What does a whole-home rewire actually involve and how long does it take?

A whole-home rewire involves replacing all existing electrical wiring, outlets, switches, and often the panel with modern code-compliant materials, and typically takes one to two weeks for an average GTA home. The scope depends on your home's size, number of circuits, wall accessibility, and whether you're keeping the existing panel or upgrading it as part of the project.

The process generally starts with your electrician performing a thorough assessment of the existing wiring — identifying what type you have (knob-and-tube, aluminum, early copper with cloth insulation), how many circuits are needed for modern electrical demands, and how accessible the walls, attic, and basement are for running new wire. In older Toronto homes, particularly the century homes in Cabbagetown, the Annex, and Riverdale, accessing wall cavities can be the most time-consuming part of the job. Your electrician will run new NMD90 copper cable through the walls, install new electrical boxes, outlets, and switches throughout the home, and connect everything back to the panel.

For a typical 1,200 square foot Toronto bungalow — the kind you see across Scarborough, North York, and Etobicoke — a full rewire generally runs $10,000 to $15,000 and takes about five to seven working days. A larger two-storey home of 2,000 square feet or more pushes that timeline to one to two weeks and costs in the range of $18,000 to $30,000. These numbers include labour, materials (NMD90 wire, new outlets, switches, electrical boxes), the ESA permit, and inspection. If you're also upgrading from a 100A panel to 200A service, add another $2,000 to $5,000 depending on whether the service entrance cable and meter base need replacement as well.

What to Expect During the Work

Your electrician will need to cut access holes in walls and ceilings to route new wiring. In homes with accessible basements and attics, this can be minimized — your electrician can fish wire through from above and below, limiting the number of wall openings. In homes without attic access or with finished basements, more drywall cutting is unavoidable. Most electricians patch the access holes as part of the job, but painting and finishing is typically the homeowner's responsibility.

Power will be off to sections of the home during the rewire, though a good electrician stages the work so you're never without power to the entire house for more than a few hours. Many homeowners choose to schedule a rewire during a kitchen or bathroom renovation when walls are already open — this saves significant labour cost since the electrician doesn't have to cut and repair drywall.

An ESA permit is mandatory for any rewiring project in Ontario. Your electrician pulls the permit before starting, and an ESA inspector visits after the rough-in (before walls are closed up) and again after the final connections are made. The permit typically costs $150 to $400 depending on the number of devices and circuits. Keep your certificate of inspection permanently — you'll need it when you sell the home or if you ever file an insurance claim.

If you're living in the home during the rewire, plan for some disruption. Dust, noise, and temporary power interruptions are part of the process. Many GTA families find it manageable for a one-week project but prefer to stay elsewhere for larger two-week rewires. If you're considering a whole-home rewire, Toronto Electrical Repair can match you with licensed electricians through the Toronto Construction Network who specialize in residential rewiring across the GTA.