Full rewire cost UK 2026
The going rate for full rewire in 2026 is 1-bed: £2,500–£4,000 · 2-bed: £3,500–£5,500 · 3-bed: £4,500–£7,500 · 4–5 bed: £6,000–£10,000 (total, ex VAT). Below: a calculator, what the job involves, materials at three price levels, and the prep that changes the price.
Full rewire calculator
Market bands
| Option | Band | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed | £2,500–£4,000 | Trade2Base |
| 2-bed | £3,500–£5,500 | Trade2Base |
| 3-bed | £4,500–£7,500 | Trade2Base |
| 4–5 bed | £6,000–£10,000 | Trade2Base |
What the job involves
| Stage | Task | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| first | Lift floors, chase and run cables | 4 h per property |
| second | Fit accessories | 2 h per property |
| test | Board, test and certify | 6 h |
Materials at three price levels
| Material | Budget | Trade choice | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable, clips, back boxes and accessories per circuit | £45 White plastic accessories — Standard finish | £65 Branded accessories, LSZH cable where needed — Reliable, neat | £110 Screwless or metal accessories — Premium finish |
| Metal RCBO consumer unit with SPD each | £110 Dual-RCD metal board — Compliant, cheapest | £240 Full RCBO metal board with SPD — One fault doesn't trip half the house | £420 RCBO board with AFDDs — Arc-fault protection on sockets |
| Containment, fixings, fire-rated clips allowance | £120 Standard clips and capping — Cable support | £150 Fire-rated clips throughout — BS 7671 escape-route support | £220 Plus trunking and labelling — Tidy and traceable |
Trade prices ex VAT, estimates checked 2026-09-25. Log your receipts in Grafto and your own prices replace these.
What changes the price
- Property size? 1-bed · 2-bed · 3-bed · 4–5 bed big effect
- Lived in during the rewire? empty · lived in big effect
- Property type? house or flat · HMO or student let · flat in a high-rise (18 m+) · care home
- Floors and walls? suspended floors, stud walls · solid floors or walls
Good practice
- Occupied home adds 20–30% to labour
Prep to look for
| Condition | Check | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Old cabling | rubber, lead-sheathed or cloth-covered cables | Old cable types: recommend a rewire |
| Rewireable fuses | fuse carriers, wire fuses, wooden or very old board | Old fuse board: recommend a consumer unit upgrade and EICR |
| Possible asbestos (Artex) | textured swirl ceiling where downlights or cables go | Textured ceiling: test for asbestos before cutting |
| Solid walls or floors | Solid walls or concrete floors where cables run? | |
| Battery-only alarms | battery smoke alarms only | Battery-only alarms: offer an interlinked upgrade (mandatory in Scotland) |
Questions
How much does full rewire cost in the UK in 2026?
The researched market band is 1-bed: £2,500–£4,000 · 2-bed: £3,500–£5,500 · 3-bed: £4,500–£7,500 · 4–5 bed: £6,000–£10,000 (total, ex VAT), from Trade2Base. A worked example of 1 property comes to about £2,317–£3,463 across budget, trade and premium materials.
How long does full rewire take?
The worked example of 1 property takes about 3 working days.
What changes the price of full rewire?
Mainly property size, lived in during the rewire, plus any prep found on site: old cabling, rewireable fuses, possible asbestos (artex), solid walls or floors.