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There are many reasons why professionals may need to rewire in your home. The most obvious time is when you buy a brand new house. New houses need to be wired from top to bottom. In most cases, the wiring cost of a new house is included in the total purchase price of the house.
If you own an existing house, and it is old and cannot support modern electronics, you may need to re-wiring. The cost of rewiring a house depends on the nature of the work you need to complete, and other factors, including how big your house is.
If you want to know how much it will cost to rewire your house, we created this cost guide to help you. Here, you will learn about the average cost of rewiring a house, as well as common types of rewiring jobs and their usual costs.
The Home Guide is one of the online standards for the pricing of home improvement projects. It states that the average price for renewing home wiring ranges from $2,000 to $9,000. This range depends on the hourly rate charged by professionals, the size of the house, the availability of wires that need to be replaced, and the cost of other materials. The following table shows the average cost of rewiring a house, as well as some high and low data.
Many electricians quote the cost of rewiring a house as a cost per square foot. Therefore, it is helpful to know whether the price you get is comparable to the national average. The average cost of rewiring a house is usually between $2 and $4 per square foot.
Want to know how long it will take to complete this work? It’s important to understand this when you pay professionals by the hour. Generally, rewiring work is charged at one hour per 100 square feet.
The cost of rewiring a house per square foot
When rewiring houses, professionals spend most of their time on common tasks. We list them below and how these repairs fit into the overall picture of the cost of rewiring a house.
The electrical panel is 100 or 200 amps. Before hiring this job, you need to figure out which one you have (or what you need). You can find this information on the door of the main circuit breaker. The average cost of a 100-amp upgrade or repair of an electrical service panel is between US$850 and US$1,100, and the average cost of a 200-amp circuit breaker is between US$1,300 and US$1,600. If your wiring professional determines that you need a new box, the price will be between $1,200 and $2,500.
Your electrical wiring is behind the wall. This means that in most cases, in order to give professionals access to your home’s electrical wiring, they must tear the walls. Unfortunately, this adds considerable costs. For breaking through drywall, removing wires, installing new wires, and replacing drywall, smaller houses (less than about 1,200 square feet) are expected to increase by $4,500 to 9,000, and for houses of 2,500 square feet or larger, an increase of 12,000 to 20,000 Dollar.
This common job will give you a sigh of relief when you see the price tag, at least compared to some other rewiring jobs. If you find that you need additional outlets and/or switches in your home, expect to pay only about $100 to $185 per outlet or switch.
The advantage of wiring a new house is that you don't have to worry about removing any walls, because wiring is usually done before the drywall is raised. The bad thing is that it is still an expensive job. If the wiring of your new home will be priced separately from the total cost of the house, you may have to pay between US$1,600 and US$3,800 or approximately US$2 to US$4 per square foot.
When it comes to the cost of rewiring a house, the type of wires and cables you need will also affect the price. The following are some common types of cables that your professional might recommend, depending on your specific needs.
THHN and THWN wires use color-coded plastic housings, which are common wire types. THHN stands for thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon coated wire, which is usually used in electrical appliances. THWN is similar in nature to THHN, but has a higher level of water resistance. The rewiring costs for THHN and THWN are both approximately US$0.80 to US$1.60 per linear foot.
Non-metallic or NM cables are the most common types of household cables. The NM cable consists of a live wire (the one carrying current), a neutral wire and a ground wire. Three wires are wrapped in a plastic protective sheath. The cost of rewiring the NM cable is approximately US$0.40 to US$0.80 per linear foot.
Cables that need to be laid underground or in humid areas are called UF (underground feeder) cables. Their shell is similar to NM cables, with an extra protective layer on the outside. For wiring with UF cables, you can expect to pay between US$0.50 and US$0.75 per linear foot.
Christin Perry is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many media including WeddingWire, The Knot, Parents and Verywell Family. When not working, Christin enjoys reading, gardening, and hanging out with her husband and four young children. She also likes to do some small home improvement projects whenever she gets the chance.
Samantha is an editor, covering all home-related topics, including home improvement and maintenance. She has edited home repair and design content on websites such as The Spruce and HomeAdvisor. She also hosted videos about DIY home tips and solutions, and launched a number of home improvement review committees equipped with licensed professionals.