Old house rewire

5 years ago

We are buying a home built in 1940. Some of the wiring has been updated, some has not (cloth wiring). We are hiring someone to bring the wiring up to date. Can we rely on the county inspector to make sure the job is well done, or do we need a general contractor looking out for us? (

We need a general contractor to do some other work, but I have not found one yet. I have found an electrician, but my husband has concerns as we've never renovated before. We need the electrical brought up to date within 30 days of closing (6/15/21) for the purpose of insurance, so I'm not sure we have time to wait to find a general contractor. (I've been working on this for a month already.)

Advice?

Featured Answer

User

5 years ago

Can you count on the inspector to make sure the job is done well? Short answer is No. Their job is to try to find anything that doesn't meet code supposedly, in most areas they are tax collectors.

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Comments (7)

remodeling1840
5 years ago
We had the same issue, house built 1800. Call a licensed electrician.
Lesley C thanked remodeling1840
einportlandor
5 years ago
Ditto. Hire a licensed electrician and make sure she/he pulls permits.
Lesley C thanked einportlandor
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Lesley C
Original Author
5 years ago
I have found a licensed electrician and we talked about the time needed to get the permit pulled. Can we rely on the county inspector to ensure a good job or do we need a general contractor to oversee everything? (haven't found one of those yet) This has the potential to be a whole house rewire.
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Maybe it depends on where you live, but a county Inspector does not ensure a good job. In my area, the city inspector reviewed the instructions and verified the proper gauge Wire was used.

If you think the county inspector will ensure a good job, you live in a different world than me.

In my area, there are specialty licenses and general. I recommend a licensed electrical contractor vs a general contractor.

Where are you?
Lesley C thanked User
formulaross20
5 years ago
You do not need a general contractor by any means! You need a licensed, insured and experienced electrician with a good client history.

The electrical panel is a Square D, that is good, one of the best, but it does appear to be somewhat old and dated/rusted. If your neutrals/grounds have been double tapped, it may be because the panel is somewhat small. Looking at the number of cloth conductors in the top pic, I think you are the majority of the way to needing a total rewire of the house, so I would replace the panel with new, and larger.
Lesley C thanked formulaross20
rwiegand
5 years ago
No you cannot depend on the inspector for much of anything, and no, a GC will not be much help-- he'll just refer you to the electrician. You can depend on a competent electrician.
Lesley C thanked rwiegand