Re-Wiring a house- How to cost save

ConfusedSeller

I am planning a complete rewire of a house before we move in. We will obviously ask the electrician we decide to use, but in peoples experience are there things we can do to keep costs down? Is it worth pulling old wiring out etc before they get there? Also, anything people wish they had done or recommend doing when getting a rewire? 

TELLIT01

Speak to the electrician and ask him if there anything you can do in advance of them arriving to help, and reduce the cost.

Undervalued

75% or more of house wiring work is actually ripping up and refitting floorboards, bashing holes in walls for sockets etc etc rather than joining up cables. Plus electricians and plumbers compete with each other to see who can do the worst woodwork!

I wouldn't pull out existing cables without the electrician's specific say so. They may use some of them to pull new cable through and thus cause less damage!

Frank99

I would check if you need a rewire first, my neighbour paid 6k only to find out they could of got it done for 2k if they had used my regular sparky, i would get an independent survey done first but i would keep the existing wiring in place i'm no expert but i think they use it to chase the wiring in.

SameOldRoundabout

I would test the circuits before having a rewire, you may get away with just adding into what’s already there. When we did a load of work in this house we offered to do the chasing in for cables and sockets and they gave us a decent discount, it was unpleasant going mind (especially as we had black mortar walls) and I don’t think I’d bother again. 

ConfusedSeller

Ok thanks guys. There are 3 different consumer units and some very old wiring/sockets etc so although I really hope it doesn't need a full rewire I think it is probably inevitable!