Rewire

ledgebag1

Howdy folks,

I was just wondering what kind of price would you be looking at for rewiring a house?
Its a five bed house, kitchen, sitting room, lounge, etc.

I know this info is a bit vague but I am just looking to get a ball park figure for a future rewire?

Any help or advice would be gratefully accepted

Gurgle

Absolute wild ballpark figure: €3k.
Are you sure the whole house needs rewiring?
That would be pretty unusual, unless its an old house that was electrified by the local blacksmith in the 1950s.

ledgebag1

Gurgle wrote: »

Absolute wild ballpark figure: €3k.
Are you sure the whole house needs rewiring?
That would be pretty unusual, unless its an old house that was electrified by the local blacksmith in the 1950s.

Ha nice one, the house is over 30 years old pushing 40.

I want to rewire the main part of the house, the garage was converted into an apartment and it means I have two meters for the ESB, so I want to wire the entire house into all one fuse board, sounds confusing huh

Appreciate the feedback though

2011

Gurgle wrote: »

Are you sure the whole house needs rewiring?
That would be pretty unusual, unless its an old house that was electrified by the local blacksmith in the 1950s.

Not unusual at all. It is often far easier (and cheaper) to rewire a house than "fix it up".

A house that would have been considered to be wired to modern standards in the 1980s would often be a mile off requirements of the average customer in todays world.

Wiring regulations have changed as well as people's requirements and expectations.

Domestic electrical requirements have changed significantly in recent years in terms of lighting, CAT6 cabling, intruder alarm wiring, home entertainment / TV systems wiring, the number of sockets required, heating controls, the number of circuits required, colour coding of cables, somethins meter tail sizes and even the location of the meter itself. The list goes on ......

ledgebag1

nightmare

I knew it would be over the 3K mark anyway

leeomurchu

ledgebag1 wrote: »

nightmare

I knew it would be over the 3K mark anyway

3k would be cheap if you get a contractor to quote you that take his hand off.

I'd say you're more looking at 4-5k depending on what the spec and fit and finish is.

ledgebag1

Aye I reckoned it would be over that, it's something I have to get done anyway, thanks to you guys for your help and info it is much appreciated

DublinDilbert

If the garrage was wired and connected in recent years it may be ok. You might be able to keep the board and wire it into the new main board as a sub board.

Gurgle

leeomurchu wrote: »

I'd say you're more looking at 4-5k depending on what the spec and fit and finish is.

2007 called, they want their prices back :rolleyes:

leeomurchu

Gurgle wrote: »

2007 called, they want their prices back :rolleyes:

Is that the best line you could come up with. Stick to moderating comedy isn't your strong suit :rolleyes:#

Actually you're a moderator in popular science??? Experienced input you're providing on this forum "Absolute wild ballpark figure: €3k." :rolleyes:

Gurgle

leeomurchu wrote: »

Is that the best line you could come up with. Stick to moderating comedy isn't your strong suit :rolleyes:

OK, I'll try and do better.
Rewiring an average house should be approx 2 weeks work for a decent electrician, depending on the state of the existing wiring. I don't think electricians are still in a position to charge more than €1k per week for their services.

Heres a 2005 thread on the subject

Another from 2010

2011

Gurgle wrote: »

2007 called, they want their prices back :rolleyes:

With 100m of T + E at over €75 + VAT per 100m, insurance cost increases and several changes in ETCI regulations pushing the minimum requirements for a rewire up I would not think that €3k is realistic for an electrical contractor that wants to stay in business.

The problem is that there are some who will do it for that sort of price, but will ignore many of the regulations. The customer is generally blissfully unaware that he/she has become the owner of a substandard installation until something goes wrong. They then assume that €3k is realistic.

ledgebag1

Ah Lads
The major issue for me is I have two feckin meters and boards etc I want to get that all cleaned up and one board only. What annoys me the most is I know the ESB will fleece me there

I would do a lot of the donkey work myself anyway like lifting carpets, floorboards etc so I would hope to eliminate a bit of cost that way and would buy in the materials myself.

leeomurchu

ledgebag1 wrote: »

Ah Lads
The major issue for me is I have two feckin meters and boards etc I want to get that all cleaned up and one board only. What annoys me the most is I know the ESB will fleece me there

I would do a lot of the donkey work myself anyway like lifting carpets, floorboards etc so I would hope to eliminate a bit of cost that way and would buy in the materials myself.

You could eliminate €500 plus by doing most of the donkey work that's the biggest pain when doing a rewire. Clearing rooms lifting floor boards chasing walls.

if you were prepared to do that you could be in and around the 3k mark but as i was saying it'll depend on the spec it starts adding up when you add on down lights, chrome switch gear skts etc. house alarm may aswell wire for it if you're destroying the house at least it's there if you want one in the future.

The Esb might not be as bad as you think it'll depend on who calls out really.

Markcheese

Bit of a curve ball here .... But..... Why not ring three electricians... Ask them to come out and give you a quote .....mad I know , but it just might work ....
Seriously though if you ask a self-employed sparks you might get a better estimate/quote than a big firm, cos he can charge what he likes to get the work, a big crowd have to pay 23 or so an hour to their electricians minimum, plus their costs.

ledgebag1

Markcheese wrote: »

Bit of a curve ball here .... But..... Why not ring three electricians... Ask them to come out and give you a quote .....mad I know , but it just might work ....

Phew thank god you came in with the gem

I will get a few quotes alright but as I am trying to get money together I was just getting a kind of idea of cost.

I reckon I will go with a local sparks alright, thanks for the help lads

2011

Markcheese wrote: »

Bit of a curve ball here .... But..... Why not ring three electricians... Ask them to come out and give you a quote .....mad I know , but it just might work ....

This is normal practice.

Seriously though if you ask a self-employed sparks you might get a better estimate/quote than a big firm

You will normally find that big contractors are not interested in rewiring of domestic installations.
This work is often done by "one man bands".

cos he can charge what he likes to get the work, a big crowd have to pay 23 or so an hour to their electricians minimum, plus their costs.

You will generally find that people that wire houses want to paid at least the same as they would get by working for a "big crowd" otherwise why would they bother ???
Consequently they will charge accordingly. Many of the cowboys have gone out of buisness as customers are no longer accepting the treatment they were subjected to by some durring the boom. This means that many of the good small domestic electrical contractors are busy despite what many think.
But times are tough for some, so you may be able to get a good contractor that will do you a better deal on the labor cost. However his hands will be tied in terms of material costs and these have gone throught the roof in recent years. This applies in particular to the price of copper.

Markcheese

The curve ball comment was meant as a joke and a bit of a snipe at two lads arguing over the price of rewireing a house they've never seen !? (enjoyed reading posts though)
Wasn't suggesting he use a cowboy...just an independent qualified contractor who is free to charge what he likes...could be more could be less ...

Gurgle

Markcheese wrote: »

23 or so an hour to their electricians

€23 * 8 = €184 per day
+ VAT at 13% (right?) = €207.92
For two weeks (long enough?) = €2079.20

Wouldn't the other ~€1k cover cabling, fuse box and (standard white plastic) switches + sockets?

The request was for rewiring cost, It's hardly appropriate to assume a house-full of halogen spots and chrome plated lightswitches.

Anyway OP, quotes from registered certified electricians.
And please let us know the results

Gurgle

Markcheese wrote: »

two lads arguing over the price of rewireing a house they've never seen !?

hehe, fair point

ledgebag1

I will indeed really appreciate everyone's help on this

By the way has anyone ever automated velux windows? I have some that I would like to control from switches. Bear in mind after my post about rewiring this luxury is a long way off I am just wondering if it is possible, and no fighting

leeomurchu

ledgebag1 wrote: »

I will indeed really appreciate everyone's help on this

By the way has anyone ever automated velux windows? I have some that I would like to control from switches. Bear in mind after my post about rewiring this luxury is a long way off I am just wondering if it is possible, and no fighting

Yes it is possible velux provide motors for them. The wiring for them isn't expensive but the motors are fairly pricey around the €200 - €300 mark including control gear afaik.

There's no bikering one opinion from an electrician and another from a moderator on popular science.:D

ledgebag1

Okay coolio cheers for that folks

2011

Markcheese wrote: »

The curve ball comment was meant as a joke and a bit of a snipe at two lads arguing over the price of rewireing a house they've never seen !?

I am not an electrical contractor nor do I work on my tools anymore so I have no reason to inflate prices.

I do however have many years of experience working both as an electrician and as an electrical contractor so I would have some idea of costs even for a job I have not seen.

Gurgle

leeomurchu wrote: »

There's no bikering one opinion from an electrician and another from a moderator on popular science.:D

Yep, that's what it says on my CV. :rolleyes:

leeomurchu

Gurgle wrote: »

Yep, that's what it says on my CV. :rolleyes:

For a change i'll just hit the report button instead of rising to it. Wonder if a moderator would get a warning

M cebee

3k is cheap for a 5 bed house-maybe nixer price you might just do it

copper is expensive and you have certification,alarms ,misc etc. on top of that

more like at least 4-5 imo depending on spec and difficulty

ledgebag1

M cebee wrote: »

3k is cheap for a 5 bed house-maybe nixer price you might just do it

copper is expensive and you have certification,alarms ,misc etc. on top of that

more like at least 4-5 imo depending on spec and difficulty

Well the alarm is already wired, only recently, I would buy the cable myself as some of the cabling is already new cable, such as the cooker in the kitchen.

I would buy the cable wholesale through a friend so really the job will entail pulling the cable, second fixing and updating the board I reckon.

How much is the cert and what is the charge based on?

Gurgle

M cebee wrote: »

3k is cheap for a 5 bed house-maybe nixer price you might just do it

copper is expensive and you have certification,alarms ,misc etc. on top of that

more like at least 4-5 imo depending on spec and difficulty

Meh, maybe.
I'm just basing my guess on calculations and experience.
I guess there would be a fair bit of variation depending on county / rural / urban. Round my way at least the cost of tradesmen has halved in the last 5 years, and these days they show up on schedule and just get on with it.

2011

Markcheese wrote: »

23 or so an hour to their electricians€23 * 8 = €184 per day
+ VAT at 13% (right?) = €207.92
For two weeks (long enough?) = €2079.20

You are forgetting to price for a multitude of items.

Here are a few examples:
1) Cost of running a van (fuel, repayments, insurance etc…)
2) Insurance costs
3) Buisness costs such as account and bookeeper fees.
4) Employer PRSI
5) Pension payments
6) Holiday pay
7) Costs of materials that are lost, stolen or broken.
8) Expenses that must be paid to the electrician for travel
9) Cost incurred by customers that refuse to pay at all (I am still owed thousands and have no hope of ever getting it).
10) Costs incurred by pricing this job and all of the other jobs that the contractor does not get.
11) Costs incurred by moving a light 4 times and only getting paid for it once. Yes, this happen all of the time.
12) Certification costs (cert itself, test equipment, calibration costs).
13) Cost for call backs because a bulb has blown and some "expert" has said that it is due to poor wiring from the electrical contractor.
14) I see no mention of any profit in the calculation you have done above. No electrical contractor would be interested in doing this for free.
15) I see no allowance made for supervision.
　

Wouldn't the other ~€1k cover cabling, fuse box and (standard white plastic) switches + sockets?

It really depends on the spec, but the chances are it would not cover this.
　

The request was for rewiring cost, It's hardly appropriate to assume a house-full of halogen spots and chrome plated lightswitches.

€3,000 would be cheap for the most basic of rewires IMHO.
As you can see there are quite a few costs that you have not accounted for that are unavoidable for a registered contractor that is employing an electrician to carry out the work above.

ledgebag1

2011 wrote: »

You are forgetting to price for a multitude of items.

Here are a few examples:
1) Cost of running a van (fuel, repayments, insurance etc…)
2) Insurance costs
3) Buisness costs such as account and bookeeper fees.
4) Employer PRSI
5) Pension payments
6) Holiday pay
7) Costs of materials that are lost, stolen or broken.
8) Expenses that must be paid to the electrician for travel
9) Cost incurred by customers that refuse to pay at all (I am still owed thousands and have no hope of ever getting it).
10) Costs incurred by pricing this job and all of the other jobs that the contractor does not get.
11) Costs incurred by moving a light 4 times and only getting paid for it once. Yes, this happen all of the time.
12) Certification costs (cert itself, test equipment, calibration costs).
13) Cost for call backs because a bulb has blown and some "expert" has said that it is due to poor wiring from the electrical contractor.
14) I see no mention of any profit in the calculation you have done above. No electrical contractor would be interested in doing this for free.
15) I see no allowance made for supervision.
　

Holy Jaysus, easy tiger

I reckon I will look for a sparks with no employees and calibrated test equipment.

Can I charge him for supervision

2011

ledgebag1 wrote: »

Holy Jaysus, easy tiger

I reckon I will look for a sparks with no employees and calibrated test equipment.

Can I charge him for supervision

As I said earlier, this is why this sort of job is often done by "one man bands" that don't have to pay for supervision and the "less energetic" electricians.

However most of the other costs that I outlined will have to remain or the electrical contractor will go under.

Welcome to the real world

ledgebag1

Sound

2011

ledgebag1 wrote: »

Sound

Good luck with it.

Let us know what the quotes come in at.
I would be interested.

ledgebag1

I appreciate it I will indeed chief, where are you based by the way