Does your house need rewiring? Even if you understand that Queensland and Australian regulations require that household electrical wiring must be up to standard for obvious safety reasons, it’s all too easy to ignore the sure signs of the need for rewiring jobs that could end up costing you a lot in repairs – or even electrical fire, shock and death. In fact, your electrical rewiring costs could be a lot, lot less than the cost of delaying or total inaction, so let’s take a deeper dive into this critical topic.
What is electrical rewiring?
Put simply, it’s when a licensed electrician comes into your place and strips and relays all or most of your entire property’s electrical wires.
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Apart from obvious electrical failures in old homes, or the advice of local electricians or building inspector, there are quite a few clear signs that you may need a full house rewiring:
- Lights are flickering
- Circuit breakers keep tripping
- Home is several decades old
- Powerpoints are overheating, smoking or sparking
- Electrical burning smell or buzzing sounds
- Touching electrical outlets results in tingling or a minor shock
- Existing copper wiring cannot handle modern or unique electrical demands
- Switchplates and other electrical features are hot or discoloured
- Your electrical panel is over-fused
- Power bills are suddenly too high.
So, apart from remedying the issues listed above, you might simply determine that it’s a good time to protect your home, your investment and your future with a home rewiring. The added benefit is that getting your house rewired could attract lower insurance premiums, add instant re-sale value to your home, and simply make life a little easier with a smooth operating electrical system.
What’s the cost of rewiring a house?
The big question we’ve yet to answer, of course, is the big one: How much does it cost to rewire a house, exactly?
As you might expect, it’s quite difficult to answer. Why’s that? Because ‘rewiring a house’ could mean anything from a total overhaul of every wire and outlet in the home in addition to a new switchboard/meter system and preparation for full home automation, or a less significant revamp of only some troublesome areas. But if you’re budget fits in somewhere between a few thousand up to about $10-12,000, the cost to wire a house is certainly within that large ballpark.
How much does it cost to rewire a house? The actual dollar figure depends on:
- The size, age, type & location of your home
- The condition of the existing electrical system
- Your local electrician’s hourly labour rate
- Whether wiring can be accessed without damaging walls, cladding and other features
- Whether all sockets, outlets, switches & switchboards will be involved
- Whether an integrated smoke alarm system is part of the electrical work
- Whether powerpoints & outlets will be replaced, relocated or added to.
Need any help with rewiring a house?
Are you unsure if your home needs rewiring? Got any more questions about the electrical rewiring costs that are likely to apply to your particular circumstances? Remember, rewiring your home isn’t just a great way to ensure your family’s safety; it’s also a long-term investment in your property – and the team at Your Electrical Expert would love to help! If you’d like our friendly team to pay you a visit in Brisbane, Gold Coast & beyond to check out your rewiring and give you an idea of what it might cost and involve, give Your Electrical Expert a shout today!
