How Much Does a House Rewire Cost in Folkestone?

How much does a house rewire cost in Folkestone?

If you own one of the many Victorian, Edwardian or 1930s terraces around Folkestone, Cheriton, Sandgate or Hythe, sooner or later you ask yourself how much does a house rewire cost in Folkestone, usually after a fuse trips for the third time in a week or a survey flags old wiring before a sale. The honest answer is that it depends on the size and age of the property, but most homeowners in this area are looking at somewhere between 3,500 pounds and 7,000 pounds for a full rewire of a typical two or three bedroom terrace or semi, and up to 9,000 pounds or more for a larger detached house with several floors.

That range covers stripping out the old cabling, fitting a new consumer unit (fuse board), running new cable to every socket, switch and light, adding earth bonding where it is missing, and making good the chased out walls ready for you to redecorate. It does not usually include plastering, painting or carpet fitting, which is worth clarifying with any electrician before you sign off a quote.

What actually changes the price

A few things push the cost of a rewire up or down more than anything else:

• Number of circuits and rooms. A three bed semi with a kitchen extension has more sockets and lighting points than a small two bed cottage, so labour and materials both go up.
• Access. Suspended timber floors and a loft you can stand up in make cable runs quick. Solid concrete floors, especially common in some of the newer Folkestone estates, mean channels have to be cut or cables run in the loft and dropped down inside walls, which adds time.
• Age and construction of the property. Older Folkestone properties near the seafront and in the town centre often have solid brick or flint walls, lath and plaster ceilings, and no cavity, all of which slow the work down compared with modern plasterboard stud walls.
• How much you want moved. A like for like rewire, putting sockets back where they were, is cheaper than a rewire that also adds new sockets, USB points, outside lighting or a rewired kitchen with extra circuits for appliances.
• Consumer unit specification. A basic 10 way board with RCBOs is a smaller cost than a larger board needed for a house with an EV charger, an electric shower, underfloor heating and outbuildings all on separate circuits.

Good electricians will survey the property first rather than quote over the phone. Be wary of anyone who gives you a fixed price for a rewire without seeing the house, particularly with the mix of old and extended properties common in Folkestone and the surrounding villages.

Fuse boards, EV chargers and other jobs homeowners actually ask about

Rewires are the big ticket item, but most enquiries are smaller and more urgent than that. Here is roughly what to expect for the jobs that come up again and again in this area.

Fuse board (consumer unit) upgrade. If your board still has a wooden back, rewireable fuses, or a mix of round pin and no RCD protection at all, it should be replaced. A straightforward upgrade to a modern metal clad board with RCBOs typically costs 500 to 900 pounds, more if the existing wiring needs extra earthing work to meet current regulations.

EV charger installation. With more residents commuting from Folkestone into Ashford and along the A20, home EV charging has become one of the most common calls. A standard 7kW home charger, fitted on an existing driveway with a reasonably short cable run back to the consumer unit, usually costs between 800 and 1,200 pounds after the OZEV style grant contributions some installers can apply. Longer cable runs, a new dedicated circuit, or a board that needs upgrading first will add to that.

Periodic Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Landlords are legally required to have one every five years, and it is also a sensible check for anyone buying an older home. Expect to pay 120 to 250 pounds for a typical two or three bedroom property, depending on the number of circuits.

General safety checks. A basic visual safety check, useful before renting out a room or after buying a house, is often bundled into a callout fee of around 60 to 100 pounds, though a full EICR is the more thorough option if you want something you can rely on.

If you are trying to decide between patching up an old board and paying for a full rewire, it is worth reading our guide on fuse board upgrades and when a rewire is actually necessary, which goes into more detail on the warning signs.

Signs your Folkestone home might need rewiring

You do not need to be an electrician to spot some of the obvious warning signs. Look out for:

• Round pin sockets or sockets with no visible earth pin, usually a sign the wiring dates from before the 1960s.
• Fabric or rubber insulated cables in the loft, which crumble with age and lose their protective properties.
• A fuse box with a wooden back panel or rewireable fuse wire rather than modern circuit breakers.
• Frequent tripping, flickering lights, or sockets that feel warm to the touch.
• Burning smells near sockets or switches, which should be treated as urgent.

Any one of these on its own does not mean you need a full rewire tomorrow, but combined they usually point to wiring that has not been touched in 40 or 50 years, which is common in the older parts of Folkestone, Hythe and the villages around Elham Valley.

Getting quotes without getting caught out

Always ask for a written quote that breaks down labour, materials, the consumer unit spec, and what making good is included. Check the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, since this means the work is notified to Building Control and you get an electrical installation certificate at the end, which matters a great deal if you sell the house later. Get at least two quotes for anything over a few hundred pounds, and be suspicious of anyone quoting significantly below the local range without having seen the property.

FAQ

How long does a house rewire take?

For a typical two or three bedroom house in Folkestone, expect a full rewire to take between five and eight working days, including first fix cabling, second fix sockets and switches, testing, and making good. Larger or more complicated properties can take two weeks or more.

Can I stay in the house while it is being rewired?

You can, but it is disruptive. Power is turned off room by room, walls are chased and dusty, and floorboards may be lifted. Many homeowners choose to stay in an unaffected part of the house or move out for the noisiest few days, particularly if there are young children or anyone with respiratory issues in the household.

Do I need a rewire before selling my house?

Not always. A recent EICR showing the wiring is safe is often enough to satisfy a buyer's solicitor, especially if any faults found are minor and easily fixed. A full rewire is usually only necessary if the report flags serious safety issues or the wiring is genuinely at the end of its life.