A whole-home rewire typically takes 5–8 business days for a 1,000–1,500 sq ft single-story house and 8–14 business days for 1,500–2,500 sq ft. Wall access is the biggest variable. Here are the phases, the permit, and what living at home during the work is like.
This guide is part of our Electrical Repair service in Dallas–Fort Worth.
A whole-home rewire typically takes 5–8 business days for a 1,000–1,500 sq ft single-story house and 8–14 business days for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft home, plus the city inspection. Larger and two-story homes take longer, and plaster walls with no attic access can add 30–50%. These are our typical ranges, and your schedule is set in the written quote after we have seen the house.
How long does a rewire take by home size?
| Home | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| 1,000–1,500 sq ft, single-story | 5–8 business days |
| 1,500–2,500 sq ft | 8–14 business days |
| 2,500–3,500 sq ft, two-story | 12–18 business days |
| Plaster walls, little attic or crawl access | Add 30–50% |
Wall access is the biggest variable. An open attic or crawl space lets new cable be fished with small openings. Finished drywall or plaster with no access above or below means more openings to cut, fish and patch.
What happens during a rewire?
- Walkthrough and plan. We test the existing circuits, map what stays and what goes, and confirm outlet, switch and light locations with you.
- Permit. The rewire is permitted work and the permit is pulled before the walls are opened.
- Rough-in. New copper cable is pulled room by room and the old circuits are disconnected. Wire is sized to the breaker: under the NEC, 14 AWG copper is limited to 15 amps and 12 AWG to 20 amps (NEC 240.4(D)). Power is off in sections, not the whole house at once.
- Panel and grounding. If the panel is being replaced, the new circuits land in it, and AFCI and GFCI protection goes wherever the city's adopted NEC edition requires it.
- Devices and testing. Outlets, switches and fixtures go in, and each circuit is tested.
- Inspection and patching. The city inspects, and the openings we cut are patched. Final paint matching is usually the homeowner's.
Can you live in the house during a rewire?
Usually, yes. Power is shut off in sections, so part of the house has power each evening. Expect dust and noise on the days walls are opened. If anyone in the home depends on powered medical equipment, tell us before the work is scheduled so we can plan around it.
Does a rewire need a permit in Fort Worth?
Yes. We pull it, schedule the inspections and include them in the written quote. Fort Worth has adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code (City of Fort Worth, Building & Energy Codes). A Fort Worth homeowner can permit some work on their own homestead, but the city's homestead electrical affidavit says homeowners "may not work on the service", which must be permitted and performed by a master electrician (City of Fort Worth homestead affidavits).
What does a whole-home rewire cost?
Typically $6.50–$12.40 per square foot in Dallas-Fort Worth, so about $9,750–$18,600 for a 1,500 sq ft home. Those are estimates; the full breakdown is in our cost to rewire a house guide. If the reason for the rewire is aluminum branch wiring, compare it with pigtail repair in the aluminum wiring repair cost guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Usually not. Power is shut off in sections rather than all at once. Some homeowners stay elsewhere for the dustiest days when walls are opened. If you rely on powered medical equipment, tell us before scheduling.
When the wiring itself is the problem, such as cloth-insulated cable, knob-and-tube, or circuits too small for today's loads, repairs only fix the spots you find. A rewire replaces the branch circuits so the whole house is on new copper. An evaluation tells you which case you are in.
Under the NEC, copper 14 AWG is limited to a 15-amp breaker and 12 AWG to a 20-amp breaker (NEC 240.4(D)). Larger loads such as a range, dryer, EV charger or subpanel are sized individually.
