Knob and tube and plaster walls

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jennype

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1926 2 story home needs complete rewiring of knob and tube. There is a crawl space and attic. First electrician called said to gut all plaster and start from studs. I don't want to lose all the plaster.

Possible? Wonder what the ballpark figure would be to rewire with panel a 2900sft 2 story? Not including any wall repair.
 
Jenny, if you could post a location, pics of the house inside and out, pics of the existing service it would help a lot.
 
That guy is not a rewire electrician. He is new house installer. Find someone who has experience in rewiring old homes. There is no need to gut the entire house the rewire it. Houses are so different there is no way to get a realistic estimate over the internet.
 
You can cut-in openings and sections where wiring is needed instead of destroying all the plaster. The repair cost will be cut significantly and the electricians can still do what needs to be done.

You will want a new grounded service panel upgraded to 200A .... dedicated circuits to kitchen and laundry ... fully grounded and circuit protected with GFCI ... receptacles for modern electronics (may as well bury a pair of HDMI cables for your big screen TV) ... ceiling fan boxes ... recessed lighting in kitchen and bathrooms ... 20A and 220A receptacles/circuits in garage for shop tools ...

THAT would be a fun project. :D
 
Not knowing anything else, half the time the cost will be between $3 & $12 per sq. ft.
 
With a crawl and attic it CAN be done without damaging pretty much any plaster. That is IF your guy is skilled at remodel work.
NO ONE can give you an accurate estimate without seeing the job in person. Don't be shocked if someone will only do it time & material.
 
Jennype, I had the same problem and gutted most of my downstairs for the new wiring per the electrician. I do not want to do that upstairs however and have not been able to find an electrician that will do it. One told me he would have done the whole house but will not come in and work after another electrician has started. I'm still looking.
 
If you gut the whole downstairs that will give him access to the upstairs. Did he not want to do a bit of snaking???
Maybe he was one of those "new work only" guys? :rolleyes:

I am also not a big fan of coming in after someone else. I have turned jobs down because of it. Usually if the existing work was garbage.
 
I understand but what am I supposed to do now that the first guy is out of the picture? Yeah, my mistake for getting a 'new work only' guy, wish I had known that.
 
Maybe call a few more electricians? The "new work only" guys are few and far between, since new work is very scarce these days. I'm not sure how big of a town you live in, but I'm sure there is more than two electricians within working distance.
 
A friend of mine found the guy to do the job on a three story house with k&t. He removed all the old wire and rewired the whole house with very little dammage to the plaster. The inspector wouldn't pass it untill he could see the wire and staples.
 
nealtw said:
A friend of mine found the guy to do the job on a three story house with k&t. He removed all the old wire and rewired the whole house with very little dammage to the plaster. The inspector wouldn't pass it untill he could see the wire and staples.
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Do you have a house rewire cost, based on either sq. ft. or # of outlets? I can always use more samples. :)
 
If you get someone to quote a job like that, you wouldn't hire him because he's either overpriced or a fool.

I forgot to mention, that after tearing their house apart for the inspector a lawyer said the contractor could have certified it with an affidavid. I don't know if that would have worked but it is something tothink about.
 
nealtw said:
If you get someone to quote a job like that, you wouldn't hire him because he's either overpriced or a fool.
A

I forgot to mention, that after tearing their house apart for the inspector a lawyer said the contractor could have certified it with an affidavid. I don't know if that would have worked but it is something tothink about.
B
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A Some percent would be overpriced and/or a fool but that is what I"m trying to determine.
Do you have a price? Riding on it is a virtual free beer for you. :p

B You'd be surprised how many people become mute when they are put under oath. Or they plead the Fifth.

Contractors agree to "furnish and install"; that's about it. The risk of what they do actually working is taken on by the HO.
 
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nealtw said:
A friend of mine found the guy to do the job on a three story house with k&t. He removed all the old wire and rewired the whole house with very little dammage to the plaster. The inspector wouldn't pass it untill he could see the wire and staples.
Click to expand...

He should have escalated it to a higher power. There is no code reason to staple fished wires. I don't know the section but code specifically lists fishing in finished wall as acceptable.
 
JoeD said:
He should have escalated it to a higher power. There is no code reason to staple fished wires. I don't know the section but code specifically lists fishing in finished wall as acceptable.
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I was scrolling down to post the same thing.
Sounds like yet another overzealous inspector who is not up on some very basic codes.
 
334.30(B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable:

(1) Is fished between access points through concealed spaces in finished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.
 
He also said things like " you may have damaged the cable pulling past sharp objects".
(overzealous) is about the kindest discripsion I have herd for this guy.
 
nealtw said:
" you may have damaged the cable pulling past sharp objects".
Click to expand...
How would you logically argue this point?
There are sharp objects inside walls but maybe this kind of cable damage rarely happens, even with Murphy's Law.
Maybe when it does a CB trips and so the HO immediately knows there is something wrong.



BTW, on bidding, sq. feet and outlets: a contractor should always visit the site before bidding but once the bid is accepted then it and the sq. ft. and the number of outlets is historical data.

I guess my assumption with these numbers is that the recent past can be used to predict the near future to some level of certainty. This isn't The Stock Market. :D
 
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