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Everything You Need To Know About Rewiring Your Home

Improvements
Improvements
Everything You Need To Know About Rewiring Your Home

This post is a comprehensive guide to rewiring your home. We’ll cover the different types of house wiring, how much is the cost of rewiring a home, and how to prepare your house for rewiring. You’ll learn everything you need to know from our PunchList certified contractors in Charlotte!

On this page

  • What are the types of house wiring?
  • Which is the best wiring for a house?
  • How much is the cost of rewiring a home?
  • How do I prepare my house to be rewired?

What are the types of house wiring?

There are many types of wiring to choose from, but copper is the most common in homes. Copper is an excellent material due to its durability and conductivity.

Aluminum is another option, but it is typically only used for your primary wire feeding power to your home. And even then, some municipalities do not allow aluminum to be used. Aluminum wire doesn’t cost as much as copper, but it’s still highly conductive and durable enough for use in residential homes.

Which is the best wiring for a house?

The best choice for wiring your house will in most cases be copper. Copper is the ideal material because it’s efficient and durable but it’s relatively expensive to install.

Aluminum wiring is a cheaper option compared to copper, but isn’t very popular among homeowners. Its lower conductivity means that more energy will be lost through heat instead of being used by electronics. This also means you will have to increase the aluminum wire gauge (size) to get the same conductivity as copper.

How much is the cost of rewiring a home?

The cost to rewire your home depends largely on the length of wire that needs to be replaced.  It typically costs $2 – $4 per square foot to install, which includes both labor and materials.   Generally speaking, a typical 3-bedroom home with two baths would cost around $6,500 to rewire. This price can fluctuate depending on your home’s complexity and the amount of access.

How do I prepare my house to be rewired?

Unless you have extensive experience in electrical work, it’s not recommended to rewire your home as a DIY project.  But there are some things you can do to prepare.

You’ll want to make sure you turn off the electricity before the electrical contractor arrives. This means disconnecting your main circuit breaker or shutting down the main on a circuit that doesn’t have any other outlets on it.

Also before their arrival, remove all furniture and appliances from the room being rewired. If possible, remove wall decorations as well as any light fixtures that are attached to the wall. This will allow the contractor to easily access the wall and work more freely.

Conclusion

Rewiring a house is more challenging than it sounds. It’s not just about hiring an electrician to do the job. There are many different things that you will have to consider before starting this project. Be sure to use our free home estimate generatorto get a free quote on rewiring your home.  From there you can get matched with a vetted local electrician who can do the job!