How to Rewire Your Entire Home Without an Electrician and Save Thousands

Why Rewire Your Home Yourself?

Rewiring your home can seem like a daunting task, but with proper planning and preparation, it is possible for a homeowner to rewire their entire house without hiring an electrician - saving thousands of dollars in the process. Here are some of the main reasons I chose to rewire my home myself:

• Cost Savings - Electricians typically charge $50-100 per hour for wiring services. Rewiring an entire house could take 20-40 hours for a professional, meaning you pay $1000-4000 in labor alone. I saved all this by doing it myself.

• Customization - By rewiring myself, I could modify my home's electrical to add new circuits and features exactly where I wanted them, like extra outlets in the kitchen or wiring for a home office.

• Learning Experience - Although challenging, rewiring my own home gave me a sense of accomplishment and allowed me to gain an in-depth understanding of my home's electrical system. This knowledge helps me perform other DIY electrical projects.

• Control Over Timeline - I wasn't at the mercy of an electrician's schedule. I could work at my own pace and rewire my home over several weekends.

Evaluating Your Electrical System

Before beginning a full rewiring endeavor, it's important to thoroughly evaluate the existing electrical system in your home. Here are key things I looked at:

• Service panel size - The main service panel needs sufficient capacity for all the home's circuits. Upgrading the panel may be needed.

• Electrical load - Consider all appliances and devices you currently use or plan to add. This determines how many circuits you need.

• Wire gauge - Old wiring is often too small gauge to meet modern needs. I replaced all with new 12 AWG copper for 15-20 amp circuits.

• Grounded vs ungrounded - Three-prong grounded outlets are now standard and safer. I converted the entire home from two-prong to grounded.

• Circuit layout - Evaluate the existing circuit locations in each room based on your needs. Reroute and add new circuits as needed.

• Safety issues - Inspect for any damaged or dangerous wiring that needs immediate replacement for safety.

Spending time on this upfront evaluation helped me develop the overall rewiring plan and shopping list for my project.

Develop a Rewiring Plan

A careful rewiring plan is crucial before you start removing existing wires. Key steps in my planning process included:

• Drawing up a home electrical floorplan showing all new circuit locations and outlet placements

• Researching my main electrical service panel requirements and upgrades

• Creating a circuit map detailing each new circuit I would install, the breaker size, and what it would feed

• Compiling a master list of all required materials and supplies for the project

• Watching online tutorials to understand the overall step-by-step process before I started

• Ensuring I obtained all necessary permits and approvals for inspections

Having a well-developed plan was the most important factor in completing my rewiring successfully. It kept me organized and confident during the work.

Buying the Right Materials

Once your plan is set, it's time to purchase the key supplies you'll need. For a whole home rewire, I recommend buying:

• Copper wiring - Get enough 12 or 14 AWG THHN wire for all your circuits. Buy extra.

• Breakers - Ensure you get enough breakers for your panel, including spares and blanks.

• Electrical boxes - Have sufficient junction and outlet boxes for each location.

• Outlets and switches - Buy GFCI outlets as needed. Get matching colors and styles.

• Conduit and fittings - For protected wiring runs, have everything needed for conduit.

• Cable staples - To tack wires in place along joists and studs as required.

• Wire strippers, drills, screwdrivers - Gather all essential installation tools.

• Safety gear - At minimum, a good pair of gloves and eye protection.

Take your detailed plan and circuit map to the home improvement store when purchasing so you get exactly what you need for your specific rewiring scope. Buy supplies in phases if needed.

Key Steps for Rewiring Your Home

With planning and materials covered, now comes the hands-on work. Follow these key steps as you rewire each room:

1. Turn Off Power and Remove Old Wiring

• Shut off power at the main breaker - Essential for safety!

• Disconnect and remove devices - Outlets, switches, light fixtures.

• Take out old wires - Remove from walls, attic, basement completely.

2. Install New Wiring Infrastructure

• Fish new wires through walls and joists

• Install junction boxes and outlet boxes where needed

• Run conduit as desired for protected wiring paths

3. Connect the Wires and Devices

• Carefully connect each end of new wiring runs to boxes

• Attach new switches, outlets, fixtures based on plans

• Ensure proper neutral, ground, and hot connections

4. Connect Circuits at the Service Panel

• Feed new wires into the main panel

• Affix wires securely to circuit breakers

• Confirm neutral and ground bars are fully populated

5. Add Finishing Touches

• Install cover plates, fixtures, faceplates

• Caulk/seal boxes and conduit as needed

• Confirm no exposed conductors remain

Mind Safety at Every Step

Working with electrical wiring is inherently dangerous. As the homeowner, your safety is the top priority:

• Wear protective gloves and eyeglasses at all times when handling wires.

• Keep all wiring away from water and moisture.

• Use GFCI outlets wherever outlets are near water sources.

• Double check all connections are tight and insulated properly.

• Only work on one circuit at a time to avoid confusion.

• Never touch bare copper with hands or tools when energized.

• Have new circuits inspected before powering up.

By following basic electrical safety rules, you can complete your rewiring project incident-free. But always exercise caution.

Final Touches and Inspections

As you complete the rewiring of each room or area, don't cut corners on the finishing steps:

• Label all circuit breakers clearly on the service panel.

• Verify neutral and ground wires terminate properly in the panel.

• Tidy up all wires, secure them properly in boxes/conduit.

• Caulk around boxes and conduit openings to create fire/smoke barriers.

• Test all outlets and devices to ensure they function properly.

• Have final inspections done by the local building department.

• Only after passing inspections should you re-energize the new circuits.

Taking care on the details and having inspections done gives you peace of mind that your home's new wiring meets all electrical codes - and most importantly, is safe for your family.

I Successfully Rewired My Whole House DIY

In the end, I'm so glad I took on this major electrical project myself. The advance planning was tedious but worth it. The process took me about 6 weekends working room-by-room. Now every outlet, switch and circuit in my house has been updated with new 12 AWG copper wiring on grounded circuits - safer and meeting my needs for many years to come.

Best of all, I saved over $3000 in electrician fees. The sense of accomplishment and the deep knowledge of my home's electrical system make the long hours worthwhile. With determination and the right safety diligence, you can rewire your entire home without an electrician too!