What To Consider When Having An Electrician Rewire An Older Home | Wilmington, NC
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Wilmington, NC is home to a lot of historical homes that are beautiful and fun to restore, but outside of their vintage architecture these homes sometimes need a lot of electrical updating. The electrical needs of modern homes are far higher than just a short four to five decades ago when living rooms only needed to accommodate a few lamps and a television. This means that as part of your remodeling task you may need to consider hiring an electrician to make sure your home can meet your daily electrical needs.
The modern world is wired and unwired, and that means that you need enough electrical outlets to fit every single piece of tech that makes that possible. From computers to smart kitchens to smart devices and cell phones you probably don’t realize how much electricity you consume on a daily basis, but your breaker box does. If you exceed what your house was built to accommodate you will be left in the house. With that in mind, if you live in an older home that still has its original writing and electrical box it may be time to speak to an electrician about updating it. Here are just a few things to consider when updating the electrical system of an older home.
Note Your Electrical Needs
If you are rewiring your home with the intent of improving your electrical support you need to make note of what your actual home electric usage is. You can do this by going from room to room and writing down every electrical item in your home and where you regularly use it (or plan to use it). For instance, in the kitchen, you will want to note all lights and major appliances that consume electricity along with the smaller items that would like to keep plugged in and functional. Repeat this process and slowly work your way through every room in your house including the garage and the attic. This will provide the professional with a general map of where you most heavily consume electricity so they can plan accordingly.
Pay Attention to Local Building Codes
One reason to hire a residential electrician to handle your entire rewiring process is local building codes. If you thought attempting to navigate your home electrical system was hard, then it is time to level up. There are hundreds of local building code standards that dictate the type of wire that must be used, wattage, outlets, and circuit box limits to name just a few things. If you ever hope to sell your home you need to make sure that you follow all building codes to the tee. If you hire an electrician to take care of the job for you then you can rest assured the building codes will be followed without earning a degree in local civil engineering on your own.
Ask for an Electrical Estimate and Plan
Before the job actually starts you want to sit down and talk to the residential electrician that you intend to work with to address the details of the job. There are a lot of details involved with rewiring an older home and a professional should do an extensive amount of homework before jumping in. Before taking the job they should do some homework and present you with an estimate that includes potential issues that can arise along the way so that you don’t get caught off guard by anything. Your only role in the entire process should be a delight at the end of the project when you are able to see how much better everything in your home works.
Expect a Lot of Grounding
One benefit of rewiring an older home in Wilmington, NC is that more grounded outlets can be installed throughout your home. Known to most people as three-prong outlets, almost all major appliances and electronics these days demand grounded outlets. Older homeowners know that this is a tough bill to fit as most rooms have one ground at most. What you may not know that just because there is a three-prong outlet present in a room does not mean that it’s actually grounded. It is very common in older homes for three-prong outlets to skip the ground in their connection making them effectively worthless. Be sure to address this with your professional to ensure that your electrical devices will be protected in the new electrical system.
Expect a Bit of Demolition
It would be great if redoing the electrical system in a home was a quick one-day process, but this is extremely unrealistic. A lot of wiring is hidden behind walls and inside ceilings and floors. This means that there will have to be some demolition as part of the electrical rewiring process. While an experienced residential electrician will try to limit the debris as much as possible, it is impossible to avoid some of it. Any walls that will need cut into or removed should be part of your original plan with the professional. If you are remodeling it is smart to align your electrical plans with the remodel so that you only have one mess to contend with instead of two at separate times. Working with a flexible electrician or contractor can make this more of a possibility within your Wilmington, NC home.
Hire an Electrician You Can Trust
Rewiring your home electrical system is not an area when you want to cut corners. While it is smart to gather quotes from several companies, you should be comparing quality over cost. The quality of the electrician’s work will determine your home’s ability to transition into the next century and heavily influence its actual value. You need an electrical company that stands behind its work. Mister Sparky of Wilmington is proud to do just that. If you need to update or upgrade your home wiring, give us a call today so we can discuss your options.