That job in Tucson with the old cloth wiring really changed my mind about rewiring whole houses.

I was ready to quote a full rewire on a 1950s bungalow, but after tracing every circuit and finding the insulation was still flexible and the splices were solid, I just added AFCI breakers and a new panel, saving the homeowner about $8,000, so when did 'replace everything' become the only right answer?

4 comments

4 Comments

abbyp616d ago

But what about the plaster and lath walls that get destroyed during a rewire? Mark_green is right about the autopilot quotes, but nobody talks about the repair nightmare left behind. A good inspection can save the house itself, not just the wiring.

harperr826d ago

Right? Mark_green gets it. I had a 1962 place last month with original cloth romex that was still soft as butter. Just swapped the panel and put in a few GFCIs where needed. The quote from the other guy for a full rewire was criminal.

olivia6706d ago

My old boss would've rewired that whole 1962 house.

mark_green6d ago

Exactly, it's gotten out of hand. The fear of liability has everyone on autopilot just quoting full replacements. Good on you for actually doing the legwork and checking the condition. That old cloth wire can be perfectly fine if it hasn't been cooked in an attic or messed with. You saved that homeowner a ton of money for no good reason. More people need to use their eyes and their brains instead of just following a script.