ConstructionDeal.com Update

The cost to rewire a house is a common request at ConstructionDeal.com. Since one service we offer is to match homeowners to home rewiring electricians, we wanted to give you an idea of the costs involved.

Re-Wiring a Home
Depending on the size and age of the home, rewiring a house can be a very big project. It means that your electrical service must be upgrade, a new main panel installed or upgrades installed, new wires are run throughout the house, new outlets are installed, and aesthetic repairs may be needed after all this installation.

Rewiring a house is best left to a professional, licensed electrician. Even if you are handy, it's not something safe to be dealing with (and may not even be legal in your area.) Also, rewiring should require permits and inspections in your state, so check on it and have your electrician handle those requirements. It's for your safety and the protection on your property.

Do You Need to Have Your Home Rewired?
The average age of an American home is just over 30 years. Electrical wiring technology has changed a lot in just the last five years, not to mention since a home that was built in the 50's, 60's or 70's. If your home is older, it's more than likely near, at, or over capacity when it comes to the electrical load. You've got big, new appliances that didn't used to exist.

Many homes were built with less than 100 amps installed. Wires were encased in fabric. The electrical system code was not as stringent as it is today and most homes built only met that minimum code. Do you have enough outlets? Are you easily losing power? Do fuses blow regularly? Do you have two-pronged outlets instead of three? Do your outlets and cords get warm? Do you get shocks? Do you have GFCI outlets in bathrooms and the kitchen and laundry?

Cost of Re-Wiring the House
Materials for the rewiring project can cost you up to $1,000 to $3,000 alone because of rising copper prices and other products involved.

• House Re-Wiring Tip - before we get any farther on the costs, one tip can be useful in saving you money on a re-wiring project. If you need an electrical rewiring job done, and you don't have the money - don't do it all at once. Start with the upgrade to your main panel and service and have the most important room rewired. Do it in stages to save money. Have your electrician complete the kitchen or laundry facility first and come back at a later date.

For a smaller home with great access, like attics and a basement, and simple requirements it's going to cost from $4,000 to $8,000 for a complete rewiring job. In three, four and five bedroom houses and a lot of energy requirements and outlets, the costs go up. Also, if there is no good access and a lot of work will be needed to run new wire, it will be in the range of $8,000 to over $20,000.

Of course, those costs usually include parts, labor, permits, and repairs needed to drywall and plaster. Make sure you know what's included in the estimate so there are no surprises.

Also, where you live, how long the rewiring takes, the size of the house, how many floors there are, and how many extras you want added (extra 220v lines, extra outlets, low voltage installations, etc.) can bring the costs up or down.

Talk to a local electrician today to get an estimate. In fact, get several quotes. The more you have, the better idea you'll have of how much it costs in your area.

Submit a request to ConstructionDeal.com to save yourself some time. Electricians will call you. It's a fast, free and easy service and there's no obligation to hire anyone.


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Labels: Cost to Re-Wire a House, Electricians, Rewiring Cost

Whenever homeowners remodel the exterior of their house, many times the landscape designer or deck builder will want to add bright glaring lights. The purpose is usually to highlight an architectural feature on the home or to light up a tree in the garden.

The by-product of all this exterior lighting is light pollution. And it's a growing problem. However, unlike our other massive pollution problems, the light pollution issue can be easily fixed. With the flick of a switch...

What is light pollution?

Light pollution is any light that is shining up into the night sky or out into your neighbor's window. It's misdirected and misused exterior lighting. It creates that "sky glow" effect of an orange-ish haze that wipes out the black night sky and all the stars above. It can cause a glare that affects people walking or driving by the offending source. Finally, another result is what's known as "light trespass." This is when the light from your neighbor's property shines onto and into your own.

But what if you've spent a lot of time and money beautifying the exterior of your home?

You really need to consider your lighting needs. Reducing light pollution does not mean you have to turn off all your exterior lights from dusk to dawn. There are a multitude of options so that you can do your part to help:

• Turn off some or all of your existing exterior lighting
• Install motion sensors on security lights or any lights that shine up and out
• Install timers to turn off exterior lighting after a certain hour
  
• Reduce the wattage in accent, task, and security lighting
• Install quality "dark sky friendly" exterior lighting

It might actually be best to do all of the above. Or some combination that works for the exterior of your house. By installing an exterior light that only shines down, and not out or up, and has fluorescent or halogen bulbs is a great start. Adding motion sensors to those overhead lights and timers to your accent lights would be your next step. Finally, review your light setup to see which ones are crucial and eliminating the ones that are not absolutely necessary.

Why should you worry about light pollution?

Besides the obvious problems of glare and light trespass, excessive exterior lighting requires a lot of energy. More energy consumption means the loss of valuable natural resources and the pollution of our air, water, and ground. Light pollution is harmful to wildlife and they know it can be harmful to people, as well. And, of course, there's the fact that the majority of Americans can never enjoy the beauty of night sky.

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Labels: Electrical Installation, Electricians, Low Voltage Lighting