Indicative calculator totals are a best-case planning guide. Wall construction, access, finishes, and EICR findings can all add work. We can only sign off a fair fixed price after we have surveyed and, where needed, seen the property. We do not consider the project finished until you are satisfied.
Why consider a rewire?
Older installations were not designed for today’s loads: induction hobs, USB-heavy bedrooms, garden offices, EV readiness, and efficient heating controls all ask more of your circuits than vintage wiring was ever expected to carry. A full or partial rewire replaces degraded or undersized cabling, removes unsafe legacy accessories, and gives a clean layout that an electrician can test, certify, and maintain under BS 7671.
New consumer unit — the heart of the installation
The consumer unit is where faults are meant to be cut off before they become fires or shocks. Modern work typically uses RCBOs per final circuit, clear labelling, and surge protection (SPD) as part of a future-proof domestic spec. The full design rationale is on consumer unit — advanced; the short version: we do not under-spec the board to win on a low headline price with dated group-RCD layouts that age badly in busy homes. Where another contractor truly matches the same high standard, their price is often above ours in this area — not below.
Protecting your family — not just ticking a box
Rewiring is not decoration: it is about predictable disconnection when something goes wrong, RCD protection where the installation needs it, adequate earthing, and fire-rated accessories where escape routes matter. Mains-linked smoke and heat alarms (where in scope) wake the whole house together. Dedicated cooker and electric shower circuits keep high loads off general rings.
What the rewire calculators assume (detailed)
The detailed tool on the hub builds a guide price from typical Thanet domestic labour assumptions:
- Bedrooms & dining: four socket outlets, one light switch, one pendant per room.
- Bathroom: one IP-rated luminaire, one switch, one fan isolator, one extractor fan.
- Kitchen: one under-cabinet / strip lighting run, one switch, four double sockets above worktops, plus three fused-spur positions for fixed appliances (hob, oven, dishwasher or similar — survey confirms which).
- Loft & basement: one light, one switch, one general socket (basement may need longer or segregated runs).
- Utility: three double sockets and three switched fused spurs feeding single socket outlets for appliances.
- Outbuildings (shed / garage): each includes a small garage consumer unit with a dedicated socket circuit and a dedicated lighting circuit.
- Distribution (main home): a modern metal consumer unit plus, per storey you select: a 32 A ring-style socket arrangement, a kitchen ring where a kitchen exists, a boiler circuit, and a lighting circuit per floor (the exact schedule is finalised on site).
- Optional toggles: dedicated electric cooker circuit, electric shower circuit, and mains-linked fire detection (guide may assume one smoke and one heat at the main board, plus networked smokes for further storeys and outbuildings — subject to your quote).
- Occupied homes: the calculator can add a published allowance for working considerately around furniture, tenants, and access — it is a guide, not a promise of final cost.
Further reading
When to rewire your home (Knowledge Hub) · Full rewire service · Consumer unit upgrades