Quick Answer
Whole-home rewiring replaces a home’s aging branch wiring — often knob-and-tube or degraded cloth-insulated wire — with modern, grounded circuits. There’s no single price: cost is driven by home size, wall access, wiring type, and how much drywall must be opened and repaired. Timeline runs from several days to a few weeks depending on scope. A licensed electrician assesses your home and gives a real estimate. If only part of your home needs rewiring, we’ll scope it that way.
Key Takeaways
- Whole-home rewiring replaces aging branch wiring throughout a house with modern, grounded circuits — a major but sometimes necessary project in older Marin homes.
- There’s no flat price: cost is driven by the home’s size and layout, how accessible the walls are, the existing wiring type, and the drywall repair the work requires.
- Access is often the biggest variable — a home opened up during a remodel is far simpler to rewire than a finished, occupied house with plaster walls.
- Timelines range from a few days for a smaller or accessible home to a few weeks for a large or occupied one, and the work is usually staged to keep the home livable.
- A partial rewire is sometimes the right answer; a good electrician scopes to what your home actually needs rather than defaulting to the whole house.
Whole-home rewiring is the replacement of a house’s branch-circuit wiring — the wires running through walls, floors, and ceilings to every outlet, switch, and fixture — with modern, grounded cable that meets current code. It’s a bigger job than a panel upgrade, which swaps the service equipment; rewiring reaches into the walls themselves. In Marin’s older housing stock, it’s most often prompted by knob-and-tube wiring, degraded cloth-insulated wire, or the ungrounded two-prong outlets that come with a home built decades ago.
What does whole-home rewiring actually involve?
The core of the work is running new cable through the home’s cavities and terminating it at new boxes, then connecting it to a modern panel. The complication — and the cost — comes from access: reaching wires buried inside finished plaster or drywall without tearing the house apart. A home stripped to the studs during a remodel is straightforward. A finished, lived-in home requires careful, surgical openings and patching, and that difference is the single biggest reason two rewiring estimates for similar-sized homes can land far apart.
Whole-home rewiring is the replacement of a house’s branch-circuit wiring throughout, upgrading old or ungrounded wiring to modern, grounded circuits that meet current code.
Why access is the whole ballgame
This matters especially in Marin, where much of the housing predates modern wiring standards. Craftsman and mid-century homes across San Anselmo, Fairfax, and Mill Valley frequently still carry original or partial knob-and-tube. Those homes are also the ones being remodeled and electrified, which is often the natural moment to rewire — while walls are already open. For the safety side of that older wiring, our guide to knob-and-tube wiring replacement explains why it’s a replace-when-found item.
Branch wiring is the network of circuits carrying power from the panel to a home’s outlets, switches, and fixtures — distinct from the service equipment a panel upgrade replaces.
What drives the cost of rewiring a home?
The cost of rewiring a home is driven mainly by four things: the home’s size and number of circuits, how accessible the walls and ceilings are, the type of existing wiring, and how much drywall or plaster must be opened and repaired. A larger home has more circuits and more wire to run. A finished home with plaster walls costs more to open and restore than a home under renovation. Homes with knob-and-tube or asbestos-adjacent materials may need extra care. We keep pricing qualitative here on purpose — a real number comes only from seeing your home, not from a chart.
Two related factors often surprise homeowners. The first is drywall and finish repair, which can be a meaningful share of the total on a finished home and is sometimes handled by a separate trade. The second is scope creep in a good way: since the walls are open, it’s often the moment to add circuits, upgrade the panel, or run wiring for future EV or lighting needs. If the rewire is paired with a service upgrade, our guide to electrical panel upgrades covers how the two coordinate.
Why we won't quote a rewire sight unseen
Any honest rewiring estimate starts with a walkthrough, not a phone quote. The variables — access, wiring type, home size, finish repair, and scope — swing the number too much for a responsible flat figure. An estimate that arrives without anyone seeing the home is a guess dressed up as a price, and it tends to grow once the walls are open. What you should expect instead is an on-site assessment, a clear scope, and a written estimate you can trust. If a rewire turns out to be partial rather than whole-home, that’s what we’ll tell you.
There's no flat price for a rewire. The house tells us the number — which is exactly why we come look before we quote.— Towery Electric
Do you need a full rewire or a partial one?
You need a full rewire when aging or unsafe wiring runs throughout the home; a partial rewire can be enough when only certain circuits, rooms, or a known-hazardous section are the problem. Not every old home needs everything replaced at once. A home with sound modern wiring in the additions but original knob-and-tube in the core might only need the core addressed. The table below compares the common scenarios so you can see where your home likely falls — though the honest answer always comes from an assessment.
The decision hinges on what’s actually in your walls and its condition. A home with scattered ungrounded outlets is a different project than one with deteriorating cloth-insulated wire behind every wall. If aluminum branch wiring is part of the picture, that’s a distinct remediation with its own approach — our guide to aluminum branch wiring and fire safety covers it. Matching scope to reality is how a rewire stays proportionate to the problem.
| Scenario | Typical approach | Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Knob-and-tube throughout | Full rewire | Usually the cleanest long-term answer for an older home |
| Original core, updated additions | Partial rewire | Address the old sections; keep sound modern wiring |
| Scattered ungrounded outlets | Targeted circuit work | May not require a whole-home rewire |
| Aluminum branch wiring | Specialized remediation | Distinct from a standard rewire; specific methods apply |
| Rewire during a remodel | Full rewire while open | Best value — walls are already accessible |
How does a rewire work — and how long does it take?
A whole-home rewire is a phased, permitted project that runs from a few days for a smaller or accessible home to a few weeks for a large or occupied one. It moves through assessment, permitting, running new wiring in stages, connecting to a modern panel, and inspection — with the work usually sequenced room by room so the home stays livable. The timeline depends on the same things that drive cost: size, access, and scope. Rewiring during a remodel, when framing is exposed, compresses it considerably.
- Assessment & plan. We inspect the existing wiring, map the circuits your home needs, and define whether the scope is full or partial.
- Permit. We pull the electrical permit; rewiring requires permitting and inspection under California code.
- Staged rewiring. New circuits are run in phases — often room by room — with power kept on where possible to keep the home usable.
- Panel & devices. Circuits terminate at a modern, labeled panel, and new grounded outlets, switches, and fixtures go in.
- Inspection & close-up. The work is inspected before walls are closed and patched, with finish repair coordinated as part of the plan.
When it’s complete, you have a home wired to current standards — grounded outlets, properly sized circuits, and a labeled panel — with the walls restored. What you should expect from a good electrician is a realistic timeline before the work starts, a plan to keep the home livable, and a clear accounting of what’s electrical scope versus finish repair.
Wondering what a rewire would really involve for your home?
Request Your EstimateWhen should you rewire — and when can you wait?
You should rewire when your home has knob-and-tube, deteriorating cloth-insulated wire, or widespread ungrounded circuits — and especially when you’re already remodeling. You can often wait when your wiring is modern, grounded, and in good condition even if the home is older. Age alone doesn’t condemn a home’s wiring; condition and type do. A home wired in the 1980s with grounded circuits is in a very different position than one still carrying 1930s knob-and-tube. An honest assessment tells you which you have.
The moment rewiring becomes the obvious call
Rewiring becomes the clear choice when a remodel opens the walls, when an inspection or insurer flags the wiring, or when the safety signs stack up — recurring issues, scorched devices, or a home you can’t safely ground. Doing it while the walls are already open is almost always cleaner and more economical than tearing back into finished surfaces later. If you’re buying an older Marin home, the pre-purchase moment is another natural time to plan it, before your furniture and finishes are in the way.
What are the common mistakes with home rewiring?
The most common mistake is treating rewiring as a place to cut corners — hiring unlicensed labor, skipping the permit, or accepting a suspiciously low flat quote given without a walkthrough. Rewiring is safety-critical work behind your walls, and fire-safety authorities like the Electrical Safety Foundation International consistently link home electrical fires to outdated and improperly installed wiring. Unpermitted rewiring also creates real problems at resale and with insurance — a hidden cost that dwarfs any short-term saving.
How to avoid them
Avoid these pitfalls by hiring a licensed C-10 contractor who assesses the home in person, pulls the permit, and has the work inspected — and by being skeptical of any rewire priced without a walkthrough. Confirm up front who handles drywall and finish repair so the scope is clear. If your project pairs rewiring with a service change, our guide to knob-and-tube replacement explains how older wiring and a modern panel come together on the same project.
Key Terms
- Whole-home rewiring
- Replacing a house's branch-circuit wiring throughout with modern, grounded circuits that meet current code.
- Knob-and-tube wiring
- An early wiring method found in many older Marin homes; typically ungrounded and a common reason for rewiring.
- Branch circuit
- A wiring run from the panel that serves a home's outlets, switches, and fixtures.
- Grounded circuit
- A circuit with an equipment ground that provides a safe path for fault current — standard in modern wiring, absent in older two-prong systems.
About the Author
Founder of Healthcare Marketing Group and author of The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing. Previously led a digital marketing company with 8,000+ clients. Writes on local-service SEO and E-E-A-T content strategy.
Reviewed By
Alex founded Towery Electric in Novato in 2014 and has rewired older homes across Marin’s craftsman and mid-century neighborhoods. Reviewed this article for technical accuracy on Sep 22, 2026, 2026.
“I won’t put a price on a rewire over the phone, and I’d be skeptical of anyone who does. The house decides the number — access, the wiring, the finishes. Coming to look isn’t a formality; it’s the only honest way to quote it.”
— Alex Towery, Licensed Electrical Contractor
How We Ensure Accuracy
Sources
- National Fire Protection Association. “NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code.” nfpa.org
- Electrical Safety Foundation International. “Home Electrical Fires and Older Wiring.” esfi.org
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Home Electrical Safety.” cpsc.gov
- California Contractors State License Board. “License Detail — Towery Electric, Inc. (#989290).” cslb.ca.gov
- California Energy Commission. “Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24).” energy.ca.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to rewire a house in Marin?
There’s no single price, and any figure quoted without seeing the home is a guess. Cost is driven by the home’s size, how accessible the walls are, the existing wiring type, and how much drywall must be opened and repaired. A finished, occupied home costs more to rewire than one opened up during a remodel. The honest answer comes from an on-site assessment and a written estimate, not a phone number.
How long does a whole-home rewire take?
It ranges from a few days for a smaller or accessible home to a few weeks for a large or occupied one. The timeline follows the same drivers as cost: home size, wall access, and scope. The work is usually staged room by room so the home stays livable, and doing it during a remodel — when framing is exposed — compresses the schedule considerably. Your electrician should give you a realistic timeline before starting.
Do I need to rewire my whole house or just part of it?
It depends on what’s in your walls. A home with knob-and-tube throughout usually calls for a full rewire, while a home with sound modern wiring in the additions and old wiring only in the core may need just a partial one. Scattered ungrounded outlets might need targeted circuit work rather than a whole-home rewire. A licensed electrician assesses the actual wiring and scopes to what your home needs.
Do I have to move out during a rewire?
Usually not. Most rewiring is staged room by room, with power kept on where possible, so the home stays livable through the project. There may be short windows without power in the area being worked on. On a larger or fully occupied home, your electrician will plan the sequence around your routine. If the rewire is part of a full gut remodel, you may already be out for other reasons.
Does rewiring include fixing the drywall?
Not always — and it’s worth clarifying up front. On a finished home, opening and patching walls can be a meaningful part of the project, and finish repair is sometimes handled by a separate trade rather than the electrician. A good estimate makes clear what’s electrical scope and what’s drywall or paint. Rewiring during a remodel, when walls are already open, avoids much of this cost entirely.
Editor’s Summary
Whole-home rewiring replaces a house’s aging branch wiring with modern, grounded circuits — a major project with no flat price. Cost and timeline are driven by home size, wall access, wiring type, and finish repair, which is why an honest estimate comes from a walkthrough, never a phone quote. A partial rewire is sometimes the right scope. Done during a remodel, while walls are open, it’s cleaner and more economical than tearing back into finished surfaces later.