House Rewire Cost UK 2026: What a Full Rewire Costs and What Affects the Price
Quick Answer
A full house rewire costs £2,500–4,000 for a 2-bedroom flat, £3,500–6,000 for a 3-bedroom house, £5,000–9,000 for a 4-bedroom house, and £7,000–14,000 for a 5-bedroom+ property. These figures include consumer unit replacement, new wiring, sockets, switches, and electrical testing and certification. Plaster reinstatement after chasing (hiding cables) can add £2,000–5,000 depending on property size.
A house rewire sits in an unusual position in the renovation budget: it's expensive enough to plan for, invisible once it's done, and something that most homeowners only think about when they're already in trouble — sparking sockets, tripping breakers, or a surveyor's report flagging outdated wiring as a condition of mortgage.
Here's the honest cost picture for 2026. A full rewire of a 3-bedroom house costs £3,500–£6,000 for the electrical work. The number that catches people out is the reinstatement cost — getting the walls back to good after the electrician has chased out the old and new wiring. Do the rewire as part of a full renovation and you avoid that cost entirely. Do it in a decorated house and you're paying twice: once for the electrician, once for the plasterer and decorator to fix what the electrician had to open up.
After 32 years managing building projects, the advice I give consistently is this: if you're buying an older property that needs a rewire, include it in the renovation programme before anything else is decorated. The cost difference is substantial.
Full Rewire Cost by Property Size
Rewire cost scales with property size — more rooms means more circuits, more cable runs, and more time on site. The figures below cover the electrical work only (consumer unit, cabling, sockets, switches, light positions, testing and certification). Plasterwork reinstatement is priced separately in the section below.
| Property Type | Electrical Work Only | With Plaster Reinstatement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom flat | £2,500–£4,000 | £4,000–£6,500 | Typically 1–2 floors; access may be limited by communal building rules |
| 3-bedroom house (2-storey) | £3,500–£6,000 | £5,500–£10,000 | The most common rewire scenario in the UK |
| 4-bedroom house (2-storey) | £5,000–£9,000 | £7,000–£14,000 | More circuits and longer cable runs; may require larger consumer unit |
| 5-bedroom house and larger | £7,000–£14,000 | £10,000–£20,000+ | Price highly variable with layout complexity, number of floors, outbuildings |
| Partial rewire — single-storey extension | £800–£2,500 | £1,000–£3,500 | New circuits from consumer unit to extension only; depends on circuits required |
London and the South East typically add 20–35% to the figures above, reflecting higher electrician day rates in those areas. Scotland, Wales, and the North of England are generally within or slightly below the ranges shown.
What Is Included in a Full Rewire
Understanding what a rewire quote covers — and what it doesn't — prevents disputes and surprises when the bill arrives. A full rewire should include all of the following.
Consumer Unit (Fusebox) Replacement
The existing consumer unit is removed and replaced with a modern unit incorporating RCD (Residual Current Device) protection. Current Building Regulations require RCD-protected circuits for all new domestic electrical installations. A standard 17th or 18th Edition consumer unit costs £150–£400 in materials; supply and installation within the rewire quote should be included as standard. If the meter tails from the electricity supply company's equipment need extending, the electrician must arrange this through the network operator — this is outside the scope of normal electrical work and the network operator charges separately (typically £100–£300).
New Cabling Throughout
All existing wiring is stripped out and replaced with new twin-and-earth cable (current size standards for the circuits: 2.5mm for ring main sockets, 1.5mm for lighting circuits, 6mm for cooker circuits, 10mm for EV charger or shower circuits). The cable is run through the void where possible — under floors and above ceilings — and chased into walls where surface-running is not acceptable. The extent of wall chasing directly affects the reinstatement cost.
New Sockets and Switches
New back boxes and standard single or double socket and switch plates are included. A standard rewire quote typically specifies white plastic plates — designer plates (brushed steel, chrome, matt black) are an upgrade that costs extra. Agree the plate specification with the electrician before work starts so it's clear what is and isn't included.
Light Fitting Positions
The rewire provides the ceiling rose and lighting circuit — it does not include fitting light fittings themselves. That is treated as furnishing. If you want recessed downlights instead of ceiling roses, this requires additional fire-rated downlight housings and sometimes ceiling fire boarding — price this with your electrician separately as it is not standard in a basic rewire.
Testing and Part P Certification
All new electrical work must be tested to BS 7671 (18th Edition Wiring Regulations) and notified to Building Control under Part P of the Building Regulations. The electrician either notifies through a competent person scheme (such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA) or submits directly to local Building Control. You should receive an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) on completion. This document is required when you sell the property — ask for it at practical completion and keep it with your property records.
Partial Rewire — Extension or Addition
Not every situation requires a full house rewire. If you are adding a single-storey extension, a loft conversion, or a garage conversion, a partial rewire that adds new circuits from the existing consumer unit to the new space is typically all that's required — provided the existing consumer unit has sufficient spare capacity and the existing installation is in reasonable condition.
| Scope | Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension (lighting + sockets) | £800–£1,800 | 1–2 new circuits from existing consumer unit |
| Loft conversion (lighting, sockets, smoke detection, en suite extractor) | £1,200–£2,500 | Interlinked smoke detection required across all floors under Building Regs |
| Garage conversion (lighting, sockets, EV charger circuit) | £900–£2,500 | EV charger circuit (7kW) adds £300–£600 in cable and back box cost |
| New consumer unit upgrade only (no rewire) | £500–£1,200 | Replaces old fusebox with modern RCD-protected unit on existing wiring |
If the existing consumer unit is a 1970s or 1980s rewirable fuse unit, or has insufficient ways (circuit breaker positions) to accommodate new circuits, a consumer unit upgrade is required as part of any addition to the installation. This adds £500–£1,200 to the partial rewire cost.
What Drives the Cost Up
Two rewires on properties of the same size can come in at very different costs. Here are the specific factors that move the price.
Plasterwork Reinstatement After Chasing
This is the most significant variable — and the one most frequently excluded from rewire quotes. When the electrician chases cables into walls (cutting channels into the plaster and masonry for the cable to run in), every chase needs to be made good afterwards. On a 3-bed house, full plasterwork reinstatement after a rewire costs £1,500–£4,000 depending on the wall construction and the extent of chasing. On a sand-and-cement-rendered wall, filling chases is straightforward. On a lath-and-plaster wall (common in Victorian and Edwardian properties), every chase risks pulling surrounding plaster off the wall — reinstatement is slower and costlier.
Period Properties — Lath and Plaster Construction
Victorian, Edwardian, and inter-war properties built with lath-and-plaster walls are more expensive to rewire than modern properties. The lath-and-plaster substrate is brittle — chasing cuts adjacent sections loose — and is more time-consuming for the electrician to work in. The plaster reinstatement after chasing is also more specialised: matching the original lime plaster or lime render requires a plasterer with period property experience, not a standard sand-and-skim plasterer. Budget the reinstatement separately and get a specialist to quote it.
Large Properties
More bedrooms and bathrooms mean more circuits, more cable, and more time on site. A 5-bedroom house with two bathrooms, a kitchen, garage, and utility room will require significantly more circuits than a 3-bedroom terrace — and the wiring runs are typically longer because the property is larger. The consumer unit may need to be a larger 20-way or 24-way board rather than the standard 17-way unit, adding modest material cost.
Urgent Timescale
An electrician asked to start within a week — particularly at short notice — will typically price a premium of 10–20% for disrupting their existing programme. If a rewire is triggered by an urgent safety issue (a failed EICR, a mortgage condition, or a serious fault), this may be unavoidable. If timescale is flexible, getting the rewire into a pre-planned renovation programme at first-fix stage avoids the premium entirely.
The One Timing Decision That Saves Thousands
After 32 years on building sites, this is the single most consistent piece of electrical advice I give to property owners and investors: rewire during a full renovation, not in a decorated house.
When you rewire a house that is stripped back — walls bare, floors lifted, ceilings down — the electrician can run cable freely through the structure with minimal chasing. Plasterwork reinstatement is irrelevant because the walls are going to be plastered anyway as part of the renovation programme. The rewire cost is purely the electrical work: labour, cable, consumer unit, back boxes, and certification.
When you rewire a decorated house, the electrician must chase every cable run into finished walls, lift finished floors, and cut through ceilings. Every chase is a repair job afterwards. A plasterer must return to fill and make good all of those chases, then a decorator must repaint every affected wall and ceiling. On a 3-bed house, the reinstatement work after rewiring a decorated property typically adds £3,000–£6,000 to the total cost — on top of the electrical work itself. The total bill is often twice what the same rewire would have cost within a renovation programme.
The practical implication: if you're buying an older property and any renovation work is planned, do the rewire first, as the first trade through the door after strip-out. The saving is not marginal — it is substantial and predictable.
| Scenario | Electrical Work | Plaster Reinstatement | Decoration Reinstatement | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| During full renovation (bare walls) | £3,500–£6,000 | £0 (plastering part of renovation programme) | £0 (decorating part of renovation programme) | £3,500–£6,000 |
| In a decorated house (standing occupation) | £3,500–£6,000 | £2,000–£4,500 | £1,500–£3,500 | £7,000–£14,000 |
The message is clear: if a rewire is on the horizon, time it into a wider renovation programme. The saving on a 3-bed house is typically £3,500–£8,000 in avoided reinstatement costs. For larger properties the saving is proportionally greater.
RenoCalc: Electrical Costs in Your Full Renovation Quote
RenoCalc includes electrical first and second fix — rewire, consumer unit, sockets, switches, lighting circuits — as part of its full renovation cost breakdown. Upload your floor plan and get the complete picture: every trade, every room, in under 3 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a full house rewire cost in the UK?
Full house rewire cost UK in 2026: 2-bedroom flat £2,500–£4,000; 3-bedroom house £3,500–£6,000; 4-bedroom house £5,000–£9,000; 5-bedroom house and larger £7,000–£14,000+. These figures cover the electrical work — consumer unit, cabling, sockets, switches, light positions, testing and Part P certification. Plasterwork reinstatement after chasing adds £1,500–£5,000 depending on property size and wall construction type.
How long does a house rewire take?
A full house rewire on a 3-bedroom house takes 5–10 working days for the electrical work alone. First fix (running cables, chasing walls, installing back boxes) takes 3–6 days; second fix (fitting sockets, switches, connecting the consumer unit) takes 2–4 days; testing and certification takes half a day to a day. If plasterwork reinstatement is needed, allow a further 3–5 days for plastering plus 3–5 days drying before second fix. Total elapsed time with plastering and drying: 3–5 weeks.
Do I need to move out during a house rewire?
A full house rewire involves the power being disconnected during first fix — typically for several days. Some electricians work in phases to maintain partial power, but most homeowners find it disruptive enough to warrant temporary alternative accommodation for the first-fix phase (3–6 days on a 3-bed house). If the rewire is part of a full house renovation where the property is already vacant, this is not a separate consideration.
What is included in a full house rewire?
A full rewire includes: replacement of the consumer unit (fusebox) with a modern RCD-protected unit; new cables run throughout the property to all circuits; new back boxes for all sockets and switches; fitting of standard socket and switch plates; testing to BS 7671 standard; and Part P notification and certification. It typically excludes: light fittings themselves (though the ceiling rose is prepared), designer-spec socket and switch plates (priced as an upgrade), and plasterwork reinstatement after chasing (priced separately).
What makes a house rewire more expensive?
The main factors that increase rewire cost are: plasterwork reinstatement after chasing (the largest variable — £1,500–£5,000 on a 3-bed house); period properties with lath-and-plaster walls (more difficult to chase and more expensive to reinstate); larger properties with more circuits and longer cable runs; urgent timescales requiring premium rates; and non-standard existing installations that take longer to strip correctly. Rewiring during a full renovation — before any plastering or decorating — eliminates the reinstatement costs entirely.
Does a house rewire need building regulations approval?
Yes. All electrical installation work in a dwelling in England and Wales is subject to Part P of the Building Regulations. Using a registered electrician (NICEIC, NAPIT or similar approved scheme member) means they self-certify and notify building control on your behalf. An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) must be issued on completion. Without this certification you may have difficulty selling the property or obtaining a mortgage on it.
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Key signs include: a fuse box with rewirable fuses rather than modern MCBs and RCDs; single-insulated rubber or fabric-covered wiring visible at connection points (pre-1960s); persistent circuit tripping; discoloured or warm sockets; a shortage of sockets requiring widespread use of adaptors; and a surveyor's report flagging the installation as C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous). An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) from a qualified electrician is the definitive way to assess whether rewiring is needed.
People Also Ask
Can I get a grant to rewire my house?
There is no universal grant for rewiring, but some homeowners may qualify for assistance through the Great British Insulation Scheme or local authority grants if the rewire is part of a broader energy efficiency improvement programme. Landlords with EPC-rated F or G properties may have access to funding under ECO4 where electrical safety work is bundled with insulation. Check with your local council's housing department and the scheme eligibility criteria directly.
Is rewiring a house covered by home insurance?
Standard home insurance does not cover the cost of rewiring — it is a maintenance item, not an accidental damage claim. However, if faulty wiring causes a fire or other insured event, the resulting damage may be covered subject to your policy terms. Some insurers increase premiums or exclude cover for properties with known outdated wiring, so obtaining an EICR and rewiring as needed can have a positive effect on insurance terms and cost.
How much does it cost to rewire a 3-bedroom house UK?
Rewiring a 3-bedroom house in the UK costs £3,500–£6,000 in 2026 for the electrical work alone. This covers the consumer unit, all new cabling, sockets, switches, light positions, testing and Part P certification. If the walls need replastering after chasing, add £1,500–£3,000 for a 3-bed. Total all-in cost with plasterwork: £5,000–£9,000.
What is Part P and why does it matter for rewiring?
Part P is the section of the Building Regulations governing electrical safety in dwellings in England and Wales. It requires that all notifiable electrical work — including a full rewire — is carried out by a registered competent person or notified to building control. An Electrical Installation Certificate must be issued. The HSE provides guidance on electrical safety regulations for domestic work. Part P-compliant work protects occupants and is required by mortgage lenders and conveyancers on sale.
Can I live in my house while it is being rewired?
You can remain in the property during a phased rewire, but it requires careful planning. The main disruption is loss of power during first fix — typically a few days. Some electricians phase the work to keep parts of the property powered throughout, but in practice a full rewire of a 3-bed house is a 1–2 week programme and staying in a decorated property while walls are being chased and dust is generated is difficult. If the rewire is part of a full renovation where the property is already vacant, this decision is already made.
How often should a house be rewired?
There is no statutory requirement to rewire on a fixed schedule, but the general guidance is that electrical installations should be inspected and tested every 10 years for owner-occupied properties and every 5 years (or on each change of tenancy) for rental properties. Wiring installed before 1960 using rubber-insulated cables has a design life of around 25–30 years and is likely to be well beyond its serviceable life. A NICEIC or NAPIT registered electrician can carry out an EICR to confirm whether rewiring is needed.
Price the Rewire Before You Price the Renovation
A rewire is a foundation trade — it happens first, it affects everything else, and its cost is most controlled when it's planned in from the start of a renovation programme rather than retrofitted into a finished house. Use the figures in this guide to budget realistically: the electrical work cost, the plasterwork reinstatement cost if relevant, and the significant saving that comes from timing the rewire correctly.
If you're building out a full renovation budget and want to include the rewire alongside every other trade, upload your floor plan to RenoCalc. It builds the complete cost — electrics, plumbing, plastering, decorating, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring — room by room, in under 3 minutes.
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