How much does a rewire cost, and what moves the price

How much does it cost to rewire a house?

A full rewire with Harry costs from £2,500 for a 1 bed property up to £6,000 for a house with 5 or more bedrooms. That includes a new consumer unit, a ceiling light and 3 sockets in each room, and cables chased into the walls as standard. Filling the chases with a bonding coat is an optional extra at £300 to £500. The real price depends on the size and layout of the house, how many sockets and lights you want, whether people are living in it, and how easy it is to get under the floors and into the loft. Harry fixes the price after he has seen the house.

To get a guide figure for your own home, use the rewiring cost calculator on this site. It asks about bedrooms, lighting, sockets and finish, and gives you a price range rather than a single number.

Guide prices by number of bedrooms

All of these are guide prices for a full rewire, including a new board, with cables chased in. They are a starting point, not a quote.

What moves the price up or down

• Empty or lived in. An empty house is quicker. Working around furniture and keeping some power on for a family adds time.
• Number of sockets and lights. Most rewires add sockets, because older houses rarely have enough. Every extra point is more cable and more time.
• Type of lighting. Downlights in every room cost more than one ceiling light per room.
• Floors and access. Suspended timber floors and an open loft make it easier to run cables. Solid floors and boarded lofts mean more chasing.
• Finish. Cables chased into walls look best but need making good. Surface trunking is cheaper and quicker but you see it.
• Extras. An electric shower circuit, outside sockets, a cooker circuit, smoke alarms or an EV charger supply all add to the job.
• Plastering and decorating. Ask whether the price includes making good. Many rewire quotes do not include replastering or decorating.

Do I need to rewire my house?

Not every older house needs a full rewire. As a rough guide, wiring that is 25 to 30 years old or more should be inspected, and an EICR is the right way to find out its condition. Signs that a rewire is likely:

• Black rubber or fabric covered cables anywhere in the house.
• An old fuse box with rewireable fuses (the ones with fuse wire).
• No RCD protection on the board.
• Scorch marks, warm sockets or a burning smell.
• Round pin sockets, or very few sockets and lots of extension leads.
• Light switches with no earth, or metal fittings that are not earthed.

If the wiring is sound, a new board and some extra circuits may be enough. An EICR (£150 for up to 3 bedrooms) tells you which it is before you commit to the bigger spend.

How long does it take to rewire a house?

It depends on size, access and whether the house is empty. A small flat can be a few days. A larger family house that is lived in can run well past a week. Harry gives you the number of days with your quote, so you can plan around it.

A rewire usually runs in two stages. First fix is running the new cables and fitting back boxes, before any plastering. Second fix is fitting the sockets, switches, lights and the new board, then testing everything. You get an Electrical Installation Certificate at the end, and the job is notified to building control under Part P.

Getting a rewire price from Harry

Harry Radford is a NAPIT approved electrician based in Halewood, covering Liverpool and the surrounding towns. He works on his own, so the person who prices your rewire is the person who does it.

1. Use the rewiring cost calculator to get a guide range.
2. Send it to Harry by WhatsApp, text or the form.
3. He visits, looks at the board, the floors and the loft, and talks through what you want.
4. He fixes the price in writing, with what is and is not included.