Estimate rewiring from cable routes rather than house area alone
Floor area does not determine the length of cable in a rewiring project. Two homes with identical square footage can have different circuit layouts, numbers of devices, finished-wall obstructions and panel locations. This estimator starts with an electrician's measured cable routes and circuit count. It then prices complete cable spools, device boxes, terminations and access repairs as separate parts of the scope.
The planned cable length should reflect each circuit's pathway and changes in floor level, not just the straight-line distance from the panel. A partial kitchen or bathroom rewire may have a shorter combined run but require extensive opening and restoration of finishes. For a full-property job, have the electrician identify which circuits and materials must be replaced before using the total for purchasing.
Cable stock and rewiring budget formulas
Complete spools = round up (cable demand ÷ spool length)
Purchased cable = complete spools × spool length
Budget subtotal = purchased cable × cable price + device boxes × box price + circuits × termination/testing rate + installed route × labor rate + repairs + permits + other quotes
Cable priced by the foot is applied to purchased stock, whereas cable-installation labor is applied to the measured route. That distinction prevents waste stock from increasing labor automatically. The calculation deliberately does not use the number of circuits to infer breaker ratings, grounding methods or conductor sizes. Those are electrical design decisions governed by the actual loads, the listed products and applicable local requirements.
Worked example: 850 feet across twelve circuits
Suppose an electrician identifies 850 feet of cable routes for 12 circuits and 48 boxes. Adding 10% routing and cutting allowance produces 935 feet. With 250-foot stock spools, 935 ÷ 250 = 3.74, so four complete spools are required and 1,000 feet is purchased.
At an illustrative entered price of $0.85 per purchased foot, cable costs $850. If 48 boxes and devices average $18 each, that portion adds $864, for $1,714 before terminations, electrician labor, wall repairs, permits or contingency. The prices illustrate arithmetic only and do not represent prevailing electrical installation rates.
Compare whole-house and partial rewiring scopes
Full rewiring may involve opening walls and ceilings throughout the home, whereas a partial project may retain compliant existing wiring and replace only identified circuits. The most expensive part of one quote may be electrical work; another may be demolition and reinstatement. List finish repairs in their own field so an apparently inexpensive electrical bid does not hide major carpentry or painting work.
Do not assume that a service-panel replacement is included in a rewire or that a rewire automatically requires a larger service. Panel capacity, circuit protection and load demand should be separately established by the electrician. This calculator estimates costs for a defined scope; it cannot confirm electrical safety or compliance.
Whole-house rewiring questions
Can square footage replace an electrician's cable takeoff?
Square footage may indicate the general scale of a property but not the routing, number of devices or accessibility. A meaningful cable order needs route measurements and an electrical plan for the actual work, particularly in finished multi-story homes.
Are switches and outlets priced separately from cable?
Yes. The boxes-and-devices count and unit price represent these items as a single allowance, distinct from cable stock. If a quotation already includes devices in a per-circuit or labor amount, remove the duplicated input.
Does a rewiring budget include an electrical panel upgrade?
Not automatically. Include panel work only when it appears in the electrician's actual scope and record the price in an appropriate quoted allowance. The need for a panel change depends on inspection and load assessment, not just cable length.