House rewiring cost calculator
Rewiring quotes cover the cable. The plasterer, the decorator and the fortnight of dust are somebody else's invoice. This adds them all up.
Last updated July 2026 · built by working UK builders
Any rewire must be notified to building control, either by a Part P registered electrician self-certifying or by a building notice. Insist on the EIC certificate at the end.
Old-looking wiring is not automatically dangerous wiring. Rubber and lead-sheathed cable does need replacing; a 1980s board with modern PVC cable often just needs a new consumer unit.
The rates behind this calculator
All figures are 2026 UK prices for a competent, insured, VAT-registered contractor. Costs are shown as ranges because building work is delivered in ranges. A “×” value multiplies the whole build cost.
Size of property
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bed / flat | — | ×0.6 |
| 2 bed | — | ×0.78 |
| 3 bed | — | ×1 |
| 4 bed | — | ×1.28 |
| 5 bed + | — | ×1.6 |
What is needed?
An EICR coded C1 or C2 does not automatically mean a full rewire. Get a second opinion before you accept one.
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
|
Consumer unit replacement only
New board with RCBOs, plus testing and certificate |
£700–£1,500 | Added |
|
Partial rewire
Kitchen and bathroom circuits, or one floor |
£2,200–£4,500 | Added |
|
Full rewire
Every circuit, new board, new accessories throughout |
£4,200–£7,500 | Added |
Making good afterwards
A rewire means chasing walls and lifting floors. Electricians rarely include putting it right.
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
| None — I will sort it | £0 | Added |
| Patch and fill only | £500–£1,400 | Added |
| Re-plaster affected walls | £1,800–£5,000 | Added |
| Re-plaster and redecorate throughout | £4,000–£11,000 | Added |
Extras
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
| Mains-linked smoke and heat alarms | £350–£900 | Added |
| EV charge point | £800–£1,600 | Added |
| Electric shower circuit | £350–£800 | Added |
| Outside power and lighting | £500–£2,200 | Added |
| Downlights throughout | £900–£3,000 | Added |
| Supply upgrade / meter move (DNO work) | £900–£4,000 | Added |
| Main and supplementary bonding upgrade | £250–£700 | Added |
| Asbestos-containing artex ceilings to work around | £600–£3,000 | Added |
Is anyone living there?
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
| Empty property | — | ×1 |
| Occupied — work phased around us | — | ×1.2 |
Where is the property?
Labour rates and builder demand vary more than materials do.
| Option | Cost | Effect on total |
|---|---|---|
| London | — | ×1.25 |
| South East | — | ×1.12 |
| South West | — | ×1.03 |
| East of England | — | ×1.03 |
| Midlands | — | ×0.97 |
| North of England | — | ×0.92 |
| Wales | — | ×0.92 |
| Scotland | — | ×0.95 |
| Northern Ireland | — | ×0.85 |
Applied to every total
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Contingency | 8% of build cost |
| VAT | Included at 20% unless stated |
Does the house actually need rewiring?
This is the question worth answering before anything else, because the gap between "new consumer unit" and "full rewire" is around £5,000 and the two get confused constantly — by buyers, by estate agents and occasionally by whoever wrote the EICR.
Almost certainly a rewire: black rubber-insulated cable, lead-sheathed cable, round-pin sockets, no earth on lighting circuits, a wooden-backed fuse board. These are pre-1965 installations and the insulation itself has degraded.
Probably not a rewire: PVC twin-and-earth cable in good condition with an old plastic consumer unit and no RCD protection. That is a 1970s–1990s installation that needs a modern board and some testing, not new cable throughout.
What the EICR codes mean
| Code | Means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present, risk of injury | Fix immediately — the electrician should have made it safe before leaving |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous | Remedial work needed, but rarely a whole rewire. Ask which circuits and why |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | Not a fault. The installation is safe. Do it when convenient, or never |
| FI | Further investigation required | Something could not be tested or accessed. Get it resolved before you complete |
An installation with only C3 items is satisfactory. Plenty of buyers have renegotiated thousands off a house over a report that said nothing was wrong with it.
The cost nobody quotes for
Rewiring means chasing channels into every wall for cables and lifting floorboards or carpets upstairs. Electricians almost never include the plastering, and never include the decorating. On a three-bed house that is £1,800–£5,000 of plastering and potentially the same again in decoration. Ask every electrician, in writing, exactly what standard the walls will be left in.
Buying a house that needs rewiring
A rewire is a good thing to negotiate on because the figure is knowable, the work is unavoidable and it is genuinely disruptive. Get one written quote from a registered electrician who has seen the property, add the plastering, and take that number into the conversation. Vague survey wording like "the installation appears dated" is not a number and will not move a seller.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to rewire a house in 2026?
A full rewire of a three-bedroom house typically costs £4,200–£7,500 for the electrical work alone. Add £1,800–£5,000 to re-plaster the chased walls and considerably more to redecorate. A consumer unit replacement on its own is £700–£1,500.
Does an EICR with C2 codes mean I need a full rewire?
No. C2 means potentially dangerous and requires remedial work, but that work is often a new consumer unit, some bonding and a handful of repairs rather than a rewire. Full rewires are genuinely needed where the cable itself has failed — rubber, lead-sheathed or perished PVC. Ask which circuits are actually defective and why, and get a second quote before accepting a five-figure recommendation.
How can I tell if a house needs rewiring?
Look for a fuse board with rewireable fuses or no RCD, round-pin sockets, black rubber or lead-sheathed cable at the consumer unit, sockets mounted in skirting boards, and no earth to the lighting circuits. Any of those points to pre-1970s wiring. Modern PVC cable in a 1990s house with an old-looking board usually just needs a new board.
How long does a rewire take?
Five to ten working days for the electrical work in an empty three-bed house, plus plastering and drying time on top. Living in the property during a rewire roughly doubles the disruption and adds around 20% to the cost, because the work has to be phased room by room.
What certificate should I get?
An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for the new work, and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate from the electrician’s competent person scheme — NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA. Keep both. A buyer’s solicitor will ask for them, and without them your buyer may need an indemnity policy or a fresh inspection.
See what the advice looks like
Same builder, same £59, whichever stage you are at. Every one of these is a full worked example.
- Planning the jobIs it realistic, what should it cost, what consents does it need?
- Quotes in handA builder’s quote read line by line — what is missing and what to ask.
- Something has changed mid-jobA £9,400 variation, item by item: genuine extra or should have been priced?
- Arguing about qualityWhich complaints are real defects and which are normal tolerances.