How Much Does Whole-House Rewiring Cost?
Whole-house rewiring cost
Whole-house rewiring costs $8,000–$20,000 or more, depending on your home's size, how accessible the walls and framing are, and the type of wiring being replaced. Older homes with knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring are the most common candidates.
Rewiring is a major project, but for homes with outdated or unsafe wiring it's an essential safety investment that also unlocks modern electrical capacity.
What affects the cost
- Home size and the number of circuits and outlets
- Accessibility, open framing is far cheaper than finished, plaster walls
- The wiring being replaced (knob-and-tube and aluminum add complexity)
- Whether a panel upgrade is bundled in
- Drywall or plaster repair after the wiring work
Why homes get rewired
Common triggers are old knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, frequent electrical problems, insurance requirements, or a major renovation. Rewiring removes fire risk from deteriorated insulation and brings the home up to modern code and capacity.
Planning your project
Because rewiring is often paired with a panel upgrade and other electrical work, bundling related projects can be more efficient than doing them separately. A licensed electrician assesses your wiring, provides a fixed quote, and handles permitting and inspection. Start with a free in-home assessment to scope the work accurately.
What moves a rewire from $8,000 to $20,000
Access is the whole story. A one-story home over a full basement with an open attic rewires efficiently, cable routes exist everywhere. A two-story on a slab with plaster walls and no attic access is surgical work: more openings, more patching, more hours. Square footage matters less than how the house is built.
Scope decisions ride on top: outlet counts brought to modern code, kitchen and laundry circuits added where one circuit once served, and whether the panel upgrades in the same project (it usually should, the labor overlaps heavily).
Phasing: how owners make big rewires affordable
- Phase 1, safety: attic and any knob-and-tube or damaged circuits (unlocks insulation and insurance)
- Phase 2, living areas: kitchen, family room, and bedroom circuits with AFCI protection
- Phase 3, completion: remaining circuits, exterior, and finishing touches
- Each phase permits and inspects independently; the home stays livable throughout
The costs a rewire quietly removes
A completed rewire routinely lowers insurance premiums (or restores insurability outright for knob-and-tube homes), removes the inspection landmine that derails sales, and ends the slow leak of troubleshooting visits on aging circuits. Owners who tally what the old wiring was already costing them, surcharges, repairs, dead outlets worked around, often find the net cost of rewiring meaningfully smaller than the invoice.
How to read a rewiring quote
Comparable quotes state four things plainly: the circuit count and what each serves, the access plan (which walls open, who patches), the code scope (AFCI/GFCI, grounding, smoke/CO interconnection, required, not optional), and whether the panel is included or separate. A low bid that's vague on any of these is deferring the number, not beating it.
Ask also about the wiring map at handoff, a labeled panel and circuit directory is cheap for the crew that just touched every circuit and priceless for every electrician (and buyer) after. It's our standard deliverable; it should be anyone's.
Getting to your exact number
Rewiring estimates respect one rule: nobody can price your walls without seeing them. The assessment walks every floor, checks attic and basement access, samples the existing wiring's type and condition, and maps the circuit plan against how you actually live. You receive a fixed phased proposal, what each stage costs, what it unlocks (insurance, insulation, inspection clearance), and where the plan can flex with your budget. Homes we assess are frequently better candidates for partial scopes than owners feared; the walkthrough tells the truth.
FAQ
Whole-house rewiring typically costs $8,000–$20,000 or more, depending on home size, wall accessibility, and the type of old wiring being replaced. Homes with knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring are common candidates.
The biggest factors are home size, accessibility (finished plaster walls cost far more than open framing), the complexity of the old wiring, and any drywall repair needed afterward.
Often, yes. Rewiring is frequently paired with a panel upgrade, and bundling related electrical work can be more efficient and cost-effective than doing each project separately.
Almost always, work proceeds room by room with power maintained in areas not actively being worked. Kitchens get scheduled thoughtfully, and most families barely change routine.
Yes, devices are replaced as circuits are renewed, counts brought toward modern code, and you choose finishes. It's the natural moment to add the outlets the house always lacked, nightstand USB-C, kitchen counters to code, garage workbench power, because the walls are open and the marginal circuit costs almost nothing.
Often, replacing the genuinely hazardous circuits (knob-and-tube, damaged runs, overloaded kitchens) captures most of the safety value at a fraction of whole-home cost. The assessment maps which circuits actually need it. Partial scopes also phase naturally into whole-home plans later, the panel work, permits, and access done for phase one all carry forward, so nothing is paid for twice.