Complete rewiring

[MattMagnolia]

It’s an old house with all the wiring on the surface so no channels to be dug in the plaster but floorboards will need lifting.
How do I prepare? Should I box up all books, pictures, ornaments? I’m disabled and can’t move furniture.

Discuss with the electrician, the dust will be terrible if they are chiselling into the wall, so everything will get dusty. The more you can do the cheaper the price, because you are paying an electrician hourly rate for them to move furniture. You might be able to save money by moving out during the work, but it would depend on their thought. I know a lot of Sparky's refuse to do occupied as they are too troublesome.

Rewiring just using plastic surface trunking should be no where near as messy channelling out the walls.

But would it not be worth the extra hassle and mess and expense to get it done properly and channelled into the walls if you've got any intention of selling in the foreseeable future?

Personally I wouldn't consider buying a house that has the horrible plastic trunking everywhere without factoring in the cost and inconvenience of a full 'proper' rewire into my offer.

Why does the house need complete rather than partial rewiring - has it been tested by an electrician?

I would do it properly if you are going to the expense of a full rewire, ie. channelling wires into the walls, adding additional sockets, switches etc.

It will be horrible to live there while this is going on, the worst bit takes about a week. It is very loud noisy and dusty.

Box up the ornaments and anything fragile and put down lots of dust sheets

If you have the funds, I'd probably ask a removal company for the cost of a full pack, store for a week, and the unpack service. Have it all done in one hit (and channelled in) while you stay elsewhere. But obviously that depends on your budget - we're doing room by room ourselves as we have to live in it!

We've got an old house partially rewired this year - from sockets in skirting boards and surface wiring to chased in.
Lifting the floorboards was messy anyway, so we thought in for a penny, in for a pound.
Yes, the dust got everywhere, but we just did as you're planning too - boxed things up, and threw dust sheets over furniture.
It was more hassle touching up all the paint and fixing floors afterwards than dealing with the dust though.

I’ve had an electrical test/report.
Surface wiring because most walls are lined and removing that and repairing would be a huge expensive job. The 200 year old plaster is fragile.
I wanted to keep the Bakelite switches but electrician won’t let me!

I know you like them but I'm really happy to hear the electrician won't deal with the Bakerlite as highly likely 5% brown asbestos...

If you like the bakelite look, you can get hold of modern reproductions. There's a bit of a premium for them though.

I have these bookmarked for when I rewire:

www.switchtowood.co.uk/shop/bakelite-switches/brown-reproduction-bakelite