How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in Perth? (2026 Prices)

Rewiring is the biggest electrical job a home can have, and it's the one where the cheap number does the most damage — people budget from a national average, get a real quote, and put it off for another five years. So here are the real numbers, along with how to tell whether your house actually needs a full rewire (many don't), what's done over the days we're there, and the WA rules that apply.

Perth has a lot of candidates. The brick-and-tile homes built from the 1950s to the early 1980s in suburbs like Dianella, Morley, Bassendean, Melville and Kalamunda are now 45–75 years old, and the original cable, the two-wire lighting circuits without an earth, and the ceramic-fuse boards are all past their design life.

Roughly a quarter of a rewire is materials — cable, conduit, points, switches, the board — and the rest is licensed labour over several days. A 3×1 is typically three to five working days for two electricians; a 4×2 five to eight.

• Original cable in a pre-1970 home. Rubber-insulated (VIR) or cotton-covered cable goes brittle and cracks; when you move it in the roof, the insulation falls off. That's a fire waiting for a mouse.
• No earth on the lighting circuits. Two-wire lighting circuits without an earth were standard in Perth homes until around 1980. Metal light fittings and fans on those circuits can't be earthed, and RCD protection can't be relied on.
• Ceramic fuses and no safety switches. The board is usually the same age as the cable behind it.
• Frequent tripping, flickering lights, warm switches, a burning smell, scorch marks on points. Any of these needs a look this week, not next year.
• Power boards and extension leads everywhere. A 1965 house had one power point per room. That's not a rewire trigger by itself, but it's usually found alongside the ones above.
• Renovating. Once the kitchen or bathroom walls are open, running new circuits is cheap. Closing them up over 50-year-old cable is the expensive mistake.
• Buying or insuring. Some insurers ask about wiring age; building inspectors flag old cable and boards; a pre-purchase electrical inspection tells you exactly what's there before you commit.

Not every old house needs a full rewire. If the cable is 1980s TPS in good condition and the issue is the board and a few circuits, a switchboard upgrade plus some new circuits is a fraction of the price. That's what an inspection is for.

1. Inspection and plan. We check the roof space and a sample of points, test insulation resistance on the existing circuits, and agree a plan: circuits, point positions, switch positions, lighting layout, any extras (downlights, fans, aircon, EV circuits) while the walls are open.
2. Switchboard first. A new board with an RCBO on every circuit and surge protection, so each new circuit lands on modern protection. Western Power is notified for the mains work.
3. Roof space runs. New TPS cable is run through the roof space to every light and switch drop, in the same routes as the old cable where possible. Old cable is disconnected and removed where it's accessible.
4. Wall drops. In Perth's cavity-brick homes, cable drops down the cavity to switches and points with minimal damage. Solid or rendered walls need chasing, which is where plaster patching comes in.
5. Points, switches and fittings. New power points (more than you had), switches, light points, and dedicated circuits for the oven, cooktop, hot water, aircon and any high-load appliance.
6. Earthing. A full earthing system — main earth, earth stake, equipotential bonding of metal pipework where required — because old homes often have none worth the name.
7. Testing and certification. Every circuit tested for insulation resistance, polarity, earth continuity and RCD trip time. You get a labelled board, an Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days and a notice of completion to Western Power.

Power is off to parts of the house while each area is done; we sequence it so you keep the fridge and one room running if you're living there.

• Licensed contractor only. A rewire is electrical work from start to finish and can only be done by a licensed electrical contractor (our licence is EC15449). Unlicensed rewiring is illegal, uninsurable and, in a 60-year-old house, dangerous.
• AS/NZS 3000:2018 (the Wiring Rules), Amendment 2 mandatory in WA since October 2021. RCD protection on every final sub-circuit including hard-wired appliances, and surge protection as part of the standard for the new switchboard.
• Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days of completion, and notices to Western Power for the mains and switchboard work.
• Asbestos. Eaves, fibro walls and switchboard backing panels in pre-1990 homes are treated as asbestos: no cutting or drilling without controls, licensed removal where it's disturbed.
• Building permit. Not normally required for a like-for-like rewire; if the rewire is part of a renovation, the builder's permit covers it.

• Size and number of points. A 4×2 with a theatre room, ducted aircon and a pool has twice the circuits of a 3×1.
• Roof space access. A walkable pitched roof is the easy case. Flat roofs, skillion roofs, concrete ceilings and the ground floor of a two-storey house (no access from above) can double the labour.
• Wall construction. Cavity brick lets cable drop cleanly. Double brick with no cavity, rendered walls or stone means chasing and patching.
• The switchboard. Nearly always replaced with the rewire; budget for it.
• Asbestos. Working around it is slower; removing it is a licensed job on top.
• Living in the house. Staging the work around a family adds days compared with an empty house.
• Fittings and extras. Downlights, fans, smart switches, data points, an EV circuit — cheap to add while the walls are open, but they add up.
• Plaster patching and painting. Not included in electrical quotes; allow for a plasterer where walls are chased.

A partial rewire makes sense when the problem is in one place: the kitchen and bathroom you're renovating, a 1970s extension with its own problems, or the two-wire lighting circuits in an otherwise sound house. It also makes sense as stage one — new board and the worst circuits now, the rest when the budget allows. We'll tell you honestly which it is. About a third of the "rewire" enquiries we get in Perth turn into a switchboard upgrade plus two or three new circuits.

A rewire quote needs a visit: we go through the roof, test a few circuits, look at the board and walk the house with you. The quote is a fixed price with the scope in writing — number of points, circuits, board, what's included and what isn't.

• Fixed price before we start, $0 call-out fee, no hourly surprises.
• Two electricians on site; a 3×1 in three to five days.
• Every job includes the new switchboard, testing of every circuit, the Electrical Safety Certificate and the Western Power notices.
• Licensed electrical contractor EC15449, 300+ five-star Google reviews. See our electrical rewiring service.

We rewire homes across the Perth metro, from Dianella, Bassendean and Kalamunda to Melville, Fremantle and Gosnells.

• Get an inspection before you assume a full rewire. $199–$450 tells you whether it's the cable or just the board.
• Rewire while you renovate. Open walls and no furniture make it the cheapest it will ever be.
• Empty the roof space and the cupboards under the points before we arrive; access time is labour.
• Decide the extras up front. Adding a downlight run mid-job is fine; adding it after the ceiling is patched isn't.
• Stage it if you need to — board and the dangerous circuits first, the rest later.
• Move out for the week if you can. An empty house is faster and cheaper.

Thinking about rewiring a Perth home?

Call 0422 117 839 or request a free quote online. Site visit, fixed price in writing, $0 call-out fee. Read about our electrical rewiring service.