How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in 2025?

If you call an electrician and ask how much it will cost to rewire your 3 bedroom house, they may say something like, “Our rewiring work starts at £5,000.”
However, it’s not until you’ve had a proper survey — confirming the consumer unit specification, circuit and accessory requirements, wall chasing preferences, and the building’s construction — that you’ll receive an accurate quote for the rewiring process. So be mindful of costs over the phone or email without a site visit.

House rewiring in Cardiff is a significant financial investment in your home’s safety, functionality, and future scalability. Gabe Electrical’s cost guide to rewiring your home breaks down what drives the price of this essential work and reveals average cost for an electrical rewire from registered electricians across Cardiff and South Glamorgan. When comparing prices, it is equally important to check what is included in a full house rewire quote, because two headline figures may cover very different scopes of work.

We also explore additional costs you may encounter, including work by other tradespeople. From plasterers and decorators to flooring specialists, restoring your home after the wiring is complete may require further services aside from a qualified electrician. Let’s explore everything you need to know about the cost of rewiring your home.

James was proactive in problem solving my requirements around both existing features and planned remodelling, with a very clear knowledge of both regulations and best practices. Practical work was done considerately and efficiently. Thoroughly recommended.
Alastair Smith
The crew from Gabe Electrical Ltd were superb when they came to rewire parts of our house and for subsequent jobs. Thoroughly recommended.
Ellen Perry
The team carried out a full rewire at my house. They completed the work to a very high standard, leaving minimal damage to paintwork and decoration.
Catrin Morris

Most Cardiff-based companies will use at least two electricians to complete a house rewire professionally and within the required time frame. At Gabe Electrical, we typically complete a full house rewire in most unoccupied homes in five to seven working days. Whoever you hire, make it clear you want the job completed start to finish. Not, started, no sign of anyone for a few days and then back again when you have to chase them.

Rewiring is a labour-intensive, costly process. It’s something you want done once, properly — not something to cut corners on, so choose your electrician wisely!

What Affects the Cost of Rewiring a House?

Property Size
A four-bedroom house needs more cabling, accessories, and labour than a one-bedroom flat — so the cost is relative. A four-bedroom home may cost up to four times more than a small one bed apartment.
Property Construction
Extensions with flat roofs and loft conversions often require more labour than homes with a simple pitched roof.
Cables must be routed from the fuse board to all lights, sockets, cookers, showers, and more — the wiring is like the veins of your home. You’ll also need to decide whether to surface-mount cables or chase them inside the walls for a cleaner, permanent finish. Chasing takes more time, makes more mess, and typically costs more (labour and your refinishing costs) — but it’s a more permanent solution and less likely to become damaged once sealed inside the wall.
Number of Rooms
Fewer rooms = less labour, cable, and accessories. A two-bedroom house in Canton will generally cost less to rewire than a four-bedroom property in Radyr.

Property Type (Flat, Bungalow, Terraced, Detached) and their average cost to rewire.

Different property types can require different techniques, tools and labour time, affecting the final price.

Older Homes that need rewiring: Solid walls (more time consuming to bury cables than newer plasterboard) and lathe-and-plaster ceilings may contain asbestos, requiring testing.
Newer Homes: Usually have plasterboard on timber frames, which is quicker to work with.
A 1950s flat in Llanedeyrn or Llanrumney may have structural ceilings and walls (possibly with asbestos), making chasing impossible. Surface-mounted trunking (often decorated over) is more common in these cases.
Bungalows are typically easier to rewire due to easier loft access.
Detached Houses often cost more due to their size and the addition of garden lighting, garage power, and large kitchens and lounges — all of which require more labour and materials.

Example 2025 Rewiring Prices from Gabe Electrical:

One-bedroom house	£3,000
Two-bedroom house	£3750
Three-bedroom house	£5000
Four-bedroom house	£6500

How Access and Complexity Affect Rewiring Cost

Access is a key factor. An empty property is ideal — everything is more efficient. If you’ve requested a quote, expect your electrician to inspect the loft first. Day one usually starts by rewiring the upstairs lighting and working down.

Occupied homes can be more difficult. Loft clutter, laminate flooring, fitted wardrobes, and general furniture all slow the process down. Time is money, and the longer it takes, the more it costs.

Upgrading Consumer Units and Safety Additions. Almost all rewiring jobs include upgrading the consumer unit (typically around £250). New wiring requires modern protection — so upgrading from an old fuse board is essential.

Almost all rewiring jobs include upgrading the consumer unit (typically around £250). New wiring requires modern protection — so upgrading from an old fuse board is essential.

Avoid relying on average UK prices you see online. Two houses on the same street can vary in cost significantly, depending on layout, access, and the homeowner’s needs.

Room-by-Room Rewiring Costs

Most rewiring projects are full-house jobs. However, some situations — such as a fault or fire — may allow for partial rewiring if the original setup permits.

Kitchen Wiring costs more than bathroom wiring due to the sheer number of appliances and fittings involved (sockets, downlights, ovens, hobs, etc.).
Bathroom Wiring typically involves only a ceiling light, fan, and possibly an electric shower.

Both kitchens and bathrooms fall under ‘special locations’ in Part P of the Building Regulations. Always obtain the correct certification and use a registered contractor. It could come back to haunt you if you don’t!

Labour Costs for House Rewiring

Rewiring is labour-heavy and often completed by teams of two or more. Timing is crucial — especially if you’re waiting to move in or return after vacating the property. Maybe you are living with family, friends or in an AirBnb and looking forward to getting back to your own home.

Most electricians offer a fixed-price quote covering materials, certification, and disposal of waste.

For example, if a full rewire costs £5,000 and requires two electricians for six days, labour may cost ~£3,000, with the remaining £2,000 covering materials, accessories, and rubbish removal.

Can You Save Money by Helping with the Work?

Yes — to a degree. Here are some cost-cutting tips for homeowners:

Manage Waste Yourself: Hardcore rubble from wall chasing can be taken to the tip or disposed of via skip.
Recycle: Sockets, switches, and old cabling can be recycled or even weighed in for scrap (though you’ll need a fair bit to make it worthwhile).
Clear Carpet and Packaging: If you’re removing old carpet anyway, hiring a skip to dispose of it alongside other waste can save effort later.

Additional Costs That May Arise

Plastering and Redecorating
Rewiring causes disruption. Most electricians (including Gabe) will leave the walls ready for decorating — but if your home was wallpapered, restoring it may require additional time and cost. If the wallpaper is no longer available, you may have to redo the entire wall for a uniform finish.
Flooring
The first floor will need to be lifted in many places to allow cables to come from the consumer unit position (typically on the ground floor) to supply the first floor and loft space and also be able to drop down to the ground floor for lights and sockets. Cables in domestic buildings typically travel up before down. If the carpet is old, it might come up in one piece, but might not go back down nicely. We will advise you at the quotation period if we think you need the help from a carpet fitter. If you have laminated flooring on the first floor that you wish to be re-fitted after the rewire has been completed, this is something best removed by a flooring company, stored somewhere safely and re-fitted once the rewire and any redecoration has been completed.
Costs for carpet and laminated flooring vary considerably from different suppliers and the range of products you decide. It’s a good idea to get a few quotes from local flooring businesses who will often provide samples with costs before placing an order.
Cleaning
Whilst we will do our best to reduce dust and general mess, lifting floors and chasing walls is a messy business. Floor protection and dust sheets help, but the fewer items in the house the better because dust particles travel. So you may want to prepare yourself for some cleaning once the rewire and any redecoration is complete, or price up someone to do it for you. Costs for professional cleaning vary considerably, so it’s worth getting some quotes from local cleaning companies.
Living elsewhere
As mentioned earlier in our house rewire cost guide, unoccupied rewires are quicker and therefore cheaper than occupied ones. The downside is you and your family would need to live elsewhere whilst the work is completed. That said, it really is the best option in our opinion. Costs would depend if you can stay with friends or family or need to rent out an Airbnb for example.
Storage costs
If you have a lot of possessions that you would rather get out of the house to keep them safe, or it’s a small house and they need to be removed to provide working space for the electricians, then it’s surprising how much space you might need. We have rewired a terraced house close to Cardiff’s City Centre where the customer advised the cheapest way was to hire a long wheel-based Sprinter van and park it outside their house for the week. If you need to store items elsewhere, then you may need to factor in moving and storage fees as part of the rewiring works.
Asbestos testing
Homes in the older part of the Welsh capital might have ceilings and/or walls that contain asbestos. It was commonly used for Artex finishing and also in soffits and fascia boards – both of which may need to be disturbed as part of the rewiring process. Companies will typically send a surveyor who will scrape a part of the concerned areas and send it to their lab for testing. They will advise on the type of asbestos and what you need to do about removing it if necessary.