Hey everyone! I could really use your advice on some electrical work that needs to be done in my 100-year-old, 1,800 sqft house located in Southern California. I've discovered that while some rooms have been upgraded and grounded, others still have the old cloth wiring. There's a new 200amp panel connected to an old 100amp subpanel which is full. I'm not sure if it's overloaded since opinions on that have varied, but luckily, we haven't blown any fuses in the 8 months we've lived here.
I've received six estimates from licensed electricians, all with insurance, but the suggestions and pricing are all over the place:
1. The first electrician specializes in old homes and would do a partial rewire with minimal wall damage, along with a new subpanel, for $20k.
2. The second suggests a whole house rewire to the new panel, removing the subpanel, for $36k.
3. The third one also recommends the whole rewire for $40k.
4. The fourth offers a partial rewire, claiming the subpanel isn't overloaded, charging $350 per junction box with estimates between $8-12k.
5. The fifth has a similar approach with estimates around $15k for a complete rewire, but he charges $240 for a thorough estimate.
6. Finally, the sixth recommendation suggested a whole house rewire for only $7,500 but without plaster repair included.
My main goal is to replace the old wiring, eliminate hazards, and ground everything. I can see the logic in a whole house rewire with the 200amp panel ready to go, but I'm hesitant about the $7,500 estimate being too low compared to the higher quotes. Is it true that you usually get what you pay for? What should I be cautious about? I thought getting multiple quotes would help me decide, but now I'm just confused! Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
I would go with the whole house rewire option #2. It's a bit more of an upfront cost, but then you don’t have to worry about incomplete work down the road. When I rewired homes, a complete overhaul could often be done within a day or two depending on the crew. Trust me, doing a partial rewire now can lead to needing more work and expenses later.
Make sure to check if there's enough space in the new panel! Typically, keeping a subpanel is justifiable if it’s in a separate area, like a garage for a workshop. If you're planning on getting rid of it, you should confirm the new panel can handle all your needs.
Honestly, I'd lean towards whatever option gets you all the circuits connected to the new panel. It’ll save you a headache later worrying about which breaker handles what. A partial rewire might just complicate things if not everything is moved over to the new setup.
Thanks for your input! Just to clarify, in the partial rewire, I’d only move a few circuits to the new panel while others would still connect to the subpanel.
Yes, there’s only one circuit on the main panel that connects to the subpanel. I think the old subpanel was to avoid rewiring everything when the new panel was installed. The two panels are pretty far apart, so I agree – it should come out!