Signs a house needs rewiring
Rubber or fabric-insulated cable that crumbles when you touch it. Circuits with no earth wire at all. A switchboard with ceramic fuses that's been added to over decades. Lights that dim when the kettle goes on. Frequent tripping. Brown scorch marks around outlets. Any one of these on its own might be fixable; together, they're telling you something.
Full rewire vs partial
Not every house needs everything ripped out. Often the original circuits are shot but a previous owner's extension was done properly, so we rewire the old part and keep the newer work. An honest electrician will tell you which parts genuinely need doing rather than quoting the whole house because it's easier.
Doing it during a renovation
If you're renovating and the walls are coming off anyway, this is the moment. Rewiring an open house is a fraction of the work of threading cable through finished plaster, and the difference shows up in the price. If you're planning a reno and the wiring is old, do them together — you will never get a better run at it.
We rewired a full home during a renovation recently — new circuits throughout, LED lighting, extra power points and a modern RCD-protected board. You can see it in our recent work.
What it's actually like to live through
We won't pretend it's painless. There'll be holes in walls, dust, and days without power in parts of the house. What we can do is sequence it so you're not without power to the fridge and the kettle for the whole job, keep the mess contained, and tell you honestly at the start what the disruption looks like.
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No obligation, no pressure. We'll come out, look at the job properly, and give you a straight answer.
Request a Quote →Common Questions
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Old rubber or fabric-covered cable, circuits without an earth, ceramic fuses in the board, frequent tripping, or lights dimming when appliances start up. If your house hasn't been rewired since the 60s or 70s, it's worth having it looked at.
Can I stay in the house during a rewire?
Usually yes, though it depends on the scope. We'll sequence the work so you're not completely without power for the whole job, but expect disruption and expect parts of the house to be off at times.
Do I need a full rewire or just part of it?
Often just part. If a previous extension was wired properly there's no sense tearing it out. We'll tell you honestly what genuinely needs doing rather than quoting the lot by default.
Is rewiring worth doing during a renovation?
Absolutely — it's the single best time. With walls open the work is far quicker and cheaper than threading new cable through finished plaster. If you're renovating an older home, do the wiring at the same time.