Rewiring your house can be an expensive, arduous duty. It may be necessary due to the age of the house, renovations to the house or in preparation for moving into the house. Rewiring can include upgrading your distribution board (DB box) to accommodate higher electrical output, replacing old or damaged wiring, and replacing or adding more wall sockets.
In preparation for this, here are some steps that you can follow:
1. Find out what you need
Assess an area and determine if you are looking to add or upgrade wall sockets to a room, replace light fixtures, if you want to have a dedicated circuit built in for your appliances, if you are adding heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Knowing what you need will prepare you for the time and costs.
2. Set a budget
Make sure you know what you can realistically afford. The cost of rewiring depends on the size of your house and how much you want rewired. This will allow you to plan sufficiently for what has to be done versus what is just ‘nice to have’. If rewiring the entire house is more than you can afford in one go, it is possible to split the work across rooms and complete it over a series of months.
3. Call in an electrician
Rewiring needs to be done by a professional, certified electrician. An electrician will be able to provide a breakdown of the work that is required and how much it will cost. This is also the time to discuss your budget with your electrician.
4. Get your materials
Once the electrician has completed their assessment, they will provide a list of the materials and time required for the job. You can ask the electrician to source the materials themselves and add it to the quote, or you may choose to acquire them yourself. Acquiring the materials yourself can reduce some of the cost.
5. Plan around the disruptions
Rewiring your house, either just one room or your entire house, can be very disruptive. During the process you will not have access to electricity. Make sure to plan ahead if you are going to be unable to use that room or your house until the rewiring has been completed. Rewiring can take a few days to a week or two to complete.
6. Prepare the house
Ensure that the electrician has easy access to the areas where rewiring is required. This may require moving furniture out of the way, either by removing the furniture, or moving everything to the middle of the room and covering it with drop sheets.
7. Communicate with your electrician
This is a big job, so it is important to communicate with your electrician about everything, before during and after the job is done. If you have problem areas you know of, speak up before the work starts!
8. Make sure that you receive a certificate of compliance
When the job is done, a certified electrician will provide you with an electrical certificate of compliance. This is a legal document that you require to ensure that any electrical installation is safe and completed according to the most current regulations.
9. Be ready to clean up
Rewiring can be messy business as it often involves cutting, drilling, lifting carpets and moving around in the ceiling. Be prepared to clean up all the dust and mess after the job is done. Doing the clean-up yourself will also reduce the cost of the work that is being done.