Rewiring a House in Southampton: Costs & FAQs
Rewiring a house in Southampton is one of those jobs most people put off until something forces the issue: a failed EICR before a sale, a flag on the mortgage survey, or a kitchen refit where the electrician opens up a wall and goes quiet. We get asked the same handful of questions every time we price one, so here they are in one place, with straight answers and current numbers.
How much does it cost to rewire a house in Southampton?
For a typical lived-in home in Southampton, this is roughly what a full rewire with Complete Builds comes to in 2026, including a new consumer unit, testing and certification:
2-bed terrace or flat: around £4,800 to £7,200
3-bed semi: around £6,600 to £9,600
4-bed detached: around £10,200 to £14,400
Making good the plaster afterwards is often priced as a separate line and usually adds £600 to £2,400, depending on how many walls get chased and whether you're redecorating anyway. Where your house lands in those ranges depends on the number of circuits, how easy it is to get under the floors and into the loft, and how many extra sockets you want. A Victorian terrace in Portswood or Freemantle with lath and plaster ceilings needs more care than a 1960s semi in Bitterne with a clear loft. We always survey before quoting, and you get a clear written price that spells out what's included and what isn't.
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Age alone doesn't decide it. A well-installed 1980s system can be perfectly sound, while a 1990s job done on the cheap might not be. These are the signs we look for when we walk round:
An old fuse box with rewireable fuses, or no RCD protection at all
Black rubber or fabric-covered cable, or lead-sheathed cable in the loft
Round-pin sockets, sockets set into skirting boards, or switches on wooden pattresses
Scorch marks, warm sockets, or a burning smell near outlets
Lights that flicker, or trips you can't trace to a faulty appliance
The proper test is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). If yours comes back with C1 or C2 codes across several circuits, a rewire usually makes more sense than patching. If it's really just the board that's out of date, a consumer unit upgrade might be all you need, and we'll tell you if that's the case.
How long does a rewire take, and can we stay in the house?
A 3-bed semi normally takes us 5 to 8 working days for first and second fix, with plastering and drying time on top. First fix is the messy part: boards up, walls chased, old cable stripped out and new runs pulled in. Second fix is fitting the sockets, switches, lights and the new consumer unit, then testing every circuit.
Plenty of families stay put. We work room by room, keep power on where we can, and leave the kitchen and a bathroom usable at the end of each day. That said, if you've got a newborn, someone on video calls all day, or a dog that hates drills, a week at the in-laws in Chandler's Ford doesn't hurt. Living in during the work adds a little time, because we're packing down and covering up every evening.
Will a rewire wreck my walls and floors?
There's no hiding it, a full rewire is dusty. Cable has to get from the board to every socket and light, and in most Southampton homes that means chasing plaster and lifting floorboards. What matters is how it's done. We use existing voids and the loft wherever we can, lift boards carefully so they go back down flat, and sheet up furniture and carpets before anything starts.
Because we're a building firm as well as doing rewires and electrical upgrades, the plastering and making good is handled by our own team rather than left for you to sort out with someone else. That's where a lot of rewires fall down. And if you're planning a kitchen, bathroom or extension in the next couple of years, tell us now. Rewiring before you redecorate saves paying for the same walls twice.
Does a rewire need building regs sign-off?
Yes. A full rewire is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations, so it has to be notified to building control, and you should be handed an Electrical Installation Certificate when it's done. Keep both somewhere safe. Your solicitor will ask for them when you sell, and an insurer may want them after a claim. We take care of the notification and give you the paperwork at handover. There's more on this in our guide to Part P and electrical certificates.
What else is worth doing while the walls are open?
This is the bit people tend to forget. With floors up and cable being pulled anyway, extra runs cost a fraction of what they would later. Worth thinking about:
Data cabling for wired Wi-Fi access points or a home office
A dedicated circuit for a future EV charger on the drive
Feeds for CCTV, a video doorbell or smart lighting
Electric underfloor heating in a bathroom you're about to refit
On jobs around Southampton and up towards Eastleigh and Romsey, the most popular extras are simply more double sockets, USB sockets by the bed and an outdoor socket for the garden. Small things, but nobody has ever told us they regretted them.
Related reading
Book a rewire survey in Southampton
If your EICR has flagged problems, or you're buying an older house in Shirley, Portswood or anywhere else across Southampton and Hampshire, we'll come out, check the existing installation and give you a clear written price. Book a survey visit with Complete Builds and we'll take it from there.
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