The wiring inside your walls was built for the way people lived when the house went up. Many older homes still run on knob and tube, aluminum or ungrounded wire that was never meant for today's appliances, chargers and electronics.
Chris Electric handles whole home rewiring in White Bear Lake and nearby towns. We replace worn out wiring, add new circuits and upgrade a room or the whole house. A licensed electrician does the work, and you get the price before we start.
Warning Signs
Old wiring rarely fails all at once. It gives small hints first. If you see these around the house, plan a wiring check with a licensed electrician.
Turn off the breaker for that circuit if you can do it safely, then call our emergency electricians.
Noticing a few of these at once? It may be time for rewiring. We will check the wiring, the panel and the circuits, then tell you plainly whether you need repairs, wiring upgrades or a full rewire.
Older Homes
Lake cottages, farmhouses and mid century ramblers around White Bear Lake were wired for a few lights and a radio. Decades later, many still have that original wire behind the walls.
Rewiring for older homes replaces that wire with modern, grounded circuits. These are the types we find most often.
Single wires run on ceramic knobs, with no ground. The insulation gets brittle with age, and it was never meant to sit under modern attic insulation.
We trace every knob and tube run, replace it with grounded wire and remove or disconnect the old circuits.
Rubber and cloth insulation dries out and cracks, leaving bare copper in the walls. Most of these circuits also have no ground wire.
We replace worn runs with new grounded wire, starting with kitchens, baths and other busy circuits.
Aluminum branch wiring expands and loosens at outlets and switches over time. Loose connections run hot, which is a fire risk.
As aluminum wiring electricians, we repair connections with parts rated for aluminum or replace the circuits with copper.
Insurance and Home Sales
Many insurance companies ask about the wiring in older homes. Some charge more, set a deadline to replace knob and tube or aluminum wire, or will not write a new policy until it is gone.
The same question comes up when you buy or sell. Home inspectors flag old wiring, and buyers and lenders often want it handled before closing. Whole home rewiring clears that item off the list.
When the work needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspection, so you have a record of the work to share with your insurer or a buyer.
Pick the Right Scope
Not every older home needs every wire replaced. We look at what is in your walls and recommend the scope that fixes the real problem.
We replace the old wiring throughout the house with new, grounded circuits, room by room, and often update the panel at the same time.
Best when
We replace only the circuits that need it and add new ones where the house is short on power, like the kitchen or a home office.
Best when
Either way, the panel matters. If yours is old or full, we may suggest an electrical panel upgrade as part of the job, so the new wiring has room to grow.
Less Mess
Electrical retrofitting means running new wire through a finished house. Most of the time we can do it with small openings instead of opening up whole walls.
We drop new wire down from the attic and up from the basement to reach outlets and switches.
Where we need access, we cut small openings in spots that are easy to patch.
Old wire runs, closets and chases often give us a path for the new wire without new holes.
On brick, stone or hard to reach walls, a slim cover on the wall can carry the wire neatly.
Plaster cracks easily, so we cut it with care and keep openings small. We tell you up front where they will be and how patching will be handled.
We work one area at a time and restore power at the end of each day where we can, so the house stays livable while we work.
New Wiring
Rewiring is not only for old houses. Any time you remodel, finish a space or add on, you need new electrical wiring that is planned around how you will use the room.
We work with you or your contractor, pull any permits the job needs and get the wiring inspected before drywall goes up.
New counters, appliances and lighting need more circuits than most older kitchens have. We plan the wiring before the walls close up.
A finished basement turns into living space, so it needs outlets, lighting and smoke alarm wiring like the rest of the house.
A new room, a sunroom or a detached garage needs its own wiring and sometimes a subpanel to feed it.
An EV charger, hot tub, heat pump or electric range each needs its own circuit sized to the load.
Our Process
A rewire is a big job, so we plan it carefully and keep you in the loop from the first visit to the final inspection.
Phase 1Before We Start
We look in the basement, attic and panel to see what wire you have and where it runs.
We lay out the new circuits, explain the scope and give you a clear price.
Phase 2While We Work
We file the electrical permit, so the work is on record with your city.
We run new wire room by room, keep openings small and restore power where we can each day.
Phase 3When We Finish
The city inspector checks the new wiring. We handle any notes they leave.
We test every outlet and switch, label the panel and show you what changed.
Pricing
Every house is different, so there is no single price for a rewire. These are the things that move the cost the most.
Your price comes first. We inspect the house, explain what we found and give you a clear price before any work starts. Partial wiring upgrades can be split up over time if that fits your budget better.
Customer Reviews
Why Chris Electric
Rewiring touches every room in your house. You want a crew that plans it well, explains each step and leaves the place clean. That is how our White Bear Lake electricians work on every job.
Licensed, Bonded and Insured. Rewiring is permitted work, and a licensed electrician does it.
Lake cottages, plaster walls and old add-ons are everyday work for us. We know where old wire tends to hide.
We keep openings small, cover floors and furniture and clean up at the end of each day.
You get a clear price before we start, and we tell you right away if we find something that changes it.
Our Service Area
From lake cottages to mid century ramblers, we rewire older homes across White Bear Lake and the towns below. Do not see yours? Call and ask.
FAQs
Not sure what kind of wiring is in your walls? Call and we will help you find out.
(651) 382-9397It depends on the size of the house, the type of walls and how easy the attic and basement are to reach. A partial wiring upgrade can take a day or two. A full rewire takes longer. We give you a time estimate along with the price.
Usually, yes. We work one area at a time and restore power at the end of each day where we can. Some steps, like switching circuits over at the panel, need a short planned shutoff.
Not whole walls. We work from the attic and basement and cut small, planned openings where we need access. We show you where they will be before we start.
Aluminum branch wiring from the 1960s and 1970s can loosen at outlets and switches and run hot. It is not an emergency on its own, but it should be checked. Repairs with parts rated for aluminum or a switch to copper both fix the problem.
Not always. If your panel is in good shape and has room for the new circuits, it can stay. Older fuse boxes and full panels often need an upgrade at the same time.
Often it does. Many insurers ask about knob and tube and aluminum wiring. Once it is replaced and the work is inspected, ask your insurer to review your policy. We can give you details of the work for them.
Licensed, Bonded and Insured
Old wiring, a remodel or a home that needs more power? A licensed electrician will check your wiring and panel, explain your options and give you a clear price.
