One of the biggest aspects of making a home liveable is the electrical installation. Costs for wiring your home for electricity are variable, but they can be neatly divided into wiring type, material, and square footage of your home, among other things. Working with electrical components on the scale needed for wiring a home is far more complex than simply wiring in a lighting fixture, so this project requires a professional.
Several factors, including labor, will influence your overall house wiring cost. Read on to learn the average cost of wiring a home, including factors that can influence the end price.
Standard Services | Quantity | Low | High | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
What you can expect | |||||
Range per wiring: | $188.69 | $227.47 | |||
Range for this type of project: | $189 | $227 | |||
Estimate: $208 | |||||
Electrical Wiring Labor, Basic | 2 hours | $172 | $209 | ||
Labor cost, under typical conditions, for complete installation of electrical wiring up to 40'. New NM-B wiring run will be routed, secured, and connected. Fee is inclusive of all aspects of the project, such as thorough planning, acquisition of equipment and material, preparation and protection of project site, and meticulous cleanup. | |||||
Electrical Wiring Job Supplies | 1 wiring | $17 | $19 | ||
Requisite supplies for the job, including connectors, fittings, and mounting hardware. | |||||
Optional Services | |||||
Option: Add AFCI Circuit Protection | 1 hour | $79 | $95 | ||
Circuit power will be shut off and existing circuit break removed. New 15A or 20A Arc Fault Circuit Interrupt breaker will be installed. Power will be restored and optimal operation verified. Available for systems compatible with AFCI breakers. |
cost to install electrical wiring | |
National Avg. Materials Cost per wiring | $18.45 |
National Avg. Cost (labor and materials) for 1 wiring | $216.00 |
National Cost Range (labor and materials) for 1 wiring | $195.87 - $236.13 |
Technically, the average price range for wiring a new home is between $4,000 and $10,000, but the numbers will fluctuate based on the home's size and the project's exact nature. A person who owns a new 2,000-square-foot home can expect to pay an average of $8,000 for a complete electrical package, which includes the following:
Installing wiring in a 500-square-foot addition can cost as low as $1,500. Rewiring an older home with hard-to-reach areas can cost as much as $30,000, with the owner receiving the following updates:
The electrical wiring price for rewiring an older home tends to be more expensive since the project requires opening the walls and removing existing wiring. In addition to the above prices, expect to pay a licensed electrician from $70 to $100 per hour.
If you’re wiring a house, costs can change because of the project type. For example, installing wiring in new construction usually costs less than rewiring an older home. Additionally, the costs associated with installing electrical wiring will change according to what part of the house the project is being done because of the difficulty in accessing or working with the wiring.
Installing new construction wiring is less labor-intensive than rewiring an older home. Generally, installing new wiring includes roughing in the wires, setting up wiring for lights and other fixtures, and installing outlets, panels, and switches. A new house's typical electrical wiring price is between $3 and $5 per square foot.
Roughing in is the process of installing the basic wiring in a wall but not finishing it. Roughed-in wires are capped in areas where outlets and fixtures are to be installed. The drywalling is then completed, and the electrician returns to complete the wiring once the walls are completely built. If it’s not lumped in with the cost of completely wiring a new home, the electrical installation cost of roughing in is $3 to $5 per square foot.
The electrical wiring price for a basement depends on whether you plan to finish the basement or leave it unfinished. If you choose to leave the basement as-is, you can expect the wiring to cost between $2 and $5 per square foot. If you want to finish the basement, the cost will be the same as wiring a new home.
Rewiring an older home requires opening the walls and removing existing wiring, outlets, switches, and so on. The work is more intensive, so the house wiring cost is more expensive. If any of the areas being rewired are hard to reach, the drywall there may need to be completely removed. If that’s the case, you can expect to redo the drywall and finishing, which will incur further costs. Generally, the cost of rewiring an older home is between $6 and $10 per square foot.
There are two types of electrical systems used in residential homes: lead sheathed and conduit. Most homes will need a combination of these two. Fortunately, electricians often bill for their services using one set of numbers: the typical cost for new home wiring. The cost of wiring using lead sheathed and conduit systems are the same at $3 to $5 per square foot.
There are over 20 types of cable typically used in residential buildings, but some aren’t common. In most cases, the cost of material is included in the cost of the labor – the $3 to $5 or $6 to $10 ranges.
Here’s a quick look at the six most common cable types used in homes:
Aside from the cost of materials, several factors may alter your overall house wiring cost. These factors include:
Electrical work needed in wiring or rewiring a home should not be a DIY project unless you’re a licensed electrician. An electrician can properly install all the wiring, fixtures, outlets, switches, and so forth that are required to wire a home completely. Additionally, they’ll ensure the wiring is completely safe and up to the local municipal building codes.
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