How do I know if my house needs rewiring?

Look for the signs: cloth-covered or VIR wiring, no earth wire, a switchboard with ceramic fuses, recurring faults or tripping breakers, warm or discoloured power points, or a burning smell near outlets. Homes built before 1970 are the most likely candidates. If any of that sounds familiar, it's worth having us assess the wiring — we'll tell you honestly whether a full or partial rewire is needed.

Do I have to move out while the house is rewired?

Usually not. We work room by room wherever possible and restore power each evening, so most families are able to stay in the house for the whole job. There are exceptions for very extensive rewires or difficult access, and we'll flag that upfront if it applies to your home — but moving out is the exception, not the rule.

How long does a house rewire take?

It depends mainly on the size of the house and how easy the roof and underfloor access is. A partial rewire of a few circuits might take a day or two, while a full rewire of a larger home can take one to two weeks. We assess access and scope upfront and give you a clear timeframe as part of your fixed quote.

Can you rewire part of the house instead of all of it?

Yes, and for many homes that's exactly what we recommend. A partial rewire brings the oldest or most at-risk circuits — often the kitchen, laundry or areas with cloth or VIR wiring — up to modern standards, without the cost and disruption of doing the whole house. We'll always tell you honestly if a partial rewire is genuinely enough, rather than quoting a full rewire you don't need.

Will the walls need to be cut open and patched?

Some access is usually needed, but we work through the roof space and under the floor wherever we can to keep wall cutting to a minimum. Where a small access point is unavoidable, we make it as neat as possible and leave it ready for your painter or plasterer. If you're renovating and the walls are already open, that's the cheapest and easiest time to rewire.

Does a rewire include a new switchboard?

Almost always, yes. Old wiring is nearly always paired with an outdated switchboard, so a switchboard upgrade is included in most rewires as standard — new circuit breakers, safety switches and a compliant enclosure. See our switchboard upgrades page for more detail on that part of the work.

House Rewiring in Geelong

Wiring installed decades ago wasn't built for how we live now. Insulation on old cabling degrades and becomes brittle over time, circuits that once ran a few lights and a fridge were never designed for today's air conditioners, entertainment systems and kitchen appliances, and many older homes have no earth wire at all — a real safety gap by modern standards. House rewiring replaces that ageing wiring with new, correctly rated cable and a compliant switchboard, bringing the whole electrical installation up to today's safety standards. LJ Electrical Group carries out house rewiring across Geelong and the Bellarine — from Belmont and Highton to Grovedale, Waurn Ponds, South Geelong and Armstrong Creek.

If your home still has its original wiring — especially anything built before the 1970s — a rewire is one of the most worthwhile safety upgrades you can make. And it's often more affordable than people expect, because many homes only need part of the house done, not all of it.

Call 0433 444 331 Request a free quote

Signs your house may need rewiring

Cloth-covered or VIR (vulcanised India rubber) wiring
No earth wire
A switchboard with ceramic fuses
Recurring faults or breakers tripping
Discoloured or warm power points and switches
A burning smell near outlets
Homes built before 1970
Not enough power points, so extension leads are everywhere

Full rewire or partial rewire?

Not every rewire needs to be a full one. Many Geelong homes only need certain circuits brought up to standard — the kitchen and laundry circuits, say, or just the areas with the oldest cloth or VIR wiring — while the rest of the house is left alone. A partial rewire is often the sensible, more affordable option, and we'll tell you honestly if that's all your home needs rather than selling you a full rewire you don't need.

If you're renovating, it's worth rewiring while the walls are already open — that's the cheapest time to run new cable, add extra power points and future-proof the circuits, since the cost of opening and patching walls is already being spent on the renovation itself.

What the work involves — and do I need to move out?

A rewire typically starts with access — through the roof space and under the floor — to run new cable to every point and switch being replaced. We install new power points and switches, and a switchboard upgrade is almost always included as part of the job; see our switchboard upgrades page for more on that work. Once the new wiring is in, we make good around any access points, then fully test the installation and issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety.

The question most people actually worry about is whether they need to move out. In most cases, no — we work room by room where possible and restore power each evening, so most families can stay in the house throughout. How long it takes depends on the size of the house and how easy the roof and underfloor access is; we'll give you a clear timeframe as part of your fixed quote.

What's involved in a rewire

Access through the roof space and under the floor
Running new, correctly rated cable to every point being replaced
New power points and switches
A switchboard upgrade — almost always included
Making good around any access points
Full testing of the completed installation
A Certificate of Electrical Safety

House rewiring pricing

A rewire is one of the largest electrical jobs a home can have, and costs run into many thousands rather than hundreds.
Every house is different, which is why we assess before quoting rather than publishing a rate.
What determines the price: house size and number of circuits, single or double storey, roof and underfloor access, whether the walls are open, plaster and brick construction, how many new points are wanted, whether a switchboard upgrade is needed, and full versus partial scope.
We always quote fixed and upfront after assessing the property.
Where a partial rewire is genuinely all that's required, that's exactly what we'll quote — not a full rewire you don't need.

What customers say about our electrical upgrades

★★★★★
I had Zack come to my house to install sub-mains for my new swimming pool, what an experience. Completed the work within set timeframe and helped me with earthing requirements for the fencing around the pool. Could not recommend high enough.

Troy Malthouse
★★★★★
We couldn't be happier with the quality of work Zack did on the installing our spa. Running power to the site was seamless and a really neat finish and the meter box got a complete update as part of the overall process. Pricing was incredibly competitive and with no issues at all since we'll turn to Zack for any future work we ever need. A pleasure to deal with.

Steve Wallis

Licensed, insured & compliant

Licensed REC 36620

Fully insured

Master Electricians Australia member

Certificate of Electrical Safety on every prescribed job

Available across Geelong & the Bellarine

We provide House rewiring in these areas and 40+ more suburbs:

Electrician Belmont Electrician Highton Electrician South Geelong All areas →

Other services

Residential Electrical Commercial & Industrial Switchboard Upgrades Safety Inspections EV Chargers Fault Finding & Repairs Outdoor & Garden Lighting Three-Phase Upgrades Spa & Swim Spa Wiring