House rewiring in Edinburgh & East Lothian
Full and partial rewires of the stone-built, pre-war and mid-century housing the Lothians are made of — sequenced room by room so you can keep living there, and certificated when it's done.
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Full rewire from £3,000 + VAT · Typical 3-bed house about 8 days · Certificate on completion
Does my house need rewiring?
Pick the age, tick anything that's true, and get an honest read — including "probably fine".
When a rewire is actually due
Wiring doesn't last forever. Cable insulation ages, connections work loose, and the demands we put on a house — kitchens full of appliances, EV chargers, electric showers — are nothing like what a 1960s installation was designed for. The clearest signs a rewire is due: fabric, rubber or lead-sheathed cables (all long past their design life), a fusebox without RCD protection, sockets that sit warm, lights that dim when the kettle goes on, and a house that's never been rewired in living memory.
This matters more here than most places. Edinburgh and East Lothian's stock is old — Victorian terraces, stone-built villas, inter-war bungalows — and stone walls hide wiring for decades longer than plasterboard does. Plenty of Haddington and North Berwick homes still run on circuits their owners have never seen. Age alone doesn't condemn a house, though: a 1990s installation that tests well is fine, and we'll say so.
Full or partial? A full rewire replaces every circuit, accessory and the fuseboard — the right call when the old wiring is pre-1960s or failing throughout. A partial rewire targets what's actually worn: perhaps the sockets ring is original but the lighting was renewed in the 90s. The honest way to decide is testing, not guesswork — an EICR from £249 + VAT tells you circuit by circuit what's sound.
Good times to rewire. When you're renovating anyway — it's the moment to modernise and put sockets and lights exactly where you want them — and before you decorate, for peace of mind that fresh walls won't need opening up again.
Faster and more cost-effective in an empty house. A rewire is disruptive — floorboards up, chases in walls. We isolate the house and set up temporary power, so an empty house can be worked through in one go: a typical three-bedroom house takes about 8 days. If you're living there, we plan around you — it just takes a little longer.
We keep in touch throughout. Communication is a big part of the job. If we find a better place for a socket once the boards are up, we'll talk it through with you before we do anything. We're not a large team in and out as fast as possible — we make sure every decision genuinely works for you and the way you use the house.
Certification. Every rewire finishes with an Electrical Installation Certificate covering the whole job — the document your buyer's solicitor, insurer or letting agent will ask for, and your proof the work meets BS 7671:2018.
What it costs
Every house is different, so rewires are surveyed and priced as one fixed figure — never day rates that drift.
Prices are plus VAT and include certification. Plastering and decorating aren't included — we can recommend or organise a plasterer and decorator for you.
How a rewire runs
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Survey & fixed price
We walk the house, agree the socket and lighting plan room by room, and give one figure for the whole job.
~1 hour on site -
Design & drawings
Before first fix you get a design and drawings showing every socket, switch and light, so you can see the layout and change it while it's still on paper.
Before any work starts -
Isolate & first fix
We isolate the house and set up temporary power, then run new cables to every point. If we spot a better spot for a socket on the way, we'll ask you first.
Most of the job -
Second fix & new board
Sockets, switches and fittings on; the new RCBO consumer unit in; every circuit tested and labelled.
Final days -
Certificate & handover
Full Electrical Installation Certificate, labelled board, and a walkthrough of what's where.
On completion
Recently had my whole house rewired and configured for TV, Audio & Lighting. Very professional and pleasant experience.
Anthony Flynn — whole-house rewire
Rewiring questions, answered
How much does a rewire cost?
From £3,000 + VAT for a 1-bedroom flat, £3,500 + VAT for 2 bedrooms and £6,000 + VAT for a 3–4 bedroom house. The exact figure depends on circuits, walls and access, which is why we survey first and give one fixed price. It includes the new consumer unit, all accessories and the certificate. Plastering and decorating aren't included, but we can recommend or organise both.
How long does it take?
A typical three-bedroom house takes about 8 days; a small flat less, a big stone villa more. An empty house is quicker than an occupied one, because we can work through it in one go. You'll get the duration with the quote — and it's the duration we hold to.
Can I stay in the house?
You can, and we'll plan around you with temporary power for the essentials. But an empty house is faster and more cost-effective, so if you can stay elsewhere for a week or two, it usually shortens the job and lowers the price.
Full or partial rewire — which do I need?
Testing decides, not age alone. If every circuit is tired, a full rewire is cheaper than piecemeal fixes; if half the installation was renewed in the 90s and tests well, a partial targeting the old half makes sense. An EICR gives the circuit-by-circuit evidence either way.
How do I know it's actually needed?
Use the checker above for a first read, then get an EICR for the real answer — it tests every circuit and codes what it finds. If the report says your wiring is sound, you've spent £249 + VAT to avoid a job you didn't need. We'd rather tell you that than sell you a rewire. The best times to do it are when you're renovating and before you decorate.
Is the work certified?
Yes — every rewire finishes with an Electrical Installation Certificate to BS 7671:2018 covering the whole installation, plus a labelled board and test results. It's the paperwork that follows the house through every future sale and let.
Related services
Where we do this: Edinburgh · East Lothian · Midlothian
Book a rewire survey
Tell us the property — age, size, occupied or empty — and we'll book the survey and come back with one fixed figure.
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Prefer to talk it through? Call 01620 843 804.