House Wiring & Rewiring
For homes older than their cables should be: villas, bungalows and ex-state homes rewired with fixed quotes, tidy access work, and a switchboard to match.
Wiring doesn't last forever
The rubber- and early plastic-insulated cable (TRC and VIR) used in pre-1970s New Zealand homes goes brittle, cracks and eventually exposes live conductors inside your walls and ceiling.
You can't see it happening - but your insurer increasingly asks about it, and pre-purchase inspectors flag it every week.
A rewire isn't glamorous, but it's the upgrade that makes every other one safe. Typically $8,000–$12,000 for a standard three-bedroom home.
Does your home need rewiring? The tell-tales
Not sure? Our wiring assessment inspects roof space, subfloor and a sample of fittings, tests circuits, and gives you a written condition report with a straight answer: fine for now, partial rewire, or full rewire - and what each costs.
- Built before ~1975 and never rewired - the age test that matters most.
- Cloth-look or perished black rubber cable visible in the roof space or under the floor.
- Two-pin sockets, round switches, or no earth at some outlets.
- Fuses blow or RCDs trip without an obvious cause; lights dim when appliances start.
- Tingles from taps or appliances - call us today, that's an earthing fault.
- Insurance or a builder's report has raised the wiring - common on villa and bungalow purchases in both our cities.
What rewiring costs
A full rewire includes new cabling to every circuit, new power points and switches throughout, a new switchboard with full RCBO protection (there’s no sense putting new cables onto a 1960s board), hard-wired interconnected smoke alarms to current code, testing, and your Certificate of Compliance.
| Scope | Typical price (incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Full rewire – standard single-level 3-bed | $8,000 – $12,000 |
| Larger or two-storey homes | $12,000 – $18,000+ |
| Partial / staged rewire (worst circuits first) | quoted per stage |
Wall and ceiling access is planned to minimise cutting – good roof and subfloor access keeps costs at the lower end; skillion roofs and concrete floors push them up. Patching and painting sits with your builder/decorator; we cut carefully and tell you exactly where.
Can’t do it all at once? Staged rewiring is legitimate and common: we test every circuit, rank them by risk, and rewire in priority order across months or years – safest first, budget respected.
Rewiring around your renovation
The cheapest metre of cable you'll ever install is the one that goes in while the wall linings are already off. Renovating a kitchen, bathroom or whole villa? Loop us in at planning stage - we'll rewire the affected areas, add the circuits the new space needs (induction, underfloor heating, decent lighting), and coordinate with your builder so no one's waiting on the sparky.
Also planning a heat pump or ducted system? Same visit, one power shutdown.
The local reality check
Auckland's villa belts - Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Devonport, Mt Eden - and Palmerston North's older streets in Terrace End, Hokowhitu and Awapuni are full of beautiful homes running on original cable.
We rewire them constantly, scrim-and-sarking quirks and all.
FAQs
How much does it cost to rewire a house in NZ?
Typically $8,000-$12,000 for a standard 3-bedroom single-level home including a new switchboard, points, switches and smoke alarms; larger or two-storey homes $12,000-$18,000+. Fixed quote after an on-site assessment.
How long does a rewire take?
Usually 3-5 working days for a standard home. You can normally live in the house throughout; we keep power on outside working hours and sequence rooms so life continues.
How do I know if my wiring is dangerous?
Age is the biggest predictor - pre-1970s original cable should be assessed regardless of symptoms, because insulation fails invisibly. Any tingle, burning smell or scorch mark is an immediate call.
Can I rewire in stages?
Yes - risk-ranked and quoted per stage. Many of our rewires happen this way.
Does rewiring damage walls?
Some access cuts are usually unavoidable, but experienced rewirers fish cable through roof and floor spaces first and cut last. We map every planned opening with you before starting.
Will rewiring help sell my house or fix my insurance issue?
Materially, yes - a rewired home with certification removes one of the biggest flags in builder's reports and insurer questionnaires. Keep the Certificate of Compliance with your sale documents.
Get a straight answer on your wiring
Assessment, written condition report, fixed quote - then you decide.