House rewiring for older Canberra homes
If your home is more than thirty or forty years old, some of the cable in the walls may be older than you think — and not all of it needs replacing.
Older homes often still carry ageing wiring systems: VIR (vulcanised Indian rubber), cotton-braided cable, or early PVC insulation. Over decades these become brittle and can break down. They were never designed for the loads a modern house puts through them, and they can pose real risks — electrical fires, shocks and persistent circuit faults.
A full rewire brings the house up to the current AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules, adds proper earthing, and allows modern protective devices like RCDs to be fitted. It’s also the natural moment to upgrade the switchboard and add the outlets and lighting you actually want.
That said — I’ll tell you if you don’t need one. Sometimes the honest answer is a partial rewire of two circuits and a new board.
What that usually involves
- Inspecting what cable you actually have, before quoting anything
- Full or partial rewires, staged around you living in the house
- Proper earthing throughout
- New switchboard with RCD safety switches
- Extra outlets and lighting added while the walls are open
- Everything tested, certified and left compliant with AS/NZS 3000
“I’ve worked with Tom on a number of projects. He’s an exceptional tradesman and I really respect his attitude. I was hesitant to leave this review because I didn’t want him to get busier, (I want to use him for every project) but alas, here it is.”
Lach Richardson · Google reviewCommon questions
About rewiring
Does my whole house need rewiring?
Often not. Canberra homes were built over a long stretch of years and many have been partly rewired already. I’ll check what’s actually in your walls and tell you what genuinely needs doing and what has years left in it.
Can I stay in the house during a rewire?
Usually yes. It’s normally staged so you keep power to most of the house while I work through it circuit by circuit. I’ll walk you through the plan before we start.
How much mess does it make?
There’s some — access holes in walls and ceilings are unavoidable. I keep it to the minimum needed and I’ll show you where they’ll be before I cut anything.
What does a rewire cost?
There’s no honest answer without seeing the house — it depends on size, access, what cable is already there and how much of it genuinely needs replacing. The inspection and quote are free, and I’ll tell you if you only need part of it done.
What is AS/NZS 3000?
It’s the Australian and New Zealand wiring rules — the standard all domestic electrical work has to meet. Any rewire I do is brought up to it.
Wondering what’s in your walls?
Call and you’ll get me directly. Or send the details through and I’ll come back to you.
0407 624 757