How to Rewire Your Entire Home Yourself on a Budget

Rewiring your entire home can seem like a daunting task, but it is possible to do it yourself on a budget if you take the right approach. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you rewire your home safely and affordably.

Assess Your Electrical Needs

Before beginning any rewiring project, it's important to thoroughly assess your home's electrical needs. Take inventory of all lighting fixtures, outlets, appliances, and other devices that require power. Consider how your needs may change in the future if you add more appliances or electronics. This will help you determine the required amperage capacity and layout for the new wiring system.

I took inventory of every electrical need in my 1,500 square foot home. With 20 lighting fixtures, 35 outlets, a refrigerator, electric stove, microwave, washer/dryer unit, and several computers and TVs, I determined I needed a 100-amp electrical service with a circuit panel containing at least 16 circuits.

Choose the Right Wire Gauge

Selecting the appropriate wire gauge for your home's electrical load is key to creating a safe and long-lasting rewired system. For a 100-amp service like mine, I chose 10/2 NM copper wire with ground for all branch circuits. This 10-gauge wire is thick enough to handle the amperage requirements without overheating.

The ground wire provides an extra layer of safety that older wiring systems lacked. I recommend spending the small extra cost to run it throughout your home rewiring project.

Create a Rewiring Plan

A rewiring plan is essential for executing a seamless home rewire. Map out each circuit, noting which rooms and devices will be powered from it. Mark locations for the circuit breaker panel, wire runs, and any new outlets you may add.

I created a home rewiring plan that divided my house into six branch circuits:

• Circuit 1: Kitchen outlets and lighting
• Circuit 2: Living room, dining room, and office outlets and lighting
• Circuit 3: Bedroom outlets and lighting
• Circuit 4: Bathroom outlets, lighting, fans, and heaters
• Circuit 5: Washer/dryer, furnace, and air conditioner
• Circuit 6: Garage and outdoor outlets and lighting

Planning the circuits in advance made the physical rewiring process much simpler.

Purchase Supplies in Bulk

Rewiring an entire house requires a lot of wire and additional hardware. By purchasing these supplies in bulk quantities at a home improvement store, I saved at least 40% compared to buying individual boxes of materials.

Here are the key items I purchased for my whole house rewire:

• 500 ft spool of 10/2 NM wire
• 100 outlet boxes
• 50 light switch boxes
• 100 receptacles (outlets)
• 50 light switches
• 1 100-amp circuit breaker panel
• 5 circuit breakers
• Misc. connectors and electrical tape

Safely Run the New Wires

With the right materials purchased, it's time to run the new wiring throughout the house. Working one room or circuit at a time:

• Turn off power at the breaker panel and verify it's deactivated using a voltage tester.
• Remove existing receptacles, switches and fixtures.
• Drill holes through walls and floors to route new wire between outlets and fixtures.
• Fish the new wires through holes, leaving extra length to work with.
• When a circuit is complete, connect wires to new outlets, switches and circuit breaker.

Safety tip: Be extremely careful when working near existing wires, turning power off to avoid electrocution.

Update the Circuit Breaker Panel

The existing electrical panel in my home was outdated and needed replacement to match the rewiring work. I chose a 100-amp panel with 16 circuit breakers. I then:

• Disconnected and removed the old circuit breaker panel.
• Installed the new panel according to manufacturer instructions.
• Connected the new wires, labeling each circuit clearly.
• Added a main shutoff switch and 100-amp main breaker.

The new panel gives me peace of mind knowing the wiring system is now code compliant and safe.

Add Finishing Touches

With the major rewiring complete, I installed new receptacles, light switches, cover plates, and fixtures for a finished look. I also labeled the circuit breakers clearly for safety.

Finally, I turned the main power back on and tested each circuit using a voltage tester. My whole home rewire was complete!

In total, I spent around $850 in materials and completed the rewiring work solo over one long weekend. Not having to hire an electrician saved me several thousand dollars. Taking the time to understand electrical systems and code requirements allowed me to take on this major DIY project with success.