Normal range: $4,000 - $8,000
The cost to rewire a house can be between $4,000 and $8,000. Simple rewiring projects can be cheaper, but expect to pay $12,000 to rewire the entirety of an older, larger home.
whether you fell in love and bought an older home or you’re embarking on a new renovation, rewiring projects are likely in your future. The cost to rewire a house ranges from $1,500 for simple rewiring projects or over $12,000 to rewire an entire house. Outdated and worn wires pose an electrical fire risk capable of producing significant damage, so it’s best to replace them. Learn about cost factors like permits, square footage, and new service panels with this guide.
Rewiring Cost Calculator
Calculations based on the cost of rewiring a 2,500-square-foot home.
| Quantity | Cost Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Rewiring Labor and Materials | 2,500 square feet | $5,000–$10,000 |
| Permit Costs | 1 electrical permit | $75–$150 |
| Post-Rewiring Inspection | 1 electrical inspection | $100–$125 |
| Optional: Install New outlet | 1 new outlet | $100–$185 |
| Total | $5,175–$10,275 | |
| Total per Square Foot | $2–$4 | |
| Total with Options | $5,275 | |
| Total per Square Foot with Options |
$2.10–$4.20 |
Rewiring a house is commonly priced per square foot. Including materials and labor, rewiring a house costs about $2 to $4 per square foot. Here’s an example of how the cost works out:
| Area | Cost per square foot | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 sq. ft. | $2–$4 | $4,000–$8,000 |
Rewiring a House Cost Breakdown
Rewiring costs depend on the materials needed and the labor. More complicated rewiring projects, like rewiring an entire house or an older home, will cost more because handling many electrical wires or older wiring systems is risky and requires expertise.
Materials
Budget roughly $0.25 to $1.60 per square foot for the cost of materials. Rewiring low-voltage wires or coaxial cables will cost less than bigger projects, like rewiring NM cables, underground feeder cables, or THHN/THWN wires.
Labor
You’ll need a local professional electrician for a rewiring project, which will run about $50 to $100 per hour, not including materials. Including both labor and materials, the overall project will cost $2 to $4 per square foot.
Factors That Influence the Cost to Rewire a House
Rewiring a house can mean many things, from a bathroom update to recessed lighting. Either way, it’s wise to allocate enough funds to cover all the factors that can affect your total price.
Size and Age of Your Home
The average home size is about 2,500 square feet, but most homes range from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. You’ll want to factor in the size of your home, as a larger home requires more wires, while a smaller home generally costs less to rewire. Expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 to rewire a 1,000-square-foot house and somewhere between $6,000 and $12,000 for a 3,000-square-foot home.
Similarly, if your home is two-stories or taller, this can impact the cost of rewiring your house, as the installer will need to rewire the home through multiple levels.
Hidden problems in older homes can also play a role in the total cost of your rewiring project. Older homes built before drywall—such as homes built before the mid-1950s—pose special challenges. Lath and plaster walls used to be the go-to for walls, but it’s far more difficult to remove wires, adding time and increasing the amount of labor. This can mean the difference between days of extensive rewiring work and then repairing the walls afterward.
Permits, Inspections, and Safety Codes
Rewiring requires proper permits and inspections. If you are rewiring an old home, it needs to meet modern-day safety codes to protect your family from the risks of electrocution or fire.
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Permits: The cost of permits will depend on your local regulations, but this typically costs $75 to $150 per permit.
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Inspections: A preliminary inspection will uncover the work needed and a post-inspection will ensure a job well done. You’ll also want regular inspections every five to 10 years to ensure your electrical systems are working properly. Inspections are about $100 to $125 each.
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Safety codes: Permits to ensure adherence to safety and building codes can be more expensive than standard permits. Expect to spend anywhere from $200 to $900 on permits for these special circumstances.
Prep and Cleanup
Your contractor will likely include the cost of the cleanup in their quote. This can account for up to $500 of the budget.
Contractors will prep the worksite, but you’ll need to put in some elbow grease as well. This work includes moving furniture, moving valuable items to protect them from damage, and generally clearing out the work area. The prep work could take a few hours or even several days, depending on if you are rewiring the kitchen during a remodel or the entire house for a major rewiring project.
Simple vs. Complex Rewiring Projects
Some rewiring jobs are more extensive and require an electrician to open walls to complete the work. This step can add 25% more to the project’s total, as the contractor will need to patch and repair the walls afterward.
Additional Outlets and Switches
Rewiring is a perfect time to address your annoying lack of outlets. Ask your electrician to add outlets and switches for all of your lamps and electronics, then budget about $100 to $185 per outlet or switch.
Accessibility of Wiring
Wires that are hard to reach will take longer to access, adding time to your project. Since most pros charge between $50 to $100 an hour, walls that contain lath and plaster, brick, and studs and multiple levels with ceiling lighting can contribute to this price increase. For example, an older home that’s 3,000 square feet could increase your total rewiring price to $20,000.
Your breaker box location, circuitry, and existing wiring can also impact how accessible your wiring is to remove and replace. It’s significantly easier to install wiring in a newer build that utilizes a looping method for accessing the wires. This looping method involves horizontal cables that are easy to identify and access through the studs in each outlet. But older homes tend to have outdated installation methods that require more labor.
New Electrical Service Panel
Older homes built in the 1940s and 1950s typically have 60-amp electrical service panels, which is hardly enough to handle the electrical loads from modern technology and devices. An electrician will need to install a new electrical service panel, typically 100 or 200 amps.
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100 amps: A 100-amp electrical service panel can work for small homes and will cost $900 to $2,000.
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200 amps: A 200-amp electrical service panel will work for most modern homes, and it will cost about $1,500 to $2,500 to install.
Knob and Tube Wiring Replacements
Houses built before 1950 likely have knob and tube wiring, which does not include a ground wire that helps release built-up electricity for safety. This means outlets for knob-and-tube-wired systems don’t work with three-prong appliances and devices, like many modern kitchen appliances or even laptop chargers. In this instance, you’ll need to replace it to avoid knob and tube fire risk.
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Permit: Permits to remove knob and tube wiring will cost $200 to $500.
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Removal: Removing the knob and tube wiring will cost about $5,000.
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Rewiring: After you’ve secured the permits and the knob and tube wiring has been removed, you’ll spend the standard $2 to $4 per square foot for rewiring.
Various types of wiring and cables (the jacket that encloses multiple wires and protects them) can impact the cost of your rewiring project. The jacket serves different functions based on the type of devices or appliances connected to your home’s electrical system.
NM Cable .
For homes, NM (nonmetallic) cables are the most common. This type of cable consists of a current-carrying wire, known as “hot” wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire inside a protective plastic jacket or sheathing. The cost for rewiring NM cables is about $0.40 to $0.80 per linear foot.
UF Cable
A UF (underground feeder) cable is the same as an NM cable, except it is meant to go in underground or moist areas. To protect the wires, each wire is sheathed in plastic, then all of the wires are wrapped in a gray protective covering. Rewiring with UF cables costs $0.50 to $0.75 per linear foot.
THHN/THWN Wire
THHN and THWN are two common wires that are protected by color-coded plastic covers. They are typically used in unfinished spaces, like garages or basements, or for short exposed runs, like for hot water heaters or garbage disposals. These wires cost about $0.80 to $1.60 per linear foot for rewiring.
Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cables have long been used for televisions and video equipment, although they are becoming slightly less common as technology evolves. Coaxial cables cost about $0.25 to $0.35 per linear foot to rewire. You can install a coax outlet yourself if you’re DIY-savvy.
Low-Voltage Wire
Pros will use low-voltage wires for circuits using less than 50 volts, like doorbell wires or thermostat wires. This rewiring costs about $0.25 to $0.35 per linear foot.
Additional Home Rewiring Costs and Considerations
Hidden expenses can make or break your budget, so don’t forget to include the following additional rewiring costs as you plan for your project.
Opening and Repairing Walls
Opening the walls to access old wires and install new ones, then repairing those walls, can add up—especially if you need to open many access points to reach a complex, outdated wiring system. Don’t underestimate the cost of repairing your walls, which can take up 25% to 30% of the entire project’s budget.
A good rule of thumb is to budget approximately $4 to $8 per square foot for a professional rewiring job in a complex home where the walls will need extensive work. This price range is double the price of a more straightforward and simple rewiring project.
Cleanup
All of those old wires have to go somewhere, preferably not on your floor! Don’t forget the plaster and drywall will inevitably get scattered across your floors. Fortunately, most contractors include site cleanup and junk removal services in the contract, but you’ll want to make sure this is included before you hire a contractor. If not, you’ll likely pay anywhere from $100 to $150 to hire a junk removal specialist near you to do the job.
Upgrading Wiring
The cost to upgrade your wiring system varies drastically depending on the type of work you’ll need to do, but expect to pay between $200 to $2,300 to upgrade the wiring system in your home. Upgrading a circuit breaker box costs around $1,150 on average, while upgrading electrical outlets costs approximately $2,000.
Signs Your Home Needs Rewiring
Knowing when it’s time to rewire your home can protect you and your family from dangerous electrical hazards. It can also get rid of little nuisances like breaker trips and flickering lights. Here are a few tips for identifying when it’s time to rewire your home.
Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
A telltale sign that your home needs rewiring is when you use multiple appliances in a single room only for the circuit breaker to trip. Other signs include when you’re trying to cook, watch a movie, or work from home, only for the circuit breaker to trip constantly. If this sounds like a familiar—albeit frustrating—experience, you might need to upgrade the circuit breaker and wires in your home.
There Are Visible Changes to Outlets or Switches
What was once a white outlet and switch should still be a white outlet and switch. If you notice any yellowing, browned, or blackened appearances on these wiring parts, be sure to have a pro inspect it for signs of a problem.
The Lights Flicker
Unless your house is ready for a dance party, you don’t want flickering lights acting up around the home. It’s a good idea to contact your electrical company to ask if there’s an intermittency issue. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, have an electrician look at your wiring to ensure no wires have come loose.
Your Home Was Built Before 1960
Homes built before the 1960s have plenty of charm, but you’ll also want to call a local electrician for an inspection if you’ve never rewired your home. The same goes for older homes you’re viewing as a potential buyer—don’t skip on having an inspection before you buy. Older homes may need rewiring to bring them up to modern safety codes.
There’s a Burning Smell
If your home smells like burnt toast and you haven’t cooked anything, you should immediately turn off the breaker in the offending room. This could be a sign that there are melted wires in your walls. Leave the power off in that area until you can have an electrician investigate the source of the problem.