House rewiring in Harrow

When a rewire is the right answer

Electrical Safety First says there is no set age at which a house needs rewiring: old wiring is not automatically unsafe, and condition matters more than age. The warning signs it lists are heat marks on plugs or sockets, buzzing or crackling from the wiring, and fuses that blow or breakers that trip. An EICR adds the hard evidence: low insulation resistance across several circuits, rubber-insulated or fabric-covered cable, or C2 observations spread through the house rather than in one place.

Old cable types

The IET notes that rubber-insulated cable was in general use until the early 1950s, when plastic-insulated cable took over. Rubber insulation is now usually hardened and brittle, and some older cable of this kind may contain asbestos, which needs handling with care. Some PVC cable from 1968 to 1975 has also been found to degrade, leaving a sticky green residue at terminals. Either way, the cable cannot be repaired back to health; it has to be replaced.

Full or partial?

A partial rewire replaces the circuits that are failing and keeps the ones that test well, such as an extension wired in the last decade. It costs less and disrupts less. An EICR before the quote tells us which circuits are sound, so you pay only for what needs replacing.

What happens during a rewire

The first fix is the disruptive part: floorboards lifted, channels cut into walls, new cables run and new back boxes set. Walls are then made good by a plasterer. The second fix brings the sockets, switches and fittings, the new consumer unit, and full testing. New circuits are notifiable under Part P, so the work is registered with building control and you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate. An empty house is quickest, but many rewires are done with people living in, working room by room.

Planning what you want

A rewire is the cheapest moment to add what you will want later: more sockets where furniture actually sits, outdoor sockets, a supply ready for an EV charger, network cabling, and mains-wired, interlinked smoke and heat alarms. Settle the kitchen layout first, because it decides where the most circuits go.

What affects the price

Size is the start, but floors matter too: suspended timber floors are quicker to run cable under than solid ones. Whether the house is empty, how many points you want, the consumer unit, and how much making good is included all change the figure. We give a timetable with the quote.