Cost guide
How much does rewiring cost?
A full rewire costs £3,500 to £7,500 on a three bedroom house and £6,000 to £12,000 on a four or five bedroom property. A partial rewire of the lighting circuits alone is £1,200 to £2,500.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your home and the job.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Two bedroom flat, full rewire | £2,800 to £5,000 |
| Three bedroom house, full rewire | £3,500 to £7,500 |
| Four or five bedroom house, full rewire | £6,000 to £12,000 |
| Lighting circuits only | £1,200 to £2,500 |
| Downstairs power circuits only | £1,400 to £2,800 |
| Plastering and making good, whole house | £800 to £2,200 |
Get the quote broken into first fix, second fix, board and making good. A breakdown makes a rewire comparable with other quotes, and lets a partial rewire be priced from the same figures.
What moves the price
- Floor construction. Solid concrete floors downstairs mean every run goes overhead or into the wall, which is slower than lifting boards.
- Whether the property is occupied, and whether furniture and carpets have to be worked around.
- How many sockets and lighting points are wanted, which is usually more than the house currently has.
- Making good. Plastering the chases is a trade in itself and decorating is another.
- Access to the loft and the underfloor void, and whether either is boarded or insulated.
- Listed status or a conservation area, which restricts where cable can be run and what can be cut.
Worth knowing
Blue became the neutral because IEC 446, published in 1973, said it should be. Britain took thirty one years to follow, which is why a blue conductor in an old British installation may be a phase rather than a neutral.
IET Wiring Matters, the history of colour identification of conductors
Who quotes for it
688 of the 10,262 electricians listed on this site take on rewiring.
The towns with the most: Maidstone (7), Nottingham (7), Glasgow (6), Oldham (6), Bristol (6).
Questions about rewiring
Is making good included in the price?
Sometimes to plaster and almost never to paint. Ask explicitly. A quote that ends at bare chases and one that ends at a decorated wall can differ by a thousand pounds on the same house and both are legitimate.
Can I rewire in stages?
Yes, and it is common. Lighting circuits one year and power the next spreads the cost and the disruption. Each stage is certified as it completes, so nothing is left undocumented in between.