuse box and electrical cables.
- New Wires Put into Place — As one of the main steps when rewiring a house, any new electrical wiring is installed either as a direct replacement or as part of a redesign if you are moving any plug sockets or light switches.
- Installing or Moving Components — Once your updated wiring has been fitted, light fittings and switches or sockets are installed or existing ones relocated. As part of this process a hole will need to be cut into the wall or ceiling so that they can be added into place.
After the Job
- Testing the System — Once the rewiring has taken place, you will need a qualified electrician to test the system to ensure that everything is working correctly and complies with modern safety standards. This is carried out using specialist equipment, and you will be given an Electrical Installation Certificate and, in England and Wales, a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Once the tests have been signed off, your rewiring project is now complete.
Building Regulations & Planning Permission for House Rewiring
Planning permission isn't required for internal electrical rewiring. However, work that alters the external appearance of the property can be an exception, and if you're working on a listed home, you will need listed building consent, so it's always best to check with your local council if you're unsure.
In England and Wales, any electrical installation work on your home must comply with the relevant building regulations. Follow the safety standards in BS 7671 (the wiring regulations) which can be found on the British Standards Institution (BSI) website.
A full house rewire is notifiable work in England and Wales. If your electrician is registered with a competent person scheme, they can sign it off themselves, or you will need to go through building control before the work begins. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules, so check before you start.
Questions to Ask When Hiring a House Rewiring Specialist
Below is a list of some questions you should ask when hiring a qualified electrician to carry out a full house rewire:
- Does your contractor have the right qualifications? Ask for their credentials and ensure they are a registered electrician, qualified in rewiring homes and apartments.
- How much experience do they have? Ask if they can provide any reviews and testimonials, or evidence of previous jobs in order for you to determine the quality of their work.
- What equipment will the contractor be using? Ensure they are using the correct tools for the job and following best practices and safety protocols where appropriate.
- Are they fully insured? Look for electricians who at least carry public liability insurance, covering property damage, electric shock and personal injury, along with a guarantee for their work.
- How long will the work take to complete? Ask how long they anticipate the full house rewire to take, and ensure you have a breakdown of the work involved in writing.
- How many contractors will be working on the job? It is a good idea to understand how many people to expect on site, as this will also impact on your overall labour costs.
- Will they follow building regulations? As well as looking for reassurance that their electrical services follow official guidelines, ask which competent person scheme they are on and check their registration, as only registered electricians can self-certify their work.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take to Rewire a House?
On average, you can expect the work to take around 5 to 9 days to complete, providing there aren't any unexpected issues along the way. This involves removing the old wiring system and a full rewire, installing new plug sockets and light fittings and updating the consumer unit. However, the exact duration can vary depending on the size of the property and level of work involved.
How Disruptive Is House Rewiring?
Rewiring a home is a large job that is quite disruptive. The work involves cutting into walls and pulling up the flooring to access underneath the floorboards. It's a lot of work and effort to complete and will likely be quite inconvenient for you while the work is being carried out. There will also be no power to your home during most of the installation.
How Often Does a House Need to Be Rewired?
It is recommended to have your electrics inspected at least every 10 years, or every 5 years in a rented home, because rewiring depends on the condition of your wiring rather than its age. If you are experiencing faults or notice any damage to your system, get them checked straight away.
Is a Deteriorating Wire a Problem?
Yes, over time, deteriorating wiring can become a major fire hazard. If you believe your wiring may be deteriorating, you should call an electrician to complete a survey. This will determine the level of damage and whether any work needs to be done to make your wiring safe.
How Do I Know What Kind of Wiring I Have?
The best way to find out the type of wiring you have is to have an electrical inspection, which will be completed by a qualified electrician. They will determine the type of wiring you have, the age of your wiring system, and any faults present in your current wiring.
Do I Need to Clear Out My Loft for the Installation?
Yes, the electrician will need to work in the loft as part of the job, so you should clear it out as best you can. It's also a good idea to clear away as much furniture as possible in the rest of your home.
What Is Smart Home Wiring?
Smart home wiring involves upgrading your electrical cables to enable the integration of smart devices into your complete home electrical system. These can include anything from lighting and security networks to home entertainment, white goods and even modern electric showers!
