If you’re wondering how much it cost to wire house then you came to the right blog post. This post will help you understand all the ins and outs of what it cost to wire a new house.
Typical new house cost between 15,000 and $20,000 Canadian. This meets most minimum code requirements of the 2018 electrical code. This is assuming that you do not go overboard with the wiring.
25 tips on how much does it cost to wire a house.
1. Should I use a general contractor to see how much does it cost to wire a house?
So the first thing you need to ask yourself is how much of a headache do you want when it comes to how much does it cost to wire house. Obviously you could contract the stuff yourself but if you hire a general contractor they will take all the headaches out of it for you.
A general contractor who want to sit down and go through set up plans or drawings with you to figure out what your electrical requirements will be. There are a number of basic code rules that you’ll have to follow for a minimum plugs and switches but will get into that later.
So, how much does it cost to wire a house? Well on average houses nowadays start around $15,000 for new construction. This is Canadian dollars. They could quickly get out of hand if you had a bunch of bells and whistle‘s to the project.
General contractors will add 10 to 15% on top of the electricians bill as a handling fee to deal with the project. This is how they make their profit and cover the cost to manage the project.
The general contractor will usually give you a lighting allowance so you can pick out your lighting fixtures for the Electrician to install. The general contractor will make the project painless for you or as painless as possible.
2.Should I use a direct electrician to have the house wired myself ?
The electrician can you give you a direct quote on how much does it cost to wire house. The downside to this is that will add a bunch of planning to your schedule.
You will have to schedule the electrician in around all of the other sub trades working on the project. Sometimes this can be difficult meeting timelines and schedules especially when other sub trades can be busy or not used to working around one another.
3.What is the planning process involved?
The hardest part of the planning process is organizing all of the sub trades. It’s going to be very difficult to organize timelines and everyone work around everyone else. Obviously the first thing you will need to do is break ground to install the basement or a concrete slab. You will also need to get a number of permits in place for the sewer, water etc.
4. Are there permits involved?
Your electrician to pull a permit for you with your local utility or the permit department in charge of doing the inspections. You also need a building permit so the electrician can use the number from the building permit to pull his electrical permit.
For a new home a permit is usually several hundred dollars. You’ll also have hook up charges on the power utility and possibly truck charges on your permit bill. This permit will give you three or four inspections.The inspector can come and inspect the electricians wiring during several stages of the construction.
The first stage of the construction would be called rough in stage. This is after the rough in wiring is done and the walls are started off. After this inspection you can install the insulation vapour barrier and drywall.
There’s usually an additional inspection for a temporary power service so the construction can be built on the home. Once the rough in wiring is complete you can then get the power service hooked up.
It will require another inspection and it will give you construction power within the home. This is so that you can turn on a heating source or fans to dry crack fill.
There usually is one final inspection at the end of the project to ensure that everything is done correctly and everything is complete.
5.What size service entrance do I need?
So a service entrance really depends on the requirements within the home. Most power services are 200 A and some can be as high as 400 A.
This is an actual requirement by the inspection authority that this be done as per electrical code.
The actual size of the electrical service will be largely determined by the heating source in the home. For example if you have propane or oil heat. You will more likely that you will only need a 200 amp electrical service instead of a 400.
6.Which is more expensive underground or overhead power?
It is obvious that an underground service cost more than overhead service. When you have an underground service you have to deal with trenching and pipes.
In addition to that you will also have to run communication pipes for your phone and cable to run into the house. This adds extra labour to the job and the actual cable can be more expensive to run.
From the pole to the house then if you just had a regular triplex cable supplied by your local utility.
7.How much amperage do I need for the house?
As mentioned above your heating source largely has to do with the size electrical service that you will need to have in the home. Other large power consuming appliances also have a lot to do with it like hot tubs and swimming pools with heat pumps.
The heat pump is one of the largest power consumers that you can have in your electrical system. Sometimes heat pumps for swimming pools can draw up to 60 A. This will often put you into a 400 amp electrical service.
8.Does my kind of heating affect how much power I need?
Yes the kind of heating affects how much power you need. Some larger heat pumps have an electric back up as much is 125 A. This will consume most of your 200 amp electrical service so it’s a good idea to upgrade to a 400.
As a rule of thumb the inspection department does not like to see more than a 20 kW or 20,000 white electrical heating system on a 200 amp service. The supplies are both electric heat or heat pump back up.
9.How many plugs in each room do I need?
The minimum allowable amount of plugs as per the 2018 electrical code is every 12 feet of wall space. Most appliances lamp cords radios etc. only come with a 6 foot cord.
Having 12 feet is a maximum distance between outlets insured that you can reach a wall outlet from the matter where you have the lamp along the wall space. If you have an area of a wall space save between a bedroom door and a bedroom closet door of 3 feet or more and you’re also required to have an outlet.
This applies for all rooms with the exception of the kitchen hallway and bathroom. In the kitchen you’re required to have a counter plug for every 3 feet of counter space.
10.How many lights in each room do I need?
Contrary to popular belief you’re not actually required to have any light fixtures in the ceiling in a room. You can actually have switched wall plugs for lamps.
Switched wall plugs can be nice and you can mount a switch by the door when you enter the room. We’re talking how much does it cost to wire a house this can help reduce the price.
11.The pot lights cost more or do regular lights cost more?
Yes pot lights generally cost more installed price on a pot light can range between 30 and $70. Depending on the style of pot like that you choose to install. They also give less light then a central light fixture. However they are very popular and could look quite nice inside of her room.
For more on pot lights ….
12.Do I get to choose the height of my plugs and switches?
There was a change in the 2018 electrical code and also the building code stating that light switches must be in reach of handicap. A maximum of 44 inches to the bottom of the light switch is now a code requirement.
We usually install outlets between 14 and 16 inches to the bottom of the outlet box on the wall finished wall space.
13.What is the cheapest way to wire the house?
When talking how much does it cost to wire a house the cheapest way is to maximize the number of receptacles and outlets on one circuit. This will cut back on the amount of breakers require at the panel power everything up. More professional electricians also have methods of running wires to save on wire.
You’re also not required by code to have the basement wired in order to get the power hooked up. You can leave the basement for any day down the road providing you have a minimum light and a smoke detector. We usually put an outlet by the panel as well.
14.Who hooks up all the utilities like the water pump etc?
Most electricians will provide a power feed to the water pump they will also hook up the pressure switch and the starter switch if you have a deep well pump. The actual wires going to the well itself is usually installed by the well company. As for the hot water tank we usually run a feed. The disconnect however we do not turn it on until the plumber confirms there’s water in the tank.
This is similar when it comes to the other utilities in the home. We will often hook up the feed to the dishwasher and feed to the heating source if it is a central heating source. The plumber or the heating installer will usually confirm there is water going to the appropriate appliances and do the control wiring or thermostats on the central heating system.
15.Do I get to choose what kind of plugs and switches do I have in terms of what style?
In most cases your electrician will supply regular style plugs and switches which means the regular outlets that have two round circles. The switches will be a regular toggle style.
When talking in terms of how much does it cost to wire a house using the regular supplied plugs and switches is a good idea. You can upgrade to the square style plugs and switches however this would cost.
They are almost double the price of a regular style. This also adds cost if you need any timers or dimmers.
16.How many smoke detectors do I need to head by code?
As of the 2018 electrical code you’re not required to have a word in smoke detector with battery back up hooked to a lighting circuit. This is so you cannot shut the power off at your breaker panel without losing your lights. They make it very difficult for you to shut them off.
In addition you need to have one smoke detector in each bedroom and one smoke detector on each level of living space. You also need a smoke detector in your garage that’s a text Carbon monoxide.
In most newer homes there’s ends up being 8 to 10 smoke detectors all wired together all with battery back up. So if one goes off they all go off and drive you nuts. They also required do you have the battery changed every six months.
17.Who takes care of running the communications like the phone cable and Internet?
Your electrician can do that for you and it is often a good idea to get them to do it. They will do a lot neater job than your local communications provider.
They can run the wires for the studs back to a central location in which we can be terminated by your provider. We mostly run RG 6 for cable and cat 6 for communications phone and Internet.
We find the running communications cables in peoples homes is getting less and less. Everything is going wireless Internet hubs this is good because it reduce the cost of the overall wiring to the home.
18.How many outside plugs do I need to have?
You’re only required to have one outside plug by code however it is a good idea to put more outside plugs in. Some people like to have one outside plug on each side of the house as well as outside plugs in there soffit. This usually gets switched, so that you can plug-in Christmas lights and switched them off.
19. How do I keep the cost down?
If you’re going to manage the project yourself and it’s best to get three quotes from three different electricians. Try to go with bare-bones minimum for the electrical requirements to keep the cost down. You can always add more later to the project after the plug project is close to the end.
20.Does the brand-name a panel affect the price.
Yes the brand of panel does affect the price. There are three major brands on the market today GE or Siemens, Square D and Eaten. Eaton would be the most cost efficient product and is available. Square D will be at the high-end of the price spectrum. Although Square D has a much better trip rating and will last a lifetime.
21.Can I do some of the wiring myself to save money?
Depending on the electrician you choose they may let you help with the project if you were handy. Although you cannot run wires or two connections they may let you mount boxes securely to the wall and help clean up the mess this will save on labour cost.
22.Do I need to wire the basement now or can I do it later?
Providing you have a basement and not a slab on grade you do not need to wire the basement by code. There’s a code requirement you’re only required to have one light and one plug and a smoke detector.
You can finish the project and also finish the basement down the road at that time you can have the additional wiring completed. This would naturally add several thousand dollars to the project if you choose to wear the basement up front.
23.Who hooks up the utilities in the kitchen?
Electrician will usually do the appliance hook ups for you for example installing a microwave range hood or hooking up a dishwasher. In addition if you have a cook top or a wall oven those will need to be hardwired as well.
Sometimes you will add undercounter lights to the project your electrician can hardwire those for you too.
24.What kind of warranties do I get with the wiring?
Any good electrician that is certified will offer you a minimum of a one-year warranty on the quality of workmanship the parts and the labor. We always offer this to our customers just a to show good faith.
25.Who coordinates everything with the power company?
Your electrician will coordinate everything with the power company. They will pull all the permits necessary and schedule all of the inspection appointments for you. You will have to pay them so they can pay the permit bill. Initially you will have to call the power company yourself and request a new meter.
Your electrician cannot do this for you as it is your metre agreement with your power company to pay the bill.
You can find out more on how to reduce your electric bill here.
