How Much To Rewire?

cargo

"Can't remember"
Yes I collect quotes, and from them you can make a decision of whom to use.
Some times you get the work others you don't.
All goes with the job.

Regards
Plasterer

laird

Having gone through living in a house whilst it was re-wired I would strongly recommend you move out.
Channelling the walls is a noisy, dirty experience that I would not go through again without very good cause.

I paid £3500, Initially I'd had quotes at £4k (BG quoted £5k but that was to be expected).

Overall to complete a 3 bed house with a good specification (solid walls throughout) it took somewhere between 10 and 12 man days.

Nobleck

If you want to cut the cost and feel up to it , offer to do the labouring ie chases etc, remove furniture and carpets as well, this all reduces time for the Electrician to get on with the wiring. Just out of curiosity how do you know the entire house needs a rewire?, has it had a test and inspection? If not you may find that you only need a part rewire, this could save you a bit more cash.

robby-01

sloughflint wrote:

Good question.
I posted somewhere else about having been told that we need a rewire at some point due to aluminium wires/ no earth.
Is it really necessary to do? The house has lasted 40 odd years in its present state.
And if it is necessary, can the rewiring be done bit by bit, room by room as we go along with our modernising plans?

Just because the wiring in your house is working .I.E .the lights and sockets work.It does not mean that it is working correctly.How do you know that if a fault occurs the supply will disconnect within the time specified in the regulations,how do you know that the earthing is up to scratch.
Simple answer you dont.
If your house is wired as you say the chances are it will need major work to bring it up to todays standards.
If the installation has lasted 40+ years then the next one will last longer.
Not bad for an outlay of about 5k especially as it protects you and your family along the way .As well as providing heating and lighting etc etc .
If you get it tested thoroughly between 100-150 pounds for your type of house you will know if it is ok or more importantly if it isn't.
Would you drive a car with forty year old brakes that had never been checked?Course not.
Why not, chances are the car would work fine .
Its the same with electrics in a house ,they appear to work fine until something goes wrong then like the car with dodgy brakes it will keep going when it should have stopped.

I have come across people like yourselves(I am not having a go} many times ,usually about 5 yrs further on from were you are now.House finished ,rooms decorated,life a bed of roses.
I get a call because of a problem with the electrics it can be anything from a constantly blowing fuse to an electric shock and I have to tell them that the wiring has had it.Rewiring is a massive job to undertake in a finished house damage to decoration in every room etc etc.
Get it checked and if it needs it get it done .
It cannot really be done a bit at a time,if you know there are faults why would you want to live with them.
If its ok you have only the cost of the inspection to cover

baldelectrician

I agree with robby, but would like to add;

If you do 'room by room' it creates problems- you are connecting old wiring to new wiring. As a result the old wiring may not be suitable to connect - and may not test correctly.

robby-01

a good electrical contractor.
Not just someone who is registered on a part p scheme they may have only started sparking 5 weeks ago,
Part p registration alone does not cover inspection and testing

home_alone

My son is just having his recently bought big 3 bedroomed house rewired spots everywhere price includes chrome sockets etc cost £2500 but he has his own Plastering firm so no problems with making good at the end.

gary

baldelectrician

Use a registered electrical contractor

You should use a competent person for the work, links below

In Scotland:
Individuals regitered;
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/ListAC.asp
Companies
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchCo.asp?T=Construction&ID=2

In England and Wales:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk

I would suggest a small company (ask around and get references).

If you need a wiring check ask for a periodic inspection report (PIR), but from the sound of things I think this would be a waste of your money (if 2 people who aren't electricians and a surveyor mentioned the electics it must be pretty bad)

lilyann1

Just got our 3rd quote in and its half the price of the first one at £3650!!!
The guy was recommeded by someone who had had an exyension done and some rewiring too. He is registered and comes highly reccommneded so thats our man.
Just have to sort it out and I know its going to be messy.
We cannot move as as have no where to go ,but the guy can do it in just over a week sowe'll just have to grin and bear it.

ban-all-sheds

Gettin_me_own_back wrote:

If the guy is moonlighting and you go with him you only have yourself to blame if it goes wrong. Look at the NICEIC website as anyone carrying out a re-wire must be registered.

That's not true - anybody can do the work, it's just that if they aren't registered with one of the self-certification schemes (of which NICEIC is only one, and far from the best) the work has to be notified to Building Control in advance.

If you are going to have a complete rewire you'll want it to last for as long as possible, so think about where you want in terms of sockets & switches etc, and think about what circuits you'll want. The items on the list below won't all apply to you, but they are worth thinking about:


1. Upstairs ring
2. Downstairs ring
3. Kitchen ring
4. Radial for appliances
5. Cooker circuit
6. Non-RCD circuit for F/F
7. Non-RCD circuit for CH boiler
8. Dedicated circuit for hifi
9. Dedicated circuit for IT equipment
10. Upstairs lights
11. Downstairs lights
12. Immersion heater
13, Loft lights
14. Shower
15. Alarm
16. Supply for outside lights
17. Supply for garden electrics
18. Supply for shed/garage

Plus any peculiarities brought about by your house layout & construction – e.g. in mine because of solid floors and where the rings run, I have a radial just for a socket in the hall, the doorbell and the porch lights.

Plus a few spares on RCD & non-RCD sides for expansion beyond that for future unforeseen needs.

And ask the electrician to use oval conduit, to make any future changes easier.