Old wiring within a home can cause the electrical systems within a house to trip frequently or regularly blow fuses. In serious cases, this can lead to fires and electrocution.
If your property is older than 30 years, it’s very likely you’ll need to rewire in order to meet modern safety regulation. This includes things such as replacing fuse boxes with a modern consumer unit.
Generally, it is recommended that a registered electrician inspects the property every 10 years for an owner-occupied dwelling and even sooner if there is a change of tenancy within a rental property.
However, there are no hard and fast rules – just because the wiring is old, it doesn’t mean it’s unsafe.
Rewiring a house is a huge and disruptive undertaking. Therefore, it’s probably a good idea to figure out how much to set aside for it.
This article will cover what you can expect to pay to rewire a house and factors that can affect the price of it.
Average Cost
We contacted 46 electricians across the UK to get quotes on rewiring a house. Prices include VAT.
| Average | Typical Range | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Bedroom House | £3100 | £2700 - £3700 |
| 3 Bedroom House | £3600 | £3000 - £4400 |
| 4 Bedroom House | £4600 | £4200 - £6200 |
Prices can quite easily exceed the typical range of figures. This is because the amount of work can vary considerably even between similar-sized homes.
Because the work itself is a huge undertaking with lots of ways costs can change, you’ll need to contact an electrician to inspect your home to get a firm quote.
A very general rule of thumb seems to be to expect to pay around £600 – £1000 extra per bedroom.
Factors That Affect the Cost
Are You Living in the Property During the Rewiring?
One of the largest variables s whether the property is empty or not during the rewiring.
If people live in the property during the rewiring, labour costs can go up considerably. This is because power needs to be maintained, furniture needs to be moved and the property cleared up daily to make it habitable.
Types of Devices Installed For Protection
Before working with an electrician, it’s worth setting our a clear specification of what you need.
A good electrician will take the time to talk you through all the options. Some of the things you and the electrician you want to work with will want to consider are listed below.
- Does the rating of the service cut-out fuse need to be upgraded?
- What earthing system is available to you? Is it worth upgrading it?
- Do supply tails need upgrading?
- Is the bonding up the standard? Does it need improving?
- What type of consumer unit will be fitted? Remember there are various types available and not all are the same.
- What type of RCD’s to fit? Should it be Type AC or Type A what’s the difference? RCBO’s are the best standard but do cost more.
- Do you need Surge protection?
Number & Standard of Accessories
The standard of accessories can vary the cost greatly.
For example, white plastic switches and sockets are much less expensive than chrome ones.
The type of lighting can also affect things great. LED recessed downlights put the price up. Using simple pendants in each room is the cheapest.
You’ll also need to factor in things like sockets, lighting, cooker points, smoke detectors, extractor fans, USB sockets and switches. The more of these, the higher the costs.
As a rough guide, hard-wired smoke or heat detectors cost roughly £100 per detector.
A typical allowance an electrician might make within their quote before charging extra for accessories may be something like:
- 1 cooker supply
- 22 sockets
- 7 lights
- 8 light switches
- 1 circuit board
- 2 main earth bonds to gas & water
Future Use of Property
It’s worth considering how you plan to use the property in the future.
You could install cables in preparation for future changes, such as the installation of electric showers, power outlet for a future car charger, power to a garden shed etc. It’s a lot cheaper and easier in the long-run to lay the cable in during a rewire, even if you don’t plan to use it for a number of years.
Problems with Access
If there access issues within the building, this can increase the time required on-site and hence, labour costs.
If access to floor or ceiling voids are inaccessible, this would impact the price. For example, if the loft is boarded out, this would cause issues rewiring upstairs.
If the internal wall structure is solid block, extra time would be needed to sink in new cables and sink in back boxes
Location
Labour costs in London and the south of England are generally more expensive than elsewhere.
If the contractor needs to travel beyond a certain radius, then they may add an extra fee on top. Unless you live in a very rural location or want to use an electrician further afield, you shouldn’t need to pay extra.
Get Prices on Rewiring a House Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay to rewire a house.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed quote specifically for you.
We work with all the best electricians ready to price your job. Get free, no-obligation quotes in your local area and compare prices using the form below.
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About the Author
Alex Johnson is a qualified quantity surveyor and writer with a passion for conducting original research and uncovering the true cost of jobs. His cost data has been referenced by EDF Energy and the Scottish Government.