Rewiring

What's involved in rewiring?

Rewiring is one of the most difficult maintenance tasks a homeowner can face. It is a major project with works carried out in every room. Your home’s electrical system is powered by cables usually buried in the walls. It is recommended that these cables are replaced every 25 years. The cables provide the power to your socket outlets, your lights, and all other electrical items in your home, such as your cooker and boiler. Sub-standard and wrongly installed electrics can result in fires, and electric shocks. Older cables can deteriorate, cables that in the past were thought to be safe, have since been proven to be unsafe and hazardous. We rewire your home to eliminate any potential problems and ensure everything is modern, safe, and certificated.

When we arrive at your property, we spend time arranging and preparing the site for works to begin. It is important you carry out the necessary preparations stated in our terms.

We then work to route your new cables from your consumer unit, all around the property. Cables are concealed under floors, in the attic space and within the walls and fabric of the building. The cables will eventually be terminated at every electrical outlet throughout the property, and organised into separate circuits such as lights, and sockets. Routing these cables involves lifting carpets and floorboards and chasing into the walls.

Chasing Brick Walls Gets Messy!

If the property is old enough to need rewiring, it is likely it will be internally constructed of brick or lath/plaster. On brick we use wall chasers with dust extraction, and breaking power tools. These tools allow us to work through the brick quickly and efficiently, however they can still create some dust. On lath/plaster walls we cause minimal damage to the internal strapping. Any damage caused would be suitably bonded to make sure it’s still structurally sound.

Floorboards don’t always come up easily, we use appropriate tools to ensure the best cuts are made to minimise damage. We understand that potentially you may wish to re-sand your floorboards. When we remove the floorboard, we then route our cables either by boring holes in the joist.

When the wiring is complete, the floorboards are then screwed down, or nailed if preferred. When the cables are suitably routed, and the back boxes are mounted, we then install a protective capping over the cables. While not required, it’s good practice and keeps things neat, allowing the plasterers to crack on without damaging our cables!

Our plasterers (under a separate contract) then get to work repairing and making good any damage we have made. When the plaster sets, we finally screw up your fresh new sockets and switches.

Rewiring is a major task. You should fully understand the work involved and the scale of the job. Our engineers are more than happy to discuss every aspect of the job with you prior to our arrival.

Common rewiring questions

Most people ask very similar questions before we start a project with them. Things like how much will it cost, how long will it take etc. So we have collated a list of the commonly asked questions to help you. If you have any other questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail please contact us for more information.

What is a house rewire?

The electrical wiring system throughout your home powers all your appliances, equipment and lighting. Over time the system and wiring needs replaced. A house rewire involves replacing all the wiring and upgrading the equipment.