Old-home electrical
Rewiring older Los Angeles homes
Knob-and-tube, cloth-insulated wire, two-prong outlets, fuse panels, and decades of circuits added one at a time. We work out what the house has, what it needs, and how to get new wire in with the least damage to a finished home.
What we usually find
- Knob-and-tube wiring. Separate wires run on porcelain knobs and through porcelain tubes, with no ground wire. More on knob-and-tube.
- Cloth-insulated cable. Common in houses wired before modern plastic-sheathed cable. The insulation can get brittle where it has been heated or disturbed.
- Outlets with no equipment ground. Two-prong outlets, or three-prong outlets installed on wiring that has no ground behind them.
- Fuse panels and small services. Older panels and services sized for a house without air conditioning, an EV or an induction range.
- Additions spliced in over the years. Circuits extended by several owners, with junctions that are hard to find and harder to trace.
None of this means the house is unsafe today. It means the wiring should be looked at by someone who will tell you plainly what to replace now and what can wait.
How we evaluate
- Look at the panel and the service: size, condition, and room for new circuits.
- Check the wire type in the attic, crawl space and at a sample of outlets and boxes.
- Map which rooms are on which circuits, and find the loads you plan to add.
- Write it up: what to replace, in what order, and what it involves inside the walls.
Your options
- Whole-house rewire. Every circuit replaced, usually with a new panel. Best when the house has mostly original wire or is getting a large remodel.
- Partial rewire. Kitchen, baths, laundry and heavy loads first, the rest later. Useful when budget or occupancy calls for phases.
- Rewire during a remodel. When walls are already open, running new wire costs far less effort. See remodel electrical.
A construction problem, not only an electrical one
VoltGen Energy operates alongside Akopi Builders, a general building contractor. That matters in an old house. Wire routes are planned around plaster, lath, fir floors and built-ins; openings are placed where they are easiest to repair; and the work is sequenced so you are not left with open walls waiting on the next trade. Your estimate says which openings we make and who repairs them.
VoltGen Energy operates under Akopi Builders, CSLB #1112420. Electrical work is performed by licensed C-10 electrical contractors. Check the license at CSLB.
What the price depends on
- Size of the house and how many circuits it needs.
- How much of the old wire comes out.
- Access: attic and crawl space, or walls that have to be opened, and whether they are lath and plaster.
- Whether the panel or the service changes too.
You get a written estimate after a walk-through, before any work starts.
What to expect on cost: Cost to rewire a house in Los Angeles.
Questions we get
How do I know if my house needs a full rewire?
An evaluation tells you. We look at the panel and service, the type of wire in the attic and crawl space, the outlets and junction boxes, and how circuits were added over the years. Some houses need a complete rewire. Many need a few circuits replaced and the rest left alone.
Can an old house be rewired without removing the plaster?
In most houses, yes. New wire is fished through the attic, the crawl space and inside the wall cavities, with small openings where framing blocks the route. The estimate lists the openings, and who repairs them, before work starts.
Can we stay in the house during the rewire?
Often, yes. The work can usually be phased so that part of the house keeps power at any time. Whether that fits your house depends on how the circuits are laid out, and we will tell you after the walk-through.
Should I rewire before installing an EV charger?
Not necessarily. An EV charger gets its own dedicated circuit from the panel. What matters is whether the panel and service have room for it. If the house is also due for rewiring, doing both in one permit and one set of openings usually saves work.
Is the work permitted?
Yes. Rewiring is permitted work. It is inspected by your city, or by LADBS inside the City of Los Angeles, before walls are closed.
Tell us about the house
Call with the address, the year it was built if you know it, and what you have noticed: two-prong outlets, a fuse box, lights that dim. We will set up a walk-through.