Full and partial rewires done properly on Canterbury period stock.

What's included

• Complete strip-out of the existing wiring back to the consumer unit position
• New circuits designed to BS 7671:2018 A2 - separate ring or radial socket circuits per floor, dedicated kitchen circuits (typically two - one for the cooker point, one for the general kitchen sockets), separate lighting circuits per floor, dedicated shower circuit if applicable, dedicated boiler circuit
• First-fix cable run through joist spaces, ceiling voids and (where necessary) surface conduit on listed elevations. Cables sized for the circuit design and de-rated where they run through insulation
• New consumer unit (metal, all-RCBO configuration, Type 2 SPD) installed as part of the rewire
• Second-fix accessories: sockets, switches, ceiling roses, cooker outlet, shower isolator. Brand and finish specified with you at the design stage
• Second-fix testing: full continuity, insulation resistance, RCD trip times, earth-fault loop, polarity
• Electrical Installation Certificate, schedule of test results, schedule of circuit details, and Building Regulations compliance certificate posted within a fortnight
• Full making-good of surfaces - floorboards re-laid, plaster patched, decorations touched in where practical (final decorations usually left to the decorator you'd already be using)

Timing

A full-house rewire on a Canterbury 3-bed property runs typically 5–8 working days on site, split as:

• Day 1: strip-out, sub-main routing decided, board isolated
• Days 2–4: first-fix - all new cabling pulled through, boxes fitted, board mounted
• Days 4–5: floorboards re-laid, walls patched by the plasterer or by me on smaller patches
• Days 6–7: second-fix - accessories fitted, board terminated, connections made
• Day 8: test, inspect, certify. Live-load walk-through with you

Listed properties or larger period stock stretch to 8–12 working days. Kitchen or bathroom-only rewires are 2–3 days.

Canterbury-specific notes

Georgian and Victorian floorboards. A significant part of the rewire on any Wincheap, St Dunstan's or intra-mural property is the floorboard lift. Original Georgian tongue-and-groove boards are often clipped tight against the joists with no play; lifting them without breaking them takes time. Where the boards are worth preserving, that time is worth it. Modern chipboard flooring in a 1970s Hales Place semi comes up quicker.

Listed elevations. Chase-cuts into a lath-and-plaster listed wall are not on. On listed properties the answer is either surface-mount metal conduit on interior walls (finished in a colour matched to the elevation), lifting listed floorboards where the LBC allows it, or (occasionally) running the second-floor circuits through the loft space and dropping to accessories rather than rising to them. Listed Building Consent from Canterbury City Council is usually needed for the exterior route and quoted alongside the electrical work.

Kitchens and bathrooms. Kitchen and bathroom rewiring is notifiable regardless of whether the whole house is being done. Every bathroom is a Section 701 special location - zone-appropriate accessories (IPX4 in zone 2, IPX7 in zone 1) and RCD protection on every circuit entering the room.

Frequently asked

Can I live in the house during a rewire?

Usually yes - power is worked circuit by circuit and there is normally at least one socket circuit and one lighting circuit live every night. If you need power to a particular room (a home office, a fridge on a specific outlet) I schedule around it. On very compact properties or where the sub-main routing forces a full-day shutdown, one or two nights out is easier for everyone.

Do I need Listed Building Consent for a rewire?

For the wiring itself, no - the wiring is not a listed feature. For any change that affects a listed elevation (surface conduit visible on a front face, new socket outlet penetrating a listed skirting or panel, downlight cuts through a listed ceiling), yes. LBC is a Canterbury City Council process and I quote for the application timeline as part of the scope on listed jobs.

Pricing

A full-house rewire on a Canterbury property starts from £2,990 including the consumer unit. Kitchen-only rewires are £1,200 – £1,900. Larger period stock or listed properties with LBC-mandated routing quote higher. Fixed price after site survey. Fixed price quoted in advance after property details and scope. No day-rate creep, no surprise extras.