A full house rewire is one of the most disruptive jobs you can have done to your home — but it's also one of the most important. If your wiring is 25+ years old, a rewire eliminates fire risks, brings your electrics up to current safety standards, and gives you a modern installation that'll last another 25–30 years.
The question everyone asks first is: how long will it take? The honest answer is that it depends on your property, but we can give you realistic timelines based on what electricians across the UK typically experience.
Typical Rewiring Times by Property Size
These are working-day estimates for a full rewire including a new consumer unit, all new circuits, and testing and certification. They assume one electrician (some firms send two, which can halve the time):
- 1-bed flat: 3 – 5 days
- 2-bed terraced house: 4 – 6 days
- 3-bed semi-detached: 5 – 8 days
- 4-bed detached: 7 – 10 days
- 5-bed / larger property: 10 – 14 days
These are working days, not calendar days — most electricians work Monday to Friday. So a 3-bed semi that takes 6 working days will typically be completed within about a week and a half, allowing for the electrician's other commitments.
What Affects the Timeline
The property size gives you a baseline, but several factors can push the timeline longer:
Property Age and Construction
This is the biggest variable. A 1960s house with plasterboard walls and accessible floor voids is relatively straightforward to rewire — the electrician can run cables through the voids without too much disruption to the fabric of the building.
A Victorian terrace with solid brick walls, lath-and-plaster ceilings, and original floorboards is a very different proposition. Every cable route has to be chased into solid walls (cut channels with an angle grinder), which is slower, messier, and noisier. Lath-and-plaster ceilings are fragile — accessing the space above them without causing damage requires care and experience.
Listed buildings present the greatest challenge. Conservation restrictions may limit where cables can be run and how chases are made, sometimes requiring surface-mounted trunking instead of concealed cables.
Number of Circuits, Sockets, and Lights
A basic rewire with standard socket and lighting circuits takes less time than a rewire with additional dedicated circuits for an electric shower, cooker, EV charger, outdoor sockets, and garden lighting. Every additional circuit means more cable, more connections at the consumer unit, and more testing.
Similarly, a property with 20 socket outlets and 10 light fittings takes less time than one with 40 sockets, 20 lights, and a home network. Discuss your requirements with your electrician upfront — adding sockets and circuits during a rewire is far cheaper and easier than adding them afterwards.
Ease of Access
If the electrician can access floor voids from below (via a cellar or crawl space) and ceiling voids from above (via a loft), cable runs are much faster. Properties with concrete ground floors, limited loft access, or no accessible voids take longer because cables have to be routed through walls instead.
Whether the Property Is Occupied
Rewiring an empty property is faster than rewiring one you're living in. In an occupied house, the electrician needs to work around furniture, protect your belongings, and restore power to essential circuits (fridge, freezer) at the end of each day. In an empty property, they can work more freely and leave circuits disconnected overnight.
What Actually Happens During a Rewire
A full rewire happens in distinct phases. Understanding these helps you know what to expect and plan around the disruption.
Phase 1: First Fix (Most of the Time)
This is the messy, disruptive part. It accounts for roughly 60–70% of the total job time. The electrician:
- Removes all old wiring, sockets, switches, and the old consumer unit
- Chases channels into walls for new cable routes (using an angle grinder or SDS drill)
- Lifts floorboards to run cables through floor voids
- Runs all new cables to socket positions, light positions, and back to the consumer unit location
- Installs back boxes (the metal boxes behind sockets and switches)
- Fits the new consumer unit and connects the new circuits
During first fix, areas being worked on will have no power. The electrician will typically work room by room or floor by floor, restoring temporary power at the end of each day where possible.
Phase 2: Second Fix (Finishing)
Once all cables are in place and the walls have been made good (filled and plastered over the chases), the electrician returns for second fix. This involves:
- Fitting all socket faceplates, light switches, and ceiling roses
- Connecting light fittings
- Connecting any hardwired appliances (cooker, shower, EV charger)
- Fitting the consumer unit cover and labelling all circuits
Second fix is cleaner and faster than first fix — typically 1–2 days for a 3-bed house.
Phase 3: Testing and Certification
After second fix, the electrician carries out a full series of electrical tests on every circuit: continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, and RCD operation. These tests confirm the installation is safe and compliant with BS 7671.
Once testing is complete, the electrician issues an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) documenting the test results and confirming compliance. If they're registered with a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, etc.), they also notify building control on your behalf.
Do You Need to Move Out?
Strictly speaking, no. Most homeowners stay in the property during a rewire. However, you should be prepared for significant disruption:
- No power in the area being worked on — the electrician works room by room, and whichever room or floor they're working on will be without power for most of the day. They'll typically arrange for essential circuits (kitchen sockets, fridge) to be live by the end of each day.
- Noise and dust — chasing walls with an angle grinder is loud and produces a lot of dust, even with extraction. The electrician should use dust sheets and a vacuum extractor, but fine dust gets everywhere.
- Restricted access — floorboards will be lifted, and areas being worked on won't be usable. If you have young children or pets, keeping them away from the work area is important for safety.
If you have the option to stay elsewhere for the first fix phase (typically 3–5 days for a 3-bed), it makes the work faster and less stressful for everyone. If you need to stay, the electrician can usually work around you — it just takes a bit longer.
What the Disruption Actually Looks Like
Let's be realistic about what a rewire does to your home. During first fix:
- Walls: Vertical and horizontal channels (chases) are cut into plaster to route cables. These are typically 25–30mm wide and 25mm deep. After the cables are installed, the chases are filled with bonding plaster.
- Floors: Floorboards are lifted to access floor voids for cable runs. The electrician should number the boards and replace them, but some may need refixing or replacing if they're damaged.
- Ceilings: Access holes may be needed in ceilings, particularly at junction points. These are typically patched after the cables are in place.
After the electrician has finished, your walls will have filled chases that need sanding and painting. You'll see marks where floorboards were lifted, and there may be patches on ceilings. The house will be functional and safe, but it won't look finished until you redecorate.
The Redecorating Reality
This is the point that catches most homeowners off guard: the electrician typically does NOT redecorate. Their job is to install the wiring, make good the chases (fill them level with plaster), and leave the installation safe and tested. Painting, wallpapering, and floor finishing are your responsibility — or you need to hire a decorator separately.
Make sure this is clear in the quote. Some electricians include "making good" (filling and basic plastering of chases) in their price; others charge extra for it. Very few include painting or decorating. If the quote says "including making good," confirm exactly what that means — filling the chases? Skimming the plaster? Just filling, not finishing?
Budget an additional £500 – £2,000 for redecorating after a full rewire, depending on the size of the property and the standard of finish you want. If you're planning to redecorate anyway, the rewire is the ideal time to do it — you'll need to paint over the chases regardless.
Tip: Coordinate with Other Work
If you're planning other renovations, schedule the rewire first. A rewire before a new kitchen means the kitchen fitter works around new wiring, not the other way around. A rewire before replastering means the plasterer covers the cable chases, giving you a seamless finish.
The ideal sequence for a major renovation is:
- Structural work (walls, extensions)
- First fix plumbing and electrics
- Plastering
- Second fix plumbing and electrics
- Kitchen and bathroom fitting
- Decorating
- Flooring
If you're just doing a rewire without other work, many homeowners combine it with replastering the affected rooms — it's more cost-effective to plaster over chases as part of a room re-skim than to patch and paint individual chase lines.
What to Ask Your Electrician Before Work Starts
These questions will help you plan for the disruption and avoid surprises:
- What order will you work in? (Room by room? Floor by floor?) — so you can plan which rooms to clear and when
- Which areas will be without power each day? — so you can arrange access to power for essentials (fridge, work-from-home setup)
- Will you protect furniture and flooring? — most electricians use dust sheets, but confirm this
- Is making good included in the price? — and if so, what exactly does that include?
- Will you lift and replace floorboards, or should I arrange a carpenter?
- How many socket outlets and light points are included? — and what's the cost for additional ones?
- When will you need me to clear rooms? — so you can move furniture in advance rather than scrambling on the day
- What happens if you find problems behind the walls? (Asbestos, structural issues, previous botched wiring) — how will unexpected costs be handled?
After the Rewire
Once the rewire is complete and tested, you'll receive an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). This document records the test results for every circuit and confirms the installation complies with BS 7671. Keep this certificate safe — you'll need it when you sell the property, and it's proof of compliance with Building Regulations Part P.
If your electrician is registered with a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, or STROMA), they'll notify building control on your behalf. You'll receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, usually within 2–4 weeks of completion.
Your new wiring should last 25–30 years with no major intervention. The IET recommends having an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) carried out every 10 years to check everything is still in good condition — a quick, non-disruptive inspection that typically costs £150 – £300.