TL;DR: Rewiring a house typically costs $2 to $4 per square foot, or roughly $4,000 to $8,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home. Older homes with plaster walls, knob and tube wiring, or limited attic access usually cost more. A permit is required for rewiring work in Fond du Lac. Advanced Electric LLC offers free estimates. Call (920) 921-2499.
How much does it cost to rewire a house is one of the first questions homeowners ask once they realize their wiring is outdated. It is a fair question, and a big one, since a full rewire is one of the larger electrical projects a home can need.
The short answer is that most rewiring projects run $2 to $4 per square foot, which puts a typical 2,000 square foot home somewhere between $4,000 and $8,000, according to Angi’s 2026 cost data. The real answer depends on your home’s age, layout, and how easy the wiring is to reach.
This guide breaks down what actually drives the cost, what a rewire includes, and what to expect if you own an older home in the Fond du Lac area.
It also covers the questions that matter most once you start getting quotes: what should be included in the price, what usually gets billed separately, and how to tell a thorough estimate from one that is missing pieces.
What Does Rewiring a House Actually Involve?
A full rewire means replacing the wiring that runs from your electrical panel to every outlet, switch, and fixture in the house. It usually includes new panel connections, new wire runs through walls and ceilings, and new outlet and switch boxes where needed.
Not every home needs a full rewire. Sometimes a partial rewire, updating just the kitchen, a remodeled addition, or an older section of the house, solves the problem without touching the whole structure. A licensed electrician can tell you which one your home actually needs after a walkthrough.
The scope of the project also shapes the cost more than most homeowners expect. A kitchen-only rewire during a remodel is a very different job, and a very different price, than pulling new wire through every wall of a two-story house with finished ceilings below.
How Much Does Rewiring Cost Per Square Foot?
Rewiring a house costs about $2 to $4 per square foot including materials and labor, according to Angi’s 2026 pricing data. A 1,000 square foot home runs roughly $2,000 to $4,000, a 2,000 square foot home runs $4,000 to $8,000, and a 3,000 square foot home runs $6,000 to $12,000.
These figures cover the wiring itself. Panel replacement, permits, inspections, and wall repair after the work is done are typically priced separately, which is why a written, itemized estimate matters more than a single number.
Labor usually makes up the largest share of the total. Materials like copper wire, boxes, and outlets are a relatively small and predictable cost, while the hours it takes to run wire through an occupied home vary a lot from project to project.
What Affects the Price in an Older Fond du Lac Home?
Home age is the biggest factor. Homes with knob and tube wiring or cloth-insulated wiring, common in houses built before the 1950s, often need extra work to bring the system up to modern code, beyond a standard rewire.
Accessibility matters just as much. Lath and plaster walls, finished basements, and multi-story homes all make it harder to run new wire, which increases labor hours. Electricians typically charge $50 to $100 an hour, so a harder-to-access home can cost noticeably more than the same square footage in a newer, more open build.
Fond du Lac’s housing stock spans everything from early 1900s homes near the downtown core to newer builds in developing subdivisions. A home near Lake Winnebago built decades ago is a very different rewiring project than a newer home in a subdivision on the edge of town, even at the same square footage.
Number of outlets, light fixtures, and switches also factors in, since each one is a connection point that takes time to wire correctly. A home with a finished basement, extra bathrooms, or an addition built at a different time than the original structure often has more of these connection points than the square footage alone suggests.
What Does Panel Replacement Add to the Cost?
A 100-amp panel replacement runs $900 to $2,000, and a 200-amp panel runs $1,500 to $2,500, according to Angi’s 2026 data. Most full rewires include a panel upgrade, since old wiring is rarely paired with a panel that can support modern electrical demand.
It rarely makes sense to run new wiring to an old, undersized panel. If your home is getting a full rewire, that is usually the most cost-effective time to upgrade the panel too, since the labor to access and connect both is already happening together.
Do I Need a Permit to Rewire My House in Wisconsin?
Yes. The City of Fond du Lac requires a permit for electrical work, including rewiring, and Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code applies statewide to one and two family homes (City of Fond du Lac Permits and Fees; Wisconsin DSPS). Permit and inspection fees typically add a few hundred dollars to the total project cost.
A permitted, inspected rewire is not just a legal requirement. It is your documentation that the work meets code, which matters at resale and for insurance purposes.
Working with a licensed contractor typically means the permit is pulled and scheduled as part of the project, so it does not fall on the homeowner to navigate the city’s process separately.
How Long Does It Take to Rewire a House?
Most rewiring projects take three to ten days, depending on the size of the home and how accessible the walls and attic space are. Homeowners often need to plan around limited power access for part of that window.
Smaller partial rewires, like a single room or a kitchen, often finish in a day or two. Whole-house rewires in larger or harder-to-access homes can run closer to the upper end of that range, especially when wall repair is included.
Signs It’s Time to Stop Patching and Rewire
Some homes get by for years on small repairs, a new outlet here, a replaced switch there, without ever fixing the underlying wiring. If you are calling an electrician for the same handful of rooms every year, or your home still has cloth-insulated or knob and tube wiring, patching has likely run its course.
A repeated repair bill is often a sign that the real problem is upstream of whatever broke this time. Replacing a scorched outlet fixes that outlet, but it does not fix an underlying wiring issue that will just show up somewhere else next year.
A rewire is a bigger project, but it is also a one-time fix rather than an ongoing string of repairs. Advanced Electric LLC has handled rewiring projects across Fond du Lac and surrounding Wisconsin communities since 1998, with a safety-first, Clean Wiring approach on every job.
Get an Accurate Rewiring Estimate
Rewiring a house is a real investment, typically $2 to $4 per square foot, but it solves the root problem instead of another round of patch repairs. Home age, wall access, and panel condition all move the final number, which is why an in-person estimate is worth more than any online calculator.
The right next step is usually a walkthrough, not a decision made from a price range on a webpage. A licensed electrician can look at your home’s actual wiring, panel, and layout, and tell you plainly whether you need a full rewire, a partial one, or something smaller.
Advanced Electric LLC offers free, no-obligation estimates on rewiring projects across Fond du Lac and the surrounding Wisconsin communities we serve.
Call (920) 921-2499 or request a free estimate to find out what your home actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my house needs a full rewire?
Signs include knob and tube or cloth-insulated wiring, frequent breaker trips, warm outlets, or a home built before the 1960s that has never been updated. A licensed electrician can confirm what your home needs during an inspection.
Can I stay in my home while it is being rewired?
Often yes, though power will be interrupted at times and some rooms may be inaccessible while walls are opened. Your electrician can walk you through what to expect for your specific project.
Does homeowners insurance cover rewiring costs?
Insurance typically does not cover routine rewiring, since it is considered maintenance and improvement rather than damage repair. Some insurers may require a rewire on older homes as a condition of coverage, which is different from covering the cost of it.
Is it cheaper to rewire during a remodel?
Yes, in most cases. If walls are already open for a remodel, running new wiring at the same time avoids the extra labor cost of opening and repairing walls specifically for the electrical work.
What is the difference between rewiring and a panel upgrade?
A panel upgrade replaces the box that distributes power to your circuits. Rewiring replaces the wires themselves throughout the house. Many older homes need both, since new wiring paired with an old panel does not solve the full problem.
Should I get more than one quote before rewiring my house?
Getting a second opinion is reasonable for a project this size, as long as each quote is itemized enough to compare fairly. A vague, low quote is not necessarily a better deal if it leaves out permits, wall repair, or a panel upgrade that your home actually needs.
Advanced Electric LLC has served Fond du Lac and surrounding Wisconsin communities since 1998, with over 60 years of combined team experience and a safety-first, Clean Wiring approach on every job.
Call (920) 921-2499 or request a free estimate today.
213 W 9th St, Fond du Lac, WI 54936 | Mon through Fri, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
