Rewiring a house can save lives, especially when you know how to execute it immediately and the people you need to approach. You can keep your loved ones and other people safe by taking the necessary measures in rewiring your house. However, you may ask, “how much is the cost to rewire a house?”

By allocating a budget according to necessary factors like labor costs and house size and age, rewiring a house estimates cost from at least $1,500 to $10,000 at most.

So How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House?

Homeowners usually pay $2,100 as an average cost to rewire a house, covering the payment for labor and materials.

Despite being the sum of costs, many factors determine the price. Home rewiring costs can vary greatly depending on the size and age of the property and the number of rooms and wires that need to be changed.

As a reference, a homeowner of a 1,500-square-foot residence can expect rewiring a house cost estimates at about $4,000 based on the national average.

What Affects the Cost of Rewiring a House?

Size of the Home

Learning about the home’s size beforehand can give you an estimation of the overall cost of the house. On average 1,500 square foot home plunges at $4,000, and it will be more likely hiking up as it will include more work for pulling out the outdated wires and installing the new ones.

For example, your house goes at 1,000 square feet, and you will be more likely to pay the cost of 2,000 to 4,000 dollars. Adding 500 more will be $3000 to $6000, and it will hike up as the square feet of the house goes to 3000, with the amount of the rewiring falling at $6,000 to $12,000.

Type of House and the Age

The cost of the rewiring varies on the type of house that it is covering. The builders favor the newly constructed homes since the wires for the outlets, switches, and panels can be attached to the walls before the house is finished.

By doing so, homeowners can save more money, time, and effort from the intended cost for remodeling the old houses’ walls. Why? Most of the electricians will be taking time to process all the rewiring due to the removal of old wires, which is laborious and time-consuming.

Opening the House Walls

Now that we are talking about the old houses, it will be more likely to open the walls to fish out the old wires and replace them with new ones. The cost will be around $5 to $8 per square foot to add new panels, outlets, and switches.

Not to mention, they will have to repair the wall that they have repaired, which moves the cost higher than what you expected.

New Installations

Because the old wires are now off, the electricians or the builders will have to install new cables. And it doesn’t simply stop there, and the rewiring will have new or upgraded switches and outlets as well as a new breaker box.

What Type of Electrical Wiring Is Used in Homes?

Most of the time, houses use insulated wires that have a coating of plastic and are nonconductive. NM Cable or Romex is one of the most known wires used inside homes that should not be handled when used, and it carries voltage.

Underground Feeder is another nonmetallic cable that can surpass wet locations, unlike the NM cable. Other than Underground Feeder, you can also pick the THHN and THWN wires like the NM Cable.

The only difference is that they are color-coded wires that conduct different insulation. The black, red, orange THHN wires are usually hot. The neutral wires are white and brown, while the green and yellow-green are the ground wires that shouldn’t be handled when fused with voltage.

Parts of the House Wiring

Wires are vital in the house since it is the only one that lets the electricity flow to make the appliances and lights functional. Even though you already have it, it needs to utilize other components like a circuit panel to the outlets and switches.

Some components of the wirings do not limit to the already mentioned above. There are also jacks, conduits, main earth, and lighting.

• Circuit Panel: Circuit panel disconnects the wires if the power overloads.
• Electrical Tail: Electrical Tail is installed by the power company that is part of the electrical meter.
• Conduits: This is the tube that holds the cables or wires. It is installed first before running the cables through it.
• Switches: the part of the wiring that ends the power supply to a light or an outlet.
• Lights: An optional installation in the project can be used as a sconce or overhead, on the wall, or recessed, but they are part of a different budget.
• Main Earth: Only installed when you upgrade all of the wiring and circuit panels in your home.
• Jacks: Telephone, Ethernet, and Cable jack are also in the wiring solution. They provide power for the Wifi router and telephone and even the television to function.

What Happens When You Replace Your Home’s Wiring?

$2 to $4 per square foot with an average of about $2.75 per square foot is a small price to pay for keeping your family and many other people safe from statistically probable fires and electrical malfunction.

According to the US Fire Administration, the 45,000 fires recorded from 2012 to 2016 that heartbreakingly claimed around 440 lives have been lost by electrical failure and malfunction. These same fires have been reported to have generated $1.3 billion in property damage.

By updating or making essential adjustments to the electrical rewiring of homes, residents lessen the safety hazards like old knobs and tubes or even aluminum wiring. These are dangerous to not just one house but to a whole community.

How Long Does It Take To Rewire a House?

Rewiring an entire house is not easy for builders and homeowners to do within just an hour. Usually, the shortest rewiring process can last for three days, while the longest can happen for ten days. Depending on the style of the house, electricians or builders should treat the project with care. That’s why it is essential to know how long it takes to rewire a house.

How Long Does Wiring in a House Last?

Considering how long the wiring lasts, most wires can endure up to 50 to 70 years, but it is not the definite case for every house. Some wirings may need to be replaced immediately, especially if it is installed incorrectly or is usually done by amateurs. Moreover, you may not have the best environment to settle your wires which can also affect the life expectancy of the cables. Eventually, you will still have to change the wirings.

How Often Should I Rewire My House?

Although you can expect your newly rewired house to last for 50 years, you should also know that rewiring can ultimately last for 20 years or so. Environment and other factors can damage the materials used and are outdated, so it is crucial to guarantee that your wires are safe and checked periodically.

Signs Your Home Needs Rewiring

In 2017, the USFA reported that electrical problems had caused more than 26,000 house fires. That’s roughly 72 fires each day!

You can check to see if your circuit breakers are frequently tripping. Notice a persistent and apparent electrical burning smell or discolored outlets or switches. These can all be signs of faulty wiring, and you may need to consider electrical rewiring to help prevent such frequent incidents from happening.

Suppose your house is over 25 years old, even without these tell-tale signs. In that case, you will still need to look into the costs to rewire a home. By doing so, you will save time from getting the recommendation from any licensed electrician or inspector to address the constant problems.

Should I Hire an Electrician To Rewire My House?

Rewiring houses can be a tedious and extensive process. But when you look at the security, it gives your family and the community you live in, and it’s worth every cent. Thankfully, the cost of rewiring a house is a once-in-a-lifetime expense. And there are still several ways to save costs.

It is important to see that your home has undergone accurate assessment for the adjustment and upgrade it needs before hiring a professional electrician. You can do this to know if you need to overhaul the entire electrical wiring system entirely or not.

Who knows if you may only need minor repairs instead of a complete overhaul? That’s why the notes from inspectors are references that are always welcome to utilize in your house rewiring.

Do you wish to upgrade your roof now that you’ve understood how much it cost to rewire a house? We got you. Read ”How Much Value Does a New Roof Add to Your Home?” to learn more about the cost and the things you need to consider.