Australian housing stock spans a century of wiring practices, and a lot of it is still in service well past its design life. Cabling installed in the mid-20th century — rubber-insulated, cloth-bound, or early plastic — degrades with heat and age until the insulation cracks and falls away. A rewire replaces it before that becomes dangerous.
Signs your wiring is ageing out
- Fabric, rubber or brittle cabling visible in the roof space or switchboard.
- Power points that are warm, scorched, or spark when you plug in.
- Lights that flicker or dim when appliances start up.
- Not enough power points, so the house runs on power boards and extension leads.
- A fuse board with no safety switches.
One or two of these might mean a repair rather than a full rewire. Several together, especially visible old cabling, usually means the system has reached the end of its life and patching it just moves the problem along.
What a rewire involves
A rewire replaces the cabling, switches, power points and usually the switchboard, bringing the whole installation up to current standards with RCD protection on every circuit. In an occupied home we stage the work room by room to keep you powered, and we work to minimise damage — fishing cable through existing wall cavities and roof space rather than tearing linings out wherever we can.
Why it's worth doing properly
A rewire is the kind of job where corners cut are corners hidden in your walls for the next thirty years. We oversize where it counts, label everything, leave capacity for future additions like air conditioning or an EV charger, and hand over a certificate of compliance. It's an investment in safety and in the value of the home — buyers and insurers both notice modern, certified wiring.
If your place is more than forty years old and hasn't been touched, it's worth a proper inspection. We'll tell you straight whether you've got years of life left or whether it's time — no scare tactics, just an honest look at what's behind the walls.
