How Many Hours Does It Take to Rewire a House?

General Estimate

• According to the product and service resource CostHelper, it typically takes between three and 10 working days -- or about one week -- for an electrician to rewire an average, older house in need of electrical work. This translates to 24 to 80 hours, assuming an eight-hour workday. Because house sizes vary from property to property, taking the number of bedrooms in your house into account can help you reach a more accurate figure.

Number of Bedrooms

• Rewiring a small, one-bedroom house typically takes an electrician three to four working days, which -- assuming an eight-hour workday -- translates to 24 to 32 hours. Two- and three-bedroom houses require five working days or approximately 40 hours for a rewire. Rewiring a four-bedroom house can take up to six working days, or 48 hours, while rewiring a five-bedroom house can take seven working days, or 56 hours. Houses with more than five bedrooms typically require rewiring times greater than 56 hours.

Complicating Factors

• In addition to the size and number of rooms in a house, other factors can impact how many hours it takes for an electrician to rewire a house. Such factors include the number of floors or levels a house has and how easy or difficult it is for an electrician to access a house’s electrical wiring. For houses built on concrete slabs, electricians may need to cut open walls or cut through ceiling joists to complete the rewiring, adding time to the project. The same is true for houses that don’t have attics.

Tips

• To speed rewiring time, consider going on a vacation or moving out of the house temporarily while the electrician completes the work. This prevents time-consuming conflicts that occur when homeowners want to have their power on; electricians need the power off to work on wiring. If you stay in the house during the rewiring, allow electricians to leave out their tools and supplies at the end of each work day and temporarily store furniture -- or move it to the centers of rooms -- to create more space.