Domestic Electrician & House Rewiring in Poole & Dorset

A full domestic rewire starts from £2,800 for a 1-bed flat, £3,200–£4,000 for a 2-bed terraced, £3,800–£5,000 for a 3-bed semi, £5,500–£7,000 for a 4-bed detached and £7,000+ for a 5-bed. A partial rewire starts from £1,500. The price includes new circuit cabling end-to-end (sockets, lighting, cooker, shower, immersion), a modern RCBO consumer unit, the full test schedule, the NICEIC Electrical Installation Certificate, and Building Control notification through the competent-person scheme. Period properties around Parkstone, Penn Hill, Poole Old Town and Bournemouth’s BH7 / BH8 typically add £500–£1,500 for heritage-finish containment and feature preservation.

A 3-bed semi runs 5–7 working days. 1-bed flats are quicker at 3–4 days, 4-bed detached homes need 7–9 days, and 5-bed period properties with feature preservation can run 10+ days. Partial rewires are 2–4 days. The first day is the messiest — lifting floorboards, chasing walls, pulling old cables. The middle days are new cabling and first-fix terminations. The final day is the consumer unit, second-fix on faceplates and fittings, the full test schedule and certification.

Most homeowners stay in for a 3-bed semi and smaller. We work room by room so the kitchen and at least one bathroom stay functional, and power is restored circuit by circuit each evening. Larger jobs (4–5 bed full rewires) and homes with young children sometimes choose to stay elsewhere for the worst 2–3 days when the upstairs floors are up. Empty properties are quicker — typically 1–2 days off the schedule, because we can leave floorboards up overnight. We don’t surcharge for occupied properties; we just sequence the work differently.

An EICR from £120 is the definitive way to find out. It tests every circuit’s insulation resistance, earth-loop impedance and continuity, and grades faults C1 (immediate danger), C2 (potentially dangerous) or C3 (improvement recommended). If the cabling tests within tolerance and only the board is non-compliant, a consumer unit upgrade from £450 is the right fix. If the cabling fails insulation testing — common with rubber-sheathed wiring in pre-1955 properties, or PVC degraded by heat in 1960s estate housing — the only safe fix is a full or partial rewire. We don’t recommend a full rewire unless the EICR justifies it.

A full rewire replaces all cables, the consumer unit, and every socket and switch. A partial rewire targets specific areas — the first floor only, or the lighting circuits, or a kitchen and bathroom. Partial rewires start from £1,500 and take 2–4 days. We recommend the right approach after inspecting the installation and reviewing any existing EICR findings, not before.

Less than most people expect. We re-pull new cable through existing conduits, reuse existing ceiling-rose drops, and lift floorboards rather than chase walls wherever possible. The unavoidable making-good is around socket and switch positions where the back-boxes are deepened, and at the consumer unit where the new tails come in. Plastering is normally needed at 5–10 points around the house, not whole walls. We coordinate with your decorator, or recommend one, for the final make-good. For period properties we use heritage-finish containment rather than surface-mounted plastic trunking on visible interior walls.

Every rewire quote includes all new circuit cabling (sockets, lighting, cooker, shower, immersion, electric heating where present), a modern metal-enclosed consumer unit with one RCBO per circuit, all faceplates and switches in standard white (brushed chrome or brass on request, typically +£200–£400 for a whole house), the full test schedule and NICEIC Electrical Installation Certificate, Building Control notification through the competent-person scheme, a six-year workmanship guarantee, and rubbish removal. Excluded: plaster make-good after we finish, decorator costs, and any structural alterations — we can quote those at the same time if you want to bundle.

Common signs: rubber or lead-sheathed cables, a fuse box with rewirable fuses, round-pin sockets, frequent tripping, burning smells, or an EICR with C1/C2 codes. If your wiring is over 30 years old, book an EICR (from £120) to assess its condition. We give honest advice — we only recommend a rewire if it is genuinely needed.

A consumer unit (fuse box) upgrade replaces your old fuse box with a modern unit featuring RCD protection. RCDs detect faults and cut the power in milliseconds, protecting you from electric shock. If your home still has rewirable fuses or an old-style unit without RCD protection, an upgrade is strongly recommended. See our consumer unit upgrade page for the full price ladder and what changes on the day.

Yes. Lilliput Electrical is NICEIC registered, which means we are authorised to self-certify all domestic electrical work under Part P of the Building Regulations. You’ll receive all necessary certificates for every job.

Absolutely. All work comes with the appropriate electrical certificate — either an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for new work, or a Minor Works Certificate for smaller jobs. These are legal requirements and are provided as standard with every job we complete.

A circuit breaker that keeps tripping usually indicates an overloaded circuit, a faulty appliance, or a wiring fault. As a first step, unplug appliances on the affected circuit and reset the breaker. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, there may be a wiring fault that needs professional diagnosis. Call us on 07809 680068 — we offer same-day fault finding from £85 and will identify and fix the problem safely.

Yes. We provide same-day emergency electrician callouts across Poole, Bournemouth, and East Dorset. If you have a dangerous electrical situation — burning smell, sparking, loss of power, or exposed wiring — call 07809 680068 and we’ll aim to be with you as quickly as possible. See our emergency electrician page for callout pricing and response times.