Rewiring
House rewiring for Remuera's older homes
Many of Remuera's streets are more than a hundred years old, and so are some of the houses on them. Our registered electricians rewire villas, bungalows and Edwardian homes in Remuera, replacing tired wiring while keeping the ceilings, panelling and joinery that make these houses worth living in.
Houses that were wired after they were built
Electricity is younger than a good part of Remuera. The Remuera Heritage walk records that by the early 1900s the suburb had trams, gas and electricity, and the electric tram reached the Victoria Avenue shops along Remuera Road in 1904. Some Remuera houses were standing long before that: Cotter House on St Vincent Avenue dates from about 1848, and the two-storey houses at 31 and 33 Bell Road from about 1885. Any wiring in houses of that age went in after the walls were up, and in most of them it has been added to by owner after owner since.
Houses from the Edwardian years and the 1920s were usually wired as they were built, with the materials of the day. Cable from the first half of the twentieth century was commonly insulated with rubber, either as single wires in conduit or as tough rubber-sheathed (TRS) cable. Rubber hardens, cracks and crumbles with heat and age, worst of all in a hot ceiling space or where a cable runs to a light fitting, and once it falls away the copper inside is bare. The protection was usually a ceramic fuse board with fuse wire that is easy to replace with the wrong size, and nothing to cut the power if someone touches a live part.
Signs the wiring needs a closer look
None of these proves a house needs rewiring, but each is worth an electrician's look. Fire and Emergency New Zealand's advice on wiring is plain: older homes can have old or damaged wiring, and if you are worried about yours, call a licensed electrician.
Black rubber or cloth-covered cable
Seen in the ceiling space, under the floor or behind an old switch plate when it comes off.
Fuses instead of circuit breakers
A ceramic fuse board, often with faded handwritten labels and a spare card of fuse wire nearby.
Lights that flicker or dim
When the kettle or heater goes on, or a switch plate that feels warm to the touch.
Too few power points
Multi-boards and extension leads doing the work of sockets the house was never given.
A burning smell or scorch marks
Around a socket, switch or light fitting. Turn that circuit off and call our 24/7 emergency electricians.
A century of additions
Joins in the ceiling space, cable of several ages, and circuits nobody has ever labelled.
Keeping the character while the cable changes
Most of a rewire happens out of sight. In a villa or bungalow on a timber floor, new cable is usually run up from underneath and down from the ceiling space into the existing wall cavities, so plaster, scotias and ceiling roses can stay where they are. Where a wall cannot be reached that way, cable can often travel inside a cupboard, along a skirting or behind joinery instead of through a decorative wall. Two-storey Edwardian houses take more planning, because the upper floor sits between the ceiling space and the rooms below it.
A rewire is also the easiest moment to add what an older house usually lacks: more power points, outdoor sockets, data points and lighting circuits laid out for the way the rooms are used now. It is worth deciding on new LED and interior lighting at the same stage, while the ceilings are open, rather than cutting into them again a year later.
How a rewire runs
Look and test
We open the switchboard, look in the ceiling space and under the floor, and test the existing circuits to find out what is really there.
Plan it room by room
Where each switch, socket and light goes, which walls can be reached without cutting, and whether the work is done all at once or in stages.
New circuits and a new board
New cable goes in circuit by circuit. An old fuse board is normally replaced at the same time, and our page on switchboard upgrades in Remuera covers what that involves.
Test, certify, inspect
The finished work is tested and you receive its certificate. Replacing the main switchboard is mains work, which must be inspected by a licensed electrical inspector, and we arrange the inspection.
Rewiring questions
Can we stay in the house during a rewire?
Often, yes. The power will be off in parts of the house at times, and some rooms will need clearing while the work is in them. Tell us how the house is used day to day and the order of work can be planned around it.
Does everything have to be rewired at once?
No. A rewire can be done in stages, for example the lighting circuits first or one floor at a time, as long as each stage is finished, tested and certified before the next begins.
Will the walls and ceilings need patching?
Usually only in small places, where a switch or socket moves or a cable cannot be fed through from above or below. Those spots are agreed before any plaster is cut, and a plasterer or painter finishes them.
Our villa has been renovated already. Does it still need rewiring?
Possibly. Many Remuera villas and bungalows have had new kitchens, bathrooms, decks and pools added, and the new rooms often have modern cable joined onto old circuits elsewhere in the house. Testing shows where the old wiring still is.
What paperwork will we get?
A Certificate of Compliance for the new wiring, plus the inspection record for work on the main switchboard. WorkSafe advises keeping your certificates safe, as they can be asked for by an insurer or when you sell.
Talk to an electrician about your Remuera home
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour, or send us the details of the job and we will get back to you.
Other services
Switchboard Replacement
Old fuse boards replaced with a modern switchboard that has room for today's circuits, with the inspection arranged.LED & Interior Lighting
LED downlights, dimmers, joinery and wardrobe strips, and feature lights for kitchens, lounges and hallways.Garden & Outdoor Lighting
Lighting for gardens, paths, driveways, decks and outdoor rooms, so a big section can be used and found after dark.Heat Pump Installation
Heat pumps for a single room or a whole house, with the dedicated circuit and switchboard work they need.Home Theatre & TV
Wall-mounted TVs, projector screens, aerials and the power and data points behind a home theatre or media room.Security Cameras & Alarms
Alarm systems and CCTV cameras for homes and premises, placed to watch your property rather than your neighbours'.24/7 Emergency Electrician
Electricians available for call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for lost power, tripping circuits and anything burning or sparking.Enquiries
Contact us
Call 021 156 4005, day or night, or tell us about the job below and one of our electricians will get back to you.
021 156 4005- Auckland
- Call-outs around the clock, every day of the week