Full House Rewiring & Electrical Upgrade in Gatineau

A typical 1,200 square foot bungalow runs $10,000 to $12,000 for a complete rewire including a new 200A panel. Two-storey homes run $12,000 to $15,000 depending on square footage and access. Gatineau's post-war bungalows with unfinished basements are easier to rewire than homes with finished basements where wiring must be fished through walls. Electric baseboard heating doesn't affect wiring cost but does require proper circuit sizing to handle the load. If your home has knob and tube or aluminum wiring, a full rewire is usually more reliable than partial repairs. We give you a written price after assessing the job, before any work starts.

Full rewiring is needed when the wiring type itself is obsolete or when the insulation has deteriorated throughout the house. Knob and tube wiring from pre-1950 homes can't be grounded and shouldn't be extended or patched. Aluminum wiring from 1960s-70s homes is a fire risk at connections and partial repairs don't solve the underlying problem. Cloth-insulated wiring that's become brittle needs replacement, not patching. If your insurance company won't cover the house until the wiring is replaced, that's a clear signal. Partial rewiring works when one circuit has failed but the rest of the house wiring is copper in good condition. We assess the full system before recommending full or partial work. In Gatineau's older housing stock, especially homes in Hull and Aylmer built before 1970, full rewiring is common.

Most bungalows in Gatineau take four to six days for a complete rewire. Two-storey homes take six to eight days. The timeline depends on square footage, whether the basement is finished, and how many circuits need to be run for electric heating. Homes with electric baseboard heaters in every room need dedicated circuits, which adds time but ensures safe operation under full load. We work room by room and restore power each evening where possible. Hydro-Québec's service isn't interrupted during the work. The final connection and panel upgrade may require a brief planned outage coordinated with you in advance.

Most homeowners stay in the house during a rewire. Power is off during working hours in the areas we're actively wiring but restored by evening. You'll have access to water, bathrooms, and at least part of the house with power throughout the project. We work room by room so disruption is limited to specific areas on specific days. Electric heating will be off in rooms being worked on, so scheduling during milder weather makes the process more comfortable. If you have medical equipment that requires constant power or prefer not to be on site during the work, temporary relocation is an option but it's not required for most jobs.

The vast majority of electrical work does not require a permit. If a permit is needed for your full rewire, we handle all the paperwork and scheduling with the RBQ. Our electricians work under the master electrician licence, which authorises this type of installation in Quebec. You don't need to contact anyone, submit forms, or track deadlines. Most Gatineau homeowners don't need to think about permits at all. It's part of how we manage every job from start to finish.

A panel upgrade replaces the electrical panel and service entrance but leaves the existing wiring in place. Full rewiring replaces all wiring from the panel to every outlet and switch in the house and typically includes a panel upgrade as part of the work. If your wiring is copper and in good condition but your panel is outdated or undersized, a panel upgrade alone may be sufficient. If your wiring is knob and tube, aluminum, or deteriorated cloth insulation, a full rewire is needed. We assess both the panel and the wiring before recommending the right scope of work.

Home insurance in Quebec typically does not cover rewiring as a maintenance expense, but many insurers require it before they'll provide coverage on homes with knob and tube or aluminum wiring. If your insurer has flagged the wiring as a condition of coverage, the rewiring is your responsibility but it's often required to maintain insurability. Some insurers give a grace period to complete the work. We can provide documentation showing the work meets current electrical code once it's completed, which satisfies most insurer requirements. Contact your insurer to confirm their specific requirements before starting the work.

Yes. Full house rewiring almost always includes a new 200A electrical panel. The old panel is removed and a new panel with modern circuit breakers is installed. This supports the full electrical load of a modern Gatineau home including electric baseboard heating, appliances, and any planned additions like EV chargers or hot tubs. The panel upgrade is part of the total rewiring cost. We don't charge separately for it.