According to a report published by the United States Fire Administration in 2017, more than 26,000 household fires result from faulty electrical wires.
Homes that have not been rewired for over 20 to 30 years are likely to pose the same risks.
The reason mainly revolves around the fact that old electrical wires can’t cope with the extensive load of modern living. But do you know when it is the right time to get your house rewired and how to get it done most efficiently and cheaply possible?
If not, there’s a complete guide covering everything from the nitty-gritty of house rewiring to expert tips that can make this hectic process totally effortless.
How to Know If Your House Needs a Rewire?
Your house always looks great until you start to notice a few disturbances that can potentially lead to grave danger in the future. If you have started to feel any of these signs, know it’s high time you get your house rewired immediately.
Lights Flickering
One of the most obvious symptoms that your house needs a rewiring is when you notice your light bulb flickering more often than usual. However, bear in mind this could also be a reason for prolonged light inactivity.
Therefore, it’s never a bad idea to get it checked by a professional. Based on that, you can further proceed to either change the bulb or get your bearings changed.
Annoying Buzzing Sounds
If you have heard a lot of buzzing sound from your bulb lately, this could be the warning sign that your wire needs replacing.
Even if this buzzing sound results from faulty or incorrect wiring, you masterplan it without delay with the burning smell; buzzing sounds should be taken as a strong warning that your wiring needs replacing right away.
Buzzing is usually the result of faulty, damaged, or incorrect wiring that should be replaced without delay.
Burning Smell
A burning smell is a clear indication that there is something fishy with your wirings. This is especially an indication when you can’t identify the source of the problem.
Bear in mind the burning smell of electricity is relatively different from the ordinary smell. Some people refer to this smell as a burning smell of fish.
Electric Shocks
If you feel an electric shock while plugging your appliance into a socket, there is no doubt you need to rewire your house completely.
Any one of these can be a strong indication that can help you decide whether you need to rewire your house.
However, before you go on to invest your hard-earned money, make sure you know the last time you got the wiring done. If it’s less than 20 years, then these symptoms could result from any other electrical fault that can be fixed with a few changes.
How Much Does it Cost to Rewire your Entire House?
The cost of the rewriting depends on various factors. Some of these include;
- The size of the house
- How accessible your property is
- Age of the house
- The country you live in
- The complexity of the procedure
If we look at the averages, you can expect to get $2.75 per square rewiring.
The table below shows the general prices that you expect to get the required done. We would suggest you take a screenshot so that you have an idea in the future.
| House square ft. | Average House rewire cost |
|---|---|
| 1000 | $1500 – $4000 |
| 1500 | $4000 – $6000 |
| 2000 | $6000 – $8000 |
| 2500 | $5000 – $10000 |
| 3000 | $11000 – $18000 |
However, the expenses don’t stop here. Depending on the number of laborers and extra services you want in your home rewiring, this cost can vary.
Doing such work requires you to hire a certified electrician who can ensure to get it done with great efficiency and professionalism.
Here, these electricians’ rates can range from $50 to $100 per hour (depending on the demand and the area of the country you live in).
To know how long it would take to cover your entire house is to estimate it by keeping in mind that every 100-square feet of wiring around one hour to cover.
If you are thinking of updating the electrical panel or add new outlets in your home, this can also quickly add up the price. Therefore, before you start this process, make sure you have made a budget to stick to.
To Learn more about Electrical panel upgrade code requirements CLICK HERE.
Tips to Get Your House Rewired
1. Avoid adding on new things during the rewiring process
Adding new additions while the electricians are carrying out the process is actually more expensive and time-consuming than you may think.
This way, you will lose track of your initial expenses and will never know whether the electrician is charging you or not.
You can avoid this by doing the necessary preparation and realize the places you need to cover. Start by drawing a detailed plan for your house, including its furniture.
Then physically take a tour of the entire house to look for tiny places like near the bedside table, heat or smoke alarms, kitchen appliances, and other areas making this process a lot easier and quicker.
They are costly and time-consuming. One way to avoid them is by drawing a plan for your home.
2. Take Extra Precautions for Older Buildings
Older buildings inevitably require more work than newer ones. It is important to preserve the structure and keep its shape.
Although this may require you to spend some extra dollars on the electrician, it is definitely worth it if it saves you from a lot of trouble restoring battered walls and weakened structures.
One of the best biggest rules is never letting a plumber or electricians punch holes in the older buildings.
While you’re showing your house around, make sure you give them a clear idea of what needs to be done and your preferred ways of doing it. Unless you specify your needs, you can’t expect the electrician to take care of the historic plumber the way you want them to.
Don’t lose hope in the old wiring systems of historic buildings. With proper care and rewiring, you can actually increase the electrical wires’ longevity that can last up to a century.
3. Don’t Try to Do it Yourself
If you think doing it yourself can save you a bunch, let us tell you how wrong you are. You may not know where to get the right supplies at discounted or lower prices.
The trial and error method of doing each part of the process can not only take most of the time but can actually cost you more than a professional could ever ask for.
This is because, considering how electricians have regular suppliers and buy items in bulk, they are likely to get benefits of the bulk purchase which can inevitably reduce the overall cost.
Whereas since you don’t have any connections in the area, you won’t get the lowest results. Therefore, to save money and get good professionals, the best thing you can do is to hop on reconstruction at least 3 of the best construction companies and try out different quotes.
Remember, the cheaper answer doesn’t necessarily have to be a good option as well.
Besides that, you also need to futureproof your house rewiring. When it comes to adapting to advanced technology, think of better lighting and high-speed Wi-Fi that can make it effortless to manage all the internet-enabled devices at your house. And not to mention the safety hazard that DIY runs for rewiring the house.
4. Understand the Cost
Most of the qualified electricians that you can find out there work at fixed rates. However, every time you add on a new alteration, you can expect the price to increase accordingly. These alterations include cabling and back boxes, along with other revisions.
You can significantly cut down the expenses by helping the electrician to do as little work as possible. This involves the things you can easily do yourself, like cleaning up after the rewiring, prepping, and chasing plaster out to exactly where your sockets, lights, and stitches are to help them with the installation.
Another way to get good prices without compromising quality is to opt for online rewiring services. This allows you to compare and contrast the different companies and take your best bet.
5. Compare the packages available
This point is related to the concept mentioned above, but this section needed more emphasis. Before you decide to pay your electrician, make sure you ask about all the offer’s minor services.
You can find some companies who offer great services with additional alterations at an overall higher cost. Some companies come with basic services with initial cheap prices that can quickly elevate as soon as you add any alterations.
Therefore it is vital to consider the things that are included in the package. Some of these extra services include:
- Will they take care of the mess afterward?
- How’s your furniture going back to its place
- How many laborers the company is offering for this job to get done
- Will the plastic need tidying up?
To get your answers to these questions, make sure you check out the quotes for some of the best rewiring services available.
6. Permits and Inspections
Before carrying out any rewiring at your home, make sure you’re aware of all the needed permits before rewiring your house.
For instance, rewiring your house yourself without any license can even give you some solid jail time. Therefore, for those bigger jobs, always take professional help who are already aware of the safety precautions but know about the permits.
Each permit can cost you from $250 to $900. If you happen to acquire this permit, feel free to carry out the whole rewiring procedure yourself.
However, if not, then make sure the electrician that you hire is completely certified to prevent any legal violations in the future; that said, fines for unethically carrying out the rewiring can be as much as $500; so there is no point in not purchasing the license in the first place.
Besides that, you can also get peace of mind that you’ve ethically carried out the whole procedure to ensure your house is completely safe to live in.
7. Consider The Walls
Since rewinding requires a great amount of construction and wall demolishing, there are a few things you must keep in mind. Before you ask your electrician to rewire your house, carefully consider the amount of wall you’re willing to demolish.
If you recently bought the house, then there is nothing wrong with giving your electrician full control over the house’s rewiring. However, if your house is relatively old, say more than 20 years, your options might be quite limited here.
This means only carrying out the rewiring in areas where it is comparatively safe to demolish the walls like an attic where rewiring doesn’t affect the rest of the walls in your house.
8. Follow the Modern Technology
As technology advances, so are the demands for electricity consumption. There was a time when 60 amps were enough to power all of your devices at home.
Then came a time 100 amp was ideal for a single residence to power all of its kitchen appliances, entertainment gadgets, lights, and other switches to allow it to work smoothly without imposing any danger whatsoever.
However, nowadays, your service should not be lower than 150-200 amps to meet the needs of all the contemporary electronic gadgets that occupy most of the space in your house.
Conclusion
Now that you’re fully knowledgeable about having a full-fledged rewiring done at your house, there is one last thing that you must take away from this post.
While considering all the quotes available out there, make sure you don’t go for the cheapest option available. Either it has strings attached, and it can quickly add up with its hidden costs or give you poor quality service.
Regardless of how much money you spend on rewind, it would help if you definitely made a bang for your buck.
Therefore, it’s never a bad idea to consider other factors like packages and experience to get you the maximum results possible.
