Full rewire or partial rewire?
By Ian Walsh, Renew Electrical, 10 November 2026
A full rewire replaces the wiring throughout the house. A partial rewire replaces only the part that needs it, for example one floor or an extension. Ian does both, and at the survey he looks at what is there and tells you which your house needs.
Not every house needs every wire replaced, and a good survey will say so.
When a full rewire makes sense
When the wiring through the house is original and old: rubber or fabric-covered cable, an old fuse board and a handful of sockets. In that case, doing part of it would leave old and new side by side.
When a partial rewire makes sense
When some of the house has already been done, or only one part needs it: a floor, an extension, or a few rooms.
How the decision is made
By looking at the house. Ian checks the cable, the fuse board and the circuits, and tells you what he would do and why. You get an itemised quote for that scope.
If you are renovating
Think about the rooms you are about to open up anyway. If walls are coming down or ceilings are coming off, that is the cheapest moment to put the wiring right in those rooms.
What stays the same
Whichever it is, the wall chases are plastered, the house is left as it was before (painting aside), and you get a Safe Electric completion certificate.
Quick answers
Do you do partial rewires?
Yes. Ian does partial rewires as well as full ones.