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Has anyone had a complete rewiring of a large house done?

13 replies

Wiifitmama · 10/12/2015 19:08

We are buying a very large (2000 sq ft) house with ancient wiring (among other things). So we need a complete rewire including adding spot lights downstairs and wiring for new additional plugs etc. Obviously we will have quotes done, but I am just wondering if anyone has had this done and can give me a ball park figure?

Thanks!

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PetraDelphiki · 10/12/2015 19:13

No but while you do it put in Ethernet cable to at least one point in every room - then when you want to stream 4k or 3d in the future you won't have to get wifi round the whole house!! And put in at least twice as many sockets as you think you need...

PetraDelphiki · 10/12/2015 19:14

Ps I f you are anywhere near Yorkshire pm me and I can recommend a builder!

Wiifitmama · 10/12/2015 19:20

We are in London so might be a bit of a trek for your builder! Yes to ethernet - definitely thought of that one. And TV ariel points. And sockets with usb. So high tech!

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JT05 · 10/12/2015 20:21

We spent £7000 for a complete rewire, high spec and most up to date electrical specification on a 4 bed 3 storey detached house, in 2009. Included outside lights, outbuilding lights and sockets and garden pond!

Wiifitmama · 10/12/2015 20:38

Thank you! So my estimate of close to £10,000 is probably right then as this is 6 years later.

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JT05 · 10/12/2015 21:21

Glad to be of help! It's nice to get the all important electrical certificate for your money! and of course to know everyone and the house are safe.
Hope it works out.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 10/12/2015 21:33

We paid around £6500 for a full rewire on a 2500 sq ft, 5 bed, 3 storey, non-listed Georgian thatched house in 2012-13. This included lots of additional sockets (including a newly built kitchen extension), Ethernet, tv aerial points, hard-wired smoke alarms on all floors, external lights and power points to outbuildings etc and wiring a hot tub.

We provided all sockets, switches and light fittings so the cost didn't include these.

This was in Wiltshire.

Wiifitmama · 10/12/2015 22:19

That is very reassuring, thanks! And thanks for the reminder about hard wiring smoke alarms too.

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hifi · 13/12/2015 18:23

we have a 3 storey, 2000sq ft. hasn't been touched in 40 years we have a quote for 10k. in london

NetballHoop · 14/12/2015 11:11

I can't remember how much we paid for ours but I do remember just how much damage it caused to the house! You will need to budget for a lot of re-decorating.

StoptheRavelry · 16/12/2015 09:39

Ok a few qu's - how old is the house? And wat are the walls made from?

If it's roughly Victorian it will very likely have lath and plaster throughout. This can be a complete crumbling nightmare when you have to put in sockets.

Our experience was that we hired a young, enthusiastic guy who mainlined caffeine energy drinks, was bright, chirpy and helpful BUT he was a scatterbrain and he had very little experience in an older house. Well, one as crumbly as ours anyway.
I didn't want to hire him because he seemed to young to handle it, and I didn't think he would have enough experience, but the family decision prevailed.
To cut a long story short, I had to reset every single socket and lightswitch (there were about 25) by removing them from the gaping holes he'd bunged them in (sometimes in plastic wing boxes...which came out of the wall when you removed a plug), battening behind the wall, plastering all around and making good.

It was DREADFUL.
Also we had the choice of taking up our laminate floor, which we had partly bought the house because of, or channelling in multiple places up the walls. Having seen one of his channels, which involved trying to grind into rock hard crumbly brick, and the plastic sleeve barely being concealable under plaster - which I had to do myself, too - I opted to take up the floors.

He still left multiple things unfinished and used a 15yo apprentice who got EVERYTHING wrong - so for months we were calling him and saying 'The junction box up here isn't even screwed together' or 'where is the equipotential bonding?' (there was none)

Upshot of my advice is get someone OLD. Someone careful, thorough, tidy, with vast experience of old houses and how to manage the walls - not someone who wants to dart around making random holes and saying 'yay, put some downlighters in here, bring it up to date!' and then finding that they can't for various reasons.

Experience is your watchword.
(ours was about 3 and a half thou I think, for a house about half the size of yours)

Wiifitmama · 16/12/2015 12:54

Thanks. The house dates back to the 1890's I think. We are pulling up all the old carpeting and laying new floors throughout but planned the electrician to do his work first so this might help. We haven't picked one yet, but we do have a builder we love who is conscientious, tidy etc. He will be bringing an electrician to give us a quote. I take note of what you say though and will ask searching questions! I do anticipate massive mess but the walls are a mess anyway and need redecorating.

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wonkylegs · 16/12/2015 13:04

We did ours 2years ago (large 5bed, 5reception rooms, Victorian) and it cost about £2800 + replastering but we're in the NE and I think the electrician underestimated the job.
We put in extra sockets in every room (many rooms only had a single socket usually in a bizzare place in the skirting board) , new SS switches and white sockets throughout, new boards. Th ground floor was made easier because we have a large crawl space so he had good access but the brick walls were hard work to cut into. We had hard wired smoke and burglar alarm fitted at the same time and all the light fittings replaced (I bought seperate he just fitted)
It was a messy job and one of the first things we did in our rennovation but was essential.

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