How to Rewire Your Home Without an Electrician (And Save Thousands!)

Introduction

Rewiring your home can seem like a daunting task, but with the right planning and safety precautions, it's totally doable as a DIY project. As an experienced homeowner, I have rewired several rooms in my house and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through everything you need to know to rewire your home safely and legally without hiring an electrician. I will cover setting up your electrical panel, choosing the right wire gauge and type, routing wires, installing receptacles and switches, and testing your work.

With the right materials and some mechanical aptitude, you can gain the satisfaction of upgrading your home's electrical system with your own hands. So read on to learn how to rewire your house and avoid costly electrician fees!

Assessing Your Electrical Needs

Before starting any electrical project, the first step is to assess your needs and create a plan. Here are some key points to consider:

Evaluate Your Electrical Panel

• Check the amperage rating of your electrical panel - this determines how much power your home's wiring can handle.

• Ensure there is enough spare capacity in your panel for any new circuits you plan to add. Most panels can accommodate 1-2 new 15-20 amp circuits.

• Inspect the condition of the panel - if it is very old, severely corroded, or unsafe in any way, replacement may be necessary.

Determine New Circuits to Add

• Consider where you need additional outlets and lighting fixtures in your home and plan circuits accordingly.

• Commonly added circuits include kitchen outlets, bathroom outlets, laundry room, central A/C, home office, etc.

• Group outlets in rooms together on a circuit to avoid overloading a single circuit.

• Use 20 amp circuits for kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms which have high power demand.

• Keep lighting on its own 15 amp circuit.

Choose a Realistic Rewiring Scope

• Rewiring your entire home down to the studs is extremely disruptive. Focus on the rooms or areas that need upgrades only.

• Start with smaller projects like one room or circuit at a time as you build confidence.

• Be realistic about your DIY skills - some electrical work is best left to professionals if you lack experience.

Buying the Right Electrical Materials

With a rewiring plan in place for your project scope, now you need to purchase the correct materials. Here is what you will need:

• Romex Wire - 14/2 or 12/2 NM cable. Choose gauge based on circuit size.

• Wire stripper - for cutting cable jacket and stripping wire insulation.

• Voltage tester - to confirm power is off before working.

• Cable staples - to affix wiring to studs.

• Electrical tape - for covering stripped wire connections.

• Wire nuts - for joining and covering connections.

• Circuit breakers - check your panel for spare slots to add new circuits.

• Receptacles & light switches - match your existing hardware.

Choose the Right Wire Gauge

Select the wire gauge appropriate for your circuit amperage:

• 15 amp circuits (lights, receptacles) - 14 AWG wire

• 20 amp circuits (major appliances) - 12 AWG wire

Using wire that is too small can cause fires and circuit failures.

Buy Extra Materials

When buying materials, allow for extra:

• 10-15% more wire than your measurements suggest.

• 5 extra receptacles and switches.

• 10 additional wire nuts.

• Extra breakers in case of defects.

This prevents unnecessary trips back to the hardware store.

Safely Shutting Off Power

Before doing any electrical work, you must safely shut off all power to the circuits you'll be working on.

Main Service Panel

Flip the main breaker in your electrical service panel to shut off power to the entire house.

Turn Off Individual Breakers

To isolate just the circuit you're working on, flip that circuit's individual breaker to off.

Verify Power is Off

After flipping breakers to off, visually inspect that they have tripped fully to the off position. Test that outlets and lights on those circuits have no power with a non-contact voltage tester. Assume wires are still live until power is confirmed off.

Lock Out Tag Out

Attach a lock and tag that clearly states "DO NOT TURN ON" to the main breaker switch. This will prevent someone from accidentally restoring power while you're working.

Remove Fuse If Necessary

If you have a fuse panel, remove the individual fuse for each circuit you'll be wiring and keep it in your pocket while working.

Do not take chances with live power - take every precaution when de-energizing circuits you'll be rewiring!

Running and Routing New Wiring

Once the power is safely off, it's time to start running your new wiring through the house:

Plan the Wiring Route

Trace the route you will run the new wiring through the house. Map out where wires will enter and exit walls and route between floors.

Drill Entry and Exit Holes

Drill holes through sill plates, joists, studs, etc. where wires will pass into and out of walls and ceilings. Holes should be 1 1/4" to fit NM cable through.

Fish Wires Through Walls

Use a fish tape to route cables through walls. Attach the wire to the end and pull the fish tape through until the wire is pulled into place.

Staple Cables to Studs

Use cable staples every 4-6 ft along the wire run to physically affix the NM cable to the wall studs and structure for proper support.

Leave Extra Length

When in doubt, leave extra wire length at ends to allow for adjustments. It is easy to trim off excess but impossible to add length if a wire is too short.

Take it slow and be patient when wiring - don't rush through and make mistakes.

Installing Receptacles, Switches and Fixtures

The fun part is finally installing your new electrical devices like switches, receptacles, and lighting fixtures:

Receptacles

• Choose appropriate mounting height - typically 12-18 inches above floor.

• Ensure receptacle boxes are securely attached.

• Use strap screws on sides of receptacle to attach to box.

• Connect hot (black), neutral (white) and ground (green/bare) wires correctly.

• Attach weatherproof covers for outdoor, kitchen and bathroom receptacles.

Light Switches

• Standard placement is 48-52 inches above the floor on each side of a door.

• Ensure switch box is securely mounted to studs or wall surface.

• Connect the hot and switched hot wires to the switch properly - see diagrams.

• Ground the switch and attach to box with provided screws.

Light Fixtures

• Turn off power at the breaker before wiring a new light fixture.

• Mount fixture junction box securely in the ceiling and feed wires through.

• Connect fixture wires to corresponding circuit wires: hot, neutral and ground.

• Attach the fixture to the junction box according to directions.

Take it slow and be meticulous when making wire connections. Sloppy work can lead to fires or electrocution down the line.

Testing Your Work and Turning Power Back On

After completing the new wiring installation, take the following steps before turning circuits back on:

Visual Inspection

• Inspect all connections and ensure wires are secure with no exposed copper.
• Check that wall plates and fixtures are properly fitted and secured.

Continuity Test

• Verify all newly run wires are properly connected end-to-end.
• Turn power on briefly and use a multimeter to test continuity.

Polarity Test

• At each outlet, plug in a polarity tester to confirm hot and neutral are correctly connected.

• Check that ground wires show continuity between outlets.

Verify Ground

• With power still off, check that all ground connections show 0 ohms resistance.

• Confirm ground continuity back to the main panel.

Circuit Load Test

• Turn power back on and walk through the home switching items on to verify proper circuit distribution.

• Assess that no circuits trip due to overload when fully powered up.

Take your time with testing to confirm everything is wired safely and properly. Don't rush the final steps before turning the power back on.

Conclusion

While rewiring a house yourself seems intimidating as an amateur, it can certainly be tackled successfully with the right preparation and diligence. Pay close attention to safety, take your time, and don't hesitate to call in a professional electrician if you get overwhelmed.

Thousands can be saved in electrician fees by upgrading your home's wiring on your own. The project itself also allows you to gain invaluable electrical knowledge.

As you take the proper precautions, work thoroughly and methodically, and ensure your work is tested and safe, you can gain the confidence to take on more significant home electrical projects in the future. Just make safety your top priority rather than trying to cut corners to save money.

In the end, you will have the satisfaction and savings of wiring your own home, while still meeting all electrical codes - providing a safe, functional electrical system for years to come. Let me know if you have any other questions!