What You Can Expect When Your Old Nelson Home Gets a Complete Rewire

Steps and Advantages

The Importance of New Wiring for Older Houses in Nelson

Older houses in Nelson and Tasman have a special appeal — you'll see weatherboard exteriors and old-school plaster walls — but their electrical systems often tell a different, more worrying tale. Many of these homes still rely on old-fashioned cable types, like Vulcanised Indian Rubber (VIR) or early rubber-sheathed wiring. These materials break down as time passes and can put your safety at risk.

Have you seen your lights flicker, breakers trip often, outlets get warm, or smelled something burning? These signs should worry you. At Mako Electrical, we think a complete house rewire in Nelson isn't just an upgrade — it's key to keep your family safe and boost your home's value over time.

What Does a Complete House Rewire Involve?

When you pick Mako Electrical, a Nelson Tasman home electrician you can rely on here's how we handle the rewiring — and why you can count on us at each stage.

1. Initial Inspection & Assessment To start, our certified electrician (Jordan Inwood, who started Mako Electrical) looks over your home's wiring. He checks for old cables, outdated switchboards, insulation problems, and other safety risks. This helps us understand how much work we need to do.

2. Planning & Design After the inspection, we create a detailed plan. We decide which circuits to swap out where to install new wiring, and how to add modern safety gear like RCDs (Residual Current Devices). We also talk about how to keep disruption low — for example, if we need to open parts of the ceiling or wall, and how we'll fix them afterward.

3. Switchboard Upgrade Many old homes have outdated switchboards (fuse boxes) often with ceramic or re-wirable fuses. The rewire includes replacing this with a modern board that has safety devices. This makes your home safer and helps it meet current NZ standards.

4. Wiring Installation Installing new wires is the main part of the process. Our electricians put in fresh cables throughout the home. They thread these through roof spaces, under floors, and inside walls as needed. We use top-quality materials that follow the code to ensure your wiring lasts and stays safe.

5. Testing & Certification After we put the wires in place, we test each circuit . We check the insulation, continuity, earthing, and load capacity. Then, as licensed electricians, we provide the required compliance paperwork. This step is crucial to keep you safe — and for insurance purposes.

6. Restoration Once we finish testing, we fix up your home. We repair any walls or ceilings we opened making sure your house looks just as good as before — but now, it has safe wiring for modern living.

7. Final Walkthrough & Advice To finish up, we go over everything we've done. We show you how your new circuits work where we put your RCDs, and give you tips on how to use and take care of your system in the future.

Based on your house's size and state, this complete rewire takes 5–10 work days. Sometimes, you might need to find another place to stay for a while during the most disruptive parts — but we'll talk about this with you from the beginning.

Why a Full Rewire Makes Sense for Old Homes

A full house rewire might seem like a big job, but for older homes in Nelson, it has real benefits—that last a long time.

• Better Safety: New wiring cuts down the chance of fires, shocks, and overloaded circuits.

• Up to Date with Current Rules: Your house will follow the latest NZ wiring laws with new switchboards and safety gear.

• Easier to Insure: Insurance companies are more likely to cover houses with safe modern wiring.

• Higher House Value: Safe and new electrical systems make your house more attractive to buyers and help with building checks.

• Power Savings: Fresh wiring helps modern appliances and power needs work better, and you can plan to add things like internet cables or car chargers later.

• Peace of Mind: When skilled certified electricians wire your home, you feel at ease — if it's a local company like Mako Electrical, who takes pride in their work and aims to do it well.

How to Start with Mako Electrical

If you live in the Nelson Tasman area and want to rewire your older house here's how to move forward with Mako Electrical:

• Check our residential electrical services page to view all our services.

• Find out more about our house rewiring service.

• Read our story and see our skills on our About page.

• When you're set, reach out to ask for a free quote or book an inspection.

We work locally, have lots of experience, and are keen to bring safe, up-to-date electricity to your classic Nelson home.

Why Trust Mako Electrical?

• Jordan Inwood started the company. He's a licensed residential electrician in Nelson Tasman who's worked in the field for years.

• Mako Electrical focuses on home rewiring, renovations, and new construction - not just quick fixes.

• We follow New Zealand's electrical safety rules and best methods for older houses, including safety checks and paperwork.

• As a local business, we give written estimates and project plans. We keep our clients informed throughout the job - restoring homes not just electrically but physically.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I tell if my house needs new wiring?

  Your home might need new wiring if it's old (if it was built before the 1970s), as it could have outdated wiring such as rubber-sheathed or VIR cables. Look out for signs like lights that flicker, circuit breakers that trip often, power points that feel warm or look discolored, or a slight burning odor.

• How much time does it take to rewire a whole house?

  To rewire a typical older house in Nelson takes 5–10 work days, depending on the house's size and how easy it is to access the wiring.

• Do I need to move out while rewiring is happening?

  You don't always have to. It depends on how much the process disrupts your daily life and which parts of your house need work. For big rewiring jobs, or when we need to open up walls or ceilings, we might talk about you moving out for a bit during the planning stage.

• Will rewiring damage my walls and ceilings?

  We might need to cut some holes to run new wires, but skilled electricians try to keep the mess to a minimum. Once we're done rewiring, we fix up the surfaces so your home looks just like it did before — now it's safer.

• Is rewiring worth the cost?

  You bet. Rewiring makes your home safer, brings your electrical system up to date with current rules, boosts your property value, and often makes getting insurance easier.