One of the first questions people who might need a Rewire want to know when they call our company is: How much does a Rewire cost?
Although this is a very difficult question to answer, I will explain here some helpful general pricing guidelines. Undertaking a full house rewire is much like the purchase of a vehicle or even a new home. With so many different options available, price ranges can vary drastically.
Just as a new Ford Focus can start at around £20k with just a basic package. It can quickly cost over $35k once a shopper adds extra items. Such as, tinted windows, Estate version, all-leather interior, chrome finishes, turbo diesel engine, upgraded body styling, upgraded grille, and a custom painted exterior.
Considering that the average new car buyer sells or trades in their vehicle within the first five years of purchase, why do so many people elect to get so many upgrades? The answer is because most people understand how important it is to get what they want the first time to not have any regrets in the future. Because most people spend over 30 minutes a day in their vehicles. They want to make sure their vehicle will provide them with comfort, quality, longevity, and ease of use.
These same principles typically apply when you are looking to have an electrical rewire carried out.
What can alter the price of a Rewire
You’re going to use your electrical installation every day for as long as you live in your home, and picking the right options the first time is critical to ensure maximum enjoyment with minimum maintenance. Because of this, most homeowners elect to get the work done that will make them happiest in the long-run.
Unfortunately, some people only focus on the initial price of the rewire with the goal of finding the cheapest contractor, therefore sacrificing low-maintenance, quality, warranty, and aesthetics. This inevitably leads to regret. Especially considering that unlike a vehicle, a Rewire for your house cannot be traded in if one is dissatisfied and disenchanted with the work.
Some of the most common “add-ons” found in the purchase of a house rewire :
- Extra Socket Outlets
- Additional Lighting
- New Consumer unit
- Smoke and Heat Detectors
- Decorative Socket and Switch fronts
- Spotlights
- Kitchen Cabinet Lights
- Security System
- TV points
- Phone Points
- Upgraded Internet system
- Wired Data Network
- Electric Shower
- Electric Hob or Oven
- Garden Lighting and power
- Hot Tub wiring
- EV Charging Point
- Solar installation
- Home Cinema and AV system
As you can see, there are many options available. When someone receives a quote from our company, we thoroughly examine each choice to educate the homeowner on the option’s benefits. We want to identify its overall importance to the success of the project.
On average how much does a Rewire cost
On average the question of how much does a Rewire cost is determined by many things. However, a rewire of the Electrical system in a 3 Bedroom house, with just basic electrical requirements in each room would be £3500-5000.
For comparison, a new consumer unit, minimum upgraded earthing and some additional sockets or lights can run to £900–£1500. But over 10 years you spend will spend nothing in additional maintenance for a rewire. Rather than always having the issue of needing to upgrade old wiring in the future if you only upgrade.
How the Rewire installation affects the cost
When someone inquires how much our rewires cost, the extent of the installation is also a key factor. What we mean by this is that as a company, we have four different packages we offer our customers. Unlike most Electrical companies, we will do as much or as little as our customers would have us do. This flexibility leads to less stress and more savings for the customer.
The installation packages are as follows, with their corresponding price ranges:
1. Self-Install (DIY) of a Rewire
This package if for anyone who wishes to carry out the works themselves. Or has another Electrical contractor in who is unable to sign off the works. With a self-install, the homeowner is responsible for all labour and materials involved with the project. Including 1st fix, 2nd fix, choosing the accessories, chasing out the walls and wiring in the new cables, plastering and decorating.
Although the concept of carrying out a rewire is not very complex. It does require quite a high level of skill and technical knowledge and there is a small margin for error. I recommend self-installs to homeowners who are very skilled with DIY and construction knowledge and have the needed equipment to facilitate the process.
We would have our electricians visit your job to discuss requirements. Then we supply a set of detailed electrical drawings and specifications and stay in touch during the project to check on the quality of the installation as required by Building Control. At the end of the job, our Electrician would test and certify the installation.
The average job would cost, for our services, between £800–£1,500 on a self-install, based on the size of the property and the number of progress updates required.
2. A basic Rewire
This package includes is what we call a basic rewire. If someone were to ask us for this we would quote for each room to have 1 light, 1 switch and 3 sockets.
All rewires will come with upgraded earthing, a new consumer unit and smoke detectors.
The homeowner is responsible for ensuring the property is clear and ready for work to be undertaken. As well as plastering the walls afterwards.
The price of this package typically ranges from £3,500–£4,500, for a 3 bedroomed house, and from £4,000–£5,000, for a 4 bedroomed house.
3. An average Rewire
Package #3 includes everything mentioned in #2, but it is more often that when having a full rewire you would want additional items. More lighting, spotlights, for example, Additional Socket outlets, TV points and maybe an electric shower or Electric ovens. Maybe you have additional rooms, outside lighting or garages to connect. This is nothing unusual but is certainly more work than a basic rewire.
The average homeowners will spend on between £4,000–£6,000 for package #3 on a 3-bed house
4. Turn-Key
Many homeowners rather just deal with one company instead of many. At Electrical Innovations we are one of the few companies that will offer our clients true ‘turn-key’ Rewire installations. This package includes all that is found in package #3, as well as plastering and even decorating if needed.
Most customers will spend £5,000–£10,000 for a turn-key project in a 3 bedroom house rewire. However, if you are adding high-end Audio and TV systems along with large scale lighting control system there is almost no upper limit on what is possible.
How a Rewire compares to just upgrading your electrical system
As you can probably see, when asking How much does a Rewire cost ranges vary quite a bit, just as they should. Everyone has different tastes, goals, and budgets when it comes to something as personal as their home. As far as a price comparison with a full rewires vs upgrading your system, one might expect to find the following:
Older properties that have been Rewired
For obvious reasons, a property that is 100 years old may have already been rewired 2-3 times in the past. If your property was built in the 1920-30s then it is common that the last rewire was in the 1980s. This means your current electrical installation is between 30-40 years old.
Simply stated, Electrical wiring just doesn’t last 60 years. Although its might seem like your wiring is fine now, and an Electrical Condition Report shows that it is in good condition, do you expect to live in the property for the next 20 years? If so then during that time you will need a rewire.
The initial cost is of an upgrade normally less than a full rewire, but its long-term cost is often much more. With the average upgraded consumer unit replacement costing around £600-800, you may also need additional sockets and lights, or safety upgrades such as earthing.
You could have all these upgrade works carried out only to need a full rewire down the line when wiring starts to fail, only to find that you have already decorated rooms and it is now a huge job to carry out the rewire.
’New’ properties built 30-40 years ago
While not new, these sorts of properties are usually of modern construction type and have probably never been rewired. They are usually at the age where they have had a new kitchen and bathroom at some point. However, the wiring has never been upgraded. You often find bedrooms with just a single socket outlet and generally a low number of electrical accessories. Lighting circuits often have no earthing too.
“Note from our owner. Ben”
Our house is of this type. The previous owners upgraded our fuse board before selling, but the wiring is all very old and shows signs of many upgrades and additions over the years. I am having to rewire the property as we renovate a room at a time. This means that each new room is a much bigger project than it might be if it was just a lick of paint and a carpet”
Recent built properties
If your house was built since the year 2000 then it is unlikely that you need a rewire but in some cases, it may still be a good idea to consider one.
If you are having a large renovation or extension it could be a good idea to have a rewire done at the same time. This ensures its is future-proofed and does not result in a lot of modified circuits and additions to older wiring. Especially if you are building your ‘forever home’
It would also be an opportunity to add some upgrades and additions anywhere you wanted.
Do you need more help with rewires?
We have more information about rewires. Check out our articles on Rewire budget planning, How often you need a rewire and a local rewire case study.
Call our team in Derby on 01332 498130 for advice and a quote
