Cost to Rewire a Home in Colorado

Is your home over 25 years old, or have you noticed your lights flickering lately? If so, it might be time to consider rewiring. Like any other critical component that keeps your home safe and functional, electrical wiring has a limited lifespan. Most homes need a rewiring every 25 years, depending on environmental conditions and usage, but signs like malfunctioning outlets or flickering lights might hasten the need.

Moreover, if you’ve recently expanded your home or upgraded to high-power appliances, your existing electrical system may no longer suffice. These changes can significantly increase the demand on your wiring system, necessitating an upgrade to handle the increased load safely.

The cost of rewiring a home in Colorado can range dramatically from $15,000 to over $50,000. This variance is influenced by several factors, including:

• Size of the home
• Age of the home
• Type of wiring
• Accessibility and complexity
• Local permits and regulations

For a more specific estimate, you’ll need a trained electrician to evaluate your home.

Size of the Home

It makes sense that the size of your home has a significant impact on the overall cost. Larger homes have more wiring than smaller homes simply because they have more rooms. This equates to more work and materials, both driving up the price.

Your home’s layout can also impact the cost of rewiring. Multi-level homes tend to cost more to rewire because the wiring has to be routed up and down and side to side.

Age of the Home

The age of your home may impact how much of it needs to be rewired. Older homes built before the ​’80s often require a complete rewire if they’ve never had work done on their electrical system before. Newer homes may be able to squeak by with just rewiring certain parts of the house instead.

If you’re rewiring your whole home due to age, you likely also have an outdated electrical panel that won’t keep up with the new wiring system. Homes built before 1960 often have 60-amp panels, but today, according to the National Electric Code, they must have at least a 100-amp panel. Even then, 150 — to 200-amp panels are often recommended for modern houses. An electrical panel upgrade can increase the price by at least $2,500.

These factors all contribute to the cost of replacing wiring in an old house, which is often higher.

Type of Wiring

The type of wiring you choose directly impacts the overall cost. The cost to change aluminum wiring to copper, for example, tends to be more expensive than the cost to rewire aluminum wiring. This is because copper is significantly more expensive than aluminum.

Generally speaking, wiring can cost between $0.15 and $3.50 per linear foot just for the material alone. THHN or THWN wiring tends to be more affordable and uses a single conductor, insulation, and a jacket for protection. They range between $0.15 and $1.50 per linear foot.

For electricity access outdoors, you need underground feeder (UF) cables, which average between $0.60 and $2 per linear foot.

Non-metallic (NM) sheathed cables are also popular for homes, consisting of several THHN wire conductors within one sheath. These cost between $0.50 and $3.50 per linear foot.

Accessibility and Complexity

Rewiring a home requires an electrician to remove all the old wiring before installing the new ones. If accessing the wires is a difficult task, the labor and length of time it takes to complete the job increases. This also drives up the cost.

Older homes or homes with hard-to-access areas cost more to rewire than newer or simpler homes. Likewise, plaster walls can create added complications as they need to be opened up and then patched after the fact. Your electrician probably won’t do this themselves, and you’ll need an additional contractor.

Local Permits and Regulations

Permits and regulations, while legally mandated, also add to your bottom line. These permits can range from $75 to $150. Your electrician has to obtain a permit to do any work on your home, and that cost factors into your final bill.

An inspection can also raise the cost of rewiring a home. Work must be inspected before being covered with insulation or drywall. This should also be rolled into your final estimate.