How Much Does a Full House Rewire Cost in 2026?

The most common question we get before a rewire: what is it actually going to cost? Most contractors dodge with “we’ll need to survey first” — which is true, but a fair price guide should still be possible. So here is ours, with the honest variables that move the number up or down.

2026 Rewire Prices by Property Size

These are "from" indicative figures for straightforward jobs in standard construction — every rewire is different. Stone walls, occupied properties, and listed buildings are all factors that add cost — covered in detail below. We always confirm a fixed price for your specific job in a written quote after a free site survey.

What a Full Rewire Includes

When you get a rewire quote from us, here is exactly what is covered as standard — no hidden extras:

• New consumer unit (fuseboard) — a metal-encased RCBO board or high-integrity split-load board compliant with BS 7671:2018 Amendment 2, with surge protection device (SPD) fitted
• All first fix — every new cable run routed from the consumer unit throughout the property, chased into walls or run under floors as appropriate
• All second fix — every socket, switch, light fitting position, and ceiling rose terminated and made off
• New ring mains in 2.5mm² T&E for socket circuits; new lighting circuits in 1.5mm² T&E with dedicated neutral conductors to every switch
• High-load circuits for your cooker, shower, and any other dedicated appliances
• Main earth and bonding — new main protective bonding conductors to incoming gas and water services, correctly sized to the supply
• Interlinked smoke and heat detection to BS 5839-6:2019 Grade D (mains powered, 10-year battery backup, wirelessly interlinked)
• Full BS 7671 testing and certification — an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) issued on completion, with test results for every circuit
• NAPIT Part P notification lodged with your local authority on your behalf — included in the price, no separate fees
• Light decoration repair — chases are filled flush and made good so your plasterer has a clean surface to skim over

For a complete breakdown of our domestic electrical services, visit the domestic rewiring page.

What Pushes the Price Up

Solid walls and stone construction

Timber stud and plasterboard walls are quick: we drill, fish cables, and patch. Solid brick, ashlar stone, or the random rubble Mendip stone found across Wells, Shepton Mallet, and surrounding villages requires chasing — cutting channels into the masonry. That adds labour time and means more repair work for your plasterer after we leave. Budget around 15–20% more for solid-wall properties.

Solid concrete floors

Suspended timber floors let us run cables under the boards in minutes. Concrete floors mean every ground-floor circuit has to run overhead through the ceiling or be chased at skirting level. Both add meaningful time, particularly on bungalows where there are no upper floors to run through.

The property is occupied during the works

Empty properties allow us to move faster: no furniture to protect, no essential circuits to maintain, no stopping work at mealtimes. Working around an occupied home adds time and some logistics cost. If you can stay elsewhere during the rewire week, it is often cheaper overall.

Listed buildings and conservation areas

Listed Building Consent may be required before any new chase or surface conduit is installed. Conservation officer liaison, additional planning documentation, and the requirement to use sympathetic routing — often surface conduit painted to match — can add 25–30% to the project cost. We have experience with Somerset’s listed stock from Bath to Castle Cary and can advise on the consent process.

Additional works running alongside

The rewire is the right time to add Cat6 data cabling, CCTV first-fix, structured lighting circuits, or EV charger first-fix (even if the charger is not being fitted yet). These add to the initial cost but avoid a second visit, a second disruption, and the cost of reopening walls that have just been replastered.

Typical Timeline for a 3-Bed House

For a standard 3-bedroom semi-detached with timber floors and plasterboard walls, expect the rewire to take 5–10 working days, broken down roughly as follows:

1. Day 1–2: Strip-out and first fix — existing installation stripped back to the consumer unit position, all new cable runs made throughout the property
2. Day 3–5: First fix completion — all back boxes, conduit, and cable drops positioned; floors re-laid and ready for plastering
3. Plastering stage — your plasterer skims over chased areas (this is done by a separate trade, not included in the rewire price)
4. Day 6–8: Second fix — all sockets, switches, light fittings, and appliance connections made off once the plaster is dry
5. Day 9–10: Consumer unit installation and full testing — new board fitted, every circuit tested to BS 7671, certificates issued

Stone-wall properties, larger houses, and occupied homes each add to this timeline. We give a realistic timescale on the quote so you can plan around it — not a best-case number that gets revised upwards on day three.

Partial Rewires

A full rewire is not always the right answer. If your property has a modern RCD-protected consumer unit and relatively recent wiring on most circuits, a partial rewire may be all that is needed:

• Rewire one floor only (e.g. a new extension or a poorly-wired upstairs)
• Replace just the lighting circuits (leaving socket circuits)
• Rewire only the kitchen and bathroom circuits
• Replace circuits identified as unsatisfactory on an EICR report

Partial rewires typically run 40–60% of a full rewire cost depending on scope. They still require an EICR on the unaffected original wiring to confirm it remains safe — this is included in our quote for any partial works.

What Is NOT Included in a Rewire Quote

• Plastering — we fill chases flush, but the final skim coat is a separate plastering trade
• Decorating — painting after plaster is dry is outside our scope
• Light fittings themselves — we fit whatever you supply; budget separately for pendants, spotlights, and downlighters
• Carpet and flooring replacement — we lift carpets to access floorboards and relay them carefully, but fitting new flooring is excluded
• Furniture removal — we work around your furniture, but moving it to another room or into storage is your responsibility

We itemise every inclusion and exclusion in writing on your quote so there are no surprises at the end of the job. Read what our customers say about the process on our testimonials page.

How to Get a Fixed-Price Quote

Call Dan on 07889 334849 or 07983 106928, or use the contact page to request a survey. We cover Wells, Bath, Shepton Mallet, Frome, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Castle Cary, Bruton, Street, Wedmore, and surrounding villages. We will book a free site visit within 48 hours and send a written fixed-price quote within 48 hours of the survey. No day rates. No estimates that creep upward.