What is the average cost and time needed to rewire a 50 year old home with fuses and plaster walls?

Question

I have a older brick home @1800 sq. ft. with plaster walls and really old wiring. I just really need a ballpark idea of the time and expense of re-doing the whole thing to modernize it and make it safe. Currently there are these ancient looking cloth wires and fuses in most of the house. Will they need to tear out my walls?
Any info would be appreciated , thanks!

Answer 1

I recommend you spend time to find 3 to 5 top-quality, experienced electricians to get bids. You also might search for a semi-retired electrician who is willing to do a side job, without the cost-structure of a full-time electrical contracting business.

Check with:
- local electrical supply houses for names of good electricians - who pays their bills on-time / no credit problems, who would they want to rewire their own house? who has experience with rewiring of old knob-and-tube houses?
- local city or county building dept for names of good electricians (or ones to avoid) -- contractors who are competent and thorough, have few inspection problems, are experienced, design good plans, etc.
- contact neighbors for references and check out the references - would they recommend the contractors? were they satisfied with the results? any damage to walls was minimal and easily repaired? daily clean up at jobsite? easy to work with? payments were handled well (don't pay more than 10-30% up front --a good electrician has good credit with their suppliers)
- check with your state's contractor license board for any unresolved complaints on the contractor
- also contact your insurance agent for your homeowner's policy. You should be able to get references for good electricians. More importantly, your company may reduce your insurance premium because you have replaced a potentially hazardous old wiring system with a new and much safer up-to-code electrical system -- and reduced the risk hazard to your house.

A good electrician (or construction contractor) has:
- has an active state license
- is insured (check for current policy)
- is bonded
- has a good business relationship with his/her suppliers
- can provide a lot of good references -- look for satisfactory complaint / problem resolution.
- has excellent communication skills with the customer
- can suggest changes, upgrades & improvements, as well as ways to cut unnecessary expenses, and is knowledgeable about the latest national and local electrical codes.


Electrical wiring is one of the most critical systems in a house, with important safety requirements. A professional electrician will do it best.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

a 1 gallon lawn sprayer and some DIF. You can get it at any Home Improvement store. I use a 4" scraper (razor blade) mix the DIF with hot water, pump the sprayer, spray it on the wall, wait a few minutes spray it again and it usually comes right off with little effort. If the wallpaper has a vinyl coating or paint on it you'll have to get what is called a paper tiger, it's scratches the wallpaper and allows the dif to penetrate better. You can also use a utility knife if you're careful. Give the DIF some time to work and make sure you don't get the pre-mixed stuff. A gallon costs about $15. I've done this many times to my houses and it works great the only real problem you run into is the possiblity of the plaster being loose but that's a whole new set of problems in itself.

Answer 3

Sorry, too many variables to give you a definitive answer. Depends on what is there now, and what area of the country you are in. Best bet is to call a couple of electrical contractors and ask for an estimate. If the walls would have to be redone, they can figure that into the costs for you, and hire a sub-contractor to do that work.

Answer 4

with the price of copper wire going thur the roof, i would guess nearly 4000k,
there are alot of variables to think about
crawl space attic space i would recommend using only #12 wire that is average rating #14 i just never have like

Answer 5

call a professional electrician.