How much does it cost to rewire a house?

Updating a house’s electrical systems isn’t exactly the most exciting project, but it’s no less a crucially important one. Whether you’ve bought a house and discovered faulty wiring or you live in an old house and suspect the wiring may be deteriorating, it’s vital to make rewiring a house a priority. Failing to do so may have serious consequences. In fact, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), about 51,000 home electrical fires occur each year, causing 500 deaths, 1,400 injuries, and $1.3 billion in property damage. So ask not “should you rewire a house” but when and how much does it cost to rewire a house.

Why would you need to rewire a house?

Ideally, you don’t have to fully rewire a newly purchased or newly built home. It’s more likely that you’ll have to rewire an older home. However, old wiring doesn’t necessarily have to be a dealbreaker if you’re thinking about buying a particular home, but it’s something you should plan to do immediately. If you don’t, you may be at a higher risk of electrical shock or electrical fires. Not to mention, new wiring will likely increase energy efficiency.

Signs that a house needs rewiring

• Frequently blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers
• Frequently flickering or dimming lights
• Light bulbs burning out faster than expected
• Sparks from an outlet when you plug in or unplug a cord

How much does it cost to rewire a house?

There are several factors that impact how much it will cost to rewire a house, but it can range from as little as $1,500 to over $30,000. Typically, you can expect to pay about $5 to $17 per square foot to completely rewire a house. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average sized home in the United States is 1,860 square feet and constructed in 1985. At that size, expect to pay anywhere between $9,300 to $31,620 to rewire an entire house.

What factors impact the cost of rewiring a house?

That $1,500 to $30,000 range is pretty stark, so let’s clear up some of the factors that impact how much a home rewiring project will cost. There are a number of important factors, from materials and labor to specific requirements of your municipality and home.

Home size and age

One of the primary factors in determining the cost of rewiring a home, naturally, is the size of the home. A larger home requires more wires, of course. Likewise, if a home is two stories or taller, it will cost more as an electrician will need to traverse multiple levels.

A smaller house in the 1,000 square foot range may cost a base of $2,000 to $4,000 to completely rewire. A 3,000 square foot home will likely cost at least triple that amount.

Home age is also an important factor as older homes built with lath and plaster walls present additional accessibility problems for electricians. If there’s more work to get to the wiring, expect to spend more on the project. If a home needs complete rewiring, you can’t do it without 

Materials

Depending on the materials needed to rewire a house, you could wind up spending more. If it’s a matter of simply upgrading electrical panels or adding a subpanel, you will pay far less than if you were to rewire the whole house.

Generally speaking, however, HomeAdvisor estimates that nonmetallic or NM cables (the most common in residences) cost about $0.60 to $0.80 per linear foot. If you have to upgrade the electrical panel and rewire the entire house, the cost will climb quickly. Panels cost $900 to $2,500 and while they can solve many issues, if you still have to rewire the rest of the house, expect to pay a few thousand dollars more.

Labor

Professional electricians aren’t cheap. But you don’t want to slouch on choosing an electrician because these people are responsible for ensuring a home’s electrical system is safe and efficient.

Most professional electricians charge between $165 to $532 per hour, depending on location.

Permits, inspections, and codes

Depending on where you live and a home’s current electrical system, the cost of permitting and inspections can range widely. Different areas have different requirements, but you want to make sure any electrical system is abiding by local codes.

If you’re moving forward with a full house rewiring, expect work permits to cost between $75 to $150. Electrical inspections require high-level expertise and a significant amount of time, so they typically cost about $200 or up to $400. (After this, you’ll want regular inspections every five to ten years.)

Safety code permits tend to be a little more expensive than work permits since they verify that all work is done up to local safety codes. Permits to ensure adherence to safety and building codes may range from $200 to $900.

Cleanup

Rewiring a house requires going into the walls, which is unsurprisingly messy. Many contractors include the cost of cleanup in their quote, which can amount to up to $500 of the budget. Electricians are qualified to remove all those old wires, and most will have relationships with junk removal companies to help clean up when the job is done.

If there is excess junk that needs removing, however, you can expect to pay about $150 for junk removal.

Learn more about how to find and hire an electrician

Is it worth buying an old house with old wiring?

The total cost to rewire a house typically costs about $5 to $17 per square foot. The bigger the house, the more expensive it will be to rewire. So, if you love a 3,000 square foot house that needs rewiring, you should be prepared to spend likely in excess of $10,000 to rewire it.

Is it worth buying a house that needs to be rewired? It’s entirely up to you. You might love everything else about the house and it’s worth making that extra expense after moving in. You could also negotiate with the seller to provide a subsidy or knock off some of the list price to do the necessary electrical work. The only thing you shouldn’t do is just let the issue go and hope old wiring doesn’t become a problem. It will.