Re-wiring of a house

Re-wiring of a House, cost and time...

Most of electricians quote it labour plus materials

The cost of rewiring a house depending on the size and electrical points in the property and also depending on customers wishing for more expensive materials used and the time it takes to complete the rewiring job . It ranges from £3000 to £15000 however some electricians quote the labour and materials cost separately and some electricians can quote on points bases. Some quote them on bedroom bases. Here are some typical examples;

1. One Bedroom House, Flat, Bungalow, Maisonette is between £200 to £4000

2. Two Bedroom house, flat or Bungalow is between £300 to £5500

3. Three bedroom house or flat, bungalow between £5500 to £7000

4. Four bedroom house or flat, bungalow between £5500 to £9000

A single qualified electrician can take all the work for rewiring of a house. can charge labour only from £200 per day to £350 depending on qualifications and experiences on the job. Your location also impact on the cost of a labour for electrical job.

How long does it take to rewire a house?

It will be depending on the sizes of the property the complication encountered whether you are re-wring complete house or partial rewiring, however the average time could take 7 days. So a one or two-bedroom bungalow that is only a single-floor is going to be completed in about 3 days (about half the average required time). As there's less work required from the electrician, the cost to rewire a house - in this case - will be lower than average.

On the other hand, the total rewiring of a three-bedroom semi-detatched house would take about 8 days. And a larger four-bedroom detached house would take even longer than average - at around 9 days or more.

House Rewiring Material Costs

Material costs for electrical sockets, light fittings, switches, luminaries, and other electrical equipment and components can vary significantly.

That's because there's a lot of bespuke choices of customers (e.g. colour, shape, material, finish) that gives you the freedom to get the look and feel that you want. However, more premium materials will increase the final price of a house rewire.

For a two-bed medium terrace house being fully rewired, if basic quality white plastic fittings are used, material costs will be around £800.

But for the same property, yet with premium quality components with a stylish finish (such as brushed steel), material costs increase to £1,500 or more.

The illustration below gives an overview of the range of costs for various materials you'll need when getting your home rewiring completed.

Light fittings from £4 to £30, Light witches from £4 to £6 Wire conduits from £2 per/M and clips £3 Sockets from £3.5 to £15 Consumer unit from £50 to £120 and cables 1.5mm2 drum £25 and 2.5mm2 from £35 drum.

How can you make supply costs more effective?

When purchasing components for a house rewiring, it's usually more cost-effective to ask the electrician to purchase what you want. This is because they'll usually get better prices from suppliers - as they purchase from them frequently to do jobs like this.

Sockets are one of the main components of the ring main. They're important to consider when doing a full rewire of a property.

Available in a variety of styles, colours, and shapes, the price of a single plug socket will begin at around £3.50 and increase to around £16 for designer-finished styles.

For a standard, two-bed terrace house, you will need approximately 12 to 14 plug sockets. The cost of 12 standard white plug sockets, including the pattresses (the holder), will be around £40 for the cheapest options.

Light Switch Cost

Every room of a house will require at least one light switch. Some rooms, such as the living room, may need two switches installed.

Light switches are available in single, double, and triple gang varieties.

The "gangs" of a switch are the number of actual switches on the faceplate.

For a standard single gang switch, the cost begins at around £3 and can increase to around £9 for a designer style.

If a house has six rooms and a single light switch is required for each, it will mean a total cost of around £18 for a standard white (in a common style) switch.

Light Fittings Cost

Light fittings are available in a variety of different styles and shapes.

From a ceiling rose to a hanging pendant style, the prices can significantly vary depending on the style you're looking for and the quality of materials you want.

The average cost of a ceiling rose is about £4 each, but can increase to around £30 for a designer style light fitting.

Commonly, you will require at least one light fitting per room - with some larger rooms, such as the living room, often requiring more.

For a small one-bed terrace house with five individual rooms, it will cost around £20 for the standard white plastic light fittings.

Cost of Wires

There are two commonly used sizes of wire used in the rewiring of a property; these are 1.5mm and 2.5mm twin core and earth.

1.5mm or 2.5mm refers to the diameter of the copper wires themselves. 1.5mm wire is used for the lighting system, and 2.5mm is used for the power outlets.

So, what type of wire will you need and how much do they cost?

The length of wire required for a standard small property is around 50m of lighting wire and 50m of power sockets wire.

For 50m of twin core and earth at 1.5mm, it will begin at around £25 and then increase to £35 for twin core and earth at 2.5mm.

Wire Clips and Conduit Costs

When running the wires around the property, through walls and under flooring, it may be necessary to use wire clips to hold the wires in place.

If clips are required, then a pack of 200 will normally cost around £10.

Another way to secure wires is by running them through conduits.

Conduits are just like pipes. But instead of transfering water, they are used for wires.

Installing conduit can make running wires behind walls and under floors easier, as the conduit is used as a guiding path to stop the wire from snagging on obstructions.

Conduit is sold in lengths from 2m to 5m - depending on the diameter.

The cost for a 2m length of conduit costs usually starts at around £2. For a simple use flexible conduit measuring 25m, the cost begins at £25.

Consumer Unit Cost

The power enters the house through a thick pair of wires known as the tails, which then feed directly into a distribution box known as a consumer unit.

A consumer unit contains various safety equipment used to protect the property and the people inside it.

If a complete rewiring is being undertaken, you might need to get a new consumer unit fitted.

How much does a new consumer unit cost?

An up-to-date consumer electric unit price will start at around £50. For a large property with a more complex electrical system, the cost of the consumer unit will increase to around £90.

Other Material Costs

These are some additional material costs you might need to consider:

Junction box or connector Blocks Costs

A Junction box or connector block is required to join wires together safely.

This is common when rewiring a house; however, it is best to have some on-hand in case it's necessary.

It costs around £5 for a pack of 20 junction box or connector blocks, and it costs £5 per connector locks

Security Lights and CCTV Cameras Costs

A final consideration when rewiring a house is external electric components such as security lighting and CCTV cameras.

The price of the external components can vary significantly depending on your requirements:

• For a simple CCTV system, the prices will often begin at around £90 but increase to around £500 and beyond for more complex systems.

• Security lights begin at around £19 for a simple motion detection light. The price will increase up to around £50 for a larger, brighter, and more high-tech variety.