Rewiring
Big job, rewiring. If you've got this in mind then you probably already realise you're in for a lot of disruption.
What does a rewire involve?
Wiring is built in to the fabric of a property. It's under the floorboards, over the ceilings, embedded in the walls. It starts at the fuse box, or consumer unit - often tucked away under the stairs or up by the ceiling somewhere - and ends at light fittings, switches and sockets all over the house.
Getting out the old wiring and putting in new means going to all those places. Flooring has to be lifted, walls chiselled out. Once the new wiring is in, the chiselling out has to be replastered and then you cna redecorate. The whole house.
Why rewire anyway?
If it's an older property it may still use the old rubber-covered cable. There aren't many of these left - the rubber insulation should have flaked off by now and the place burnt down - but you may be in one of those that remains.
If the property is being renovated top to bottom, that's a good time to rewire, or to add sockets and change the lighting.
A rewire does a number of things:
Rewiring isn't a cheap option - not rewiring can work out a lot more expensive, though.
And if the property has been the victim of years of bodges and add-ons and unco-ordinated extras, it may be the best way to bring your home wiring back under proper control.
Half empty better than half full
We don't recommend staying home while it's being rewired, and we won't undertake a full rewire of an occupied property.
The dust and disruption, noise and mess are all enormous. If you're living in the property you'll need to empty each room in turn while it is worked on, then move everything back in afterwards and doing the same in the enxt room.
An empty property allows several rooms to be worked on at once, and the ongoing mess matters less than in an occupied one.
One more thing
There's one more benefit if your wallet and your ambition will stand it - complete control over your home.
Sounds expensive