A Full Rewire Is the Clean Slate Your Home's Electrical System Needs.
We Scope It Before We Quote It.

A whole house rewire is warranted when problems are systemic — spread throughout the home rather than isolated to one circuit. Common triggers include: a home built before 1975 still on original wiring, active knob and tube wiring, single-strand aluminum branch circuit wiring, or cloth-wrapped rubber-insulated wiring from the pre-1950s. Warning signs include burning smells from outlets or walls, warm or discolored outlet covers throughout the house, frequent tripped breakers across multiple circuits, flickering lights when appliances start, two-pronged ungrounded outlets throughout, or rodent damage discovered in the attic. Life events also trigger rewires: a major renovation opening walls, adding high-load systems like an EV charger or heat pump, a home purchase inspection flagging hazardous wiring, or an insurance non-renewal requiring remediation.

Yes — it is possible and commonly done, but it requires honest planning. Staying works best when the home is under 2,000 sq ft and work can be staged room by room, you have enough unaffected space to maintain a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen function, and you can be away during working hours. Staying creates complications in larger homes where the crew needs to work multiple rooms simultaneously, in homes with plaster walls that generate heavy dust, or when you have young children or pets. A vacated house can be rewired 30–50% faster because the crew can work freely across all rooms simultaneously — which directly lowers your labor cost. Cali Rollin Electric works room by room to keep essential areas live at the end of each day, and the free estimate conversation will include a frank discussion about whether temporary relocation makes financial sense.

Cali Rollin Electric pricing for whole house rewiring in Santa Clara County: up to 1,200 sq ft runs $15,000–$20,000. From 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft runs $18,000–$26,000. From 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft runs $22,000–$32,000 or more. Partial rewire covering key circuits or rooms only runs $8,000–$14,000. Adding a panel upgrade at the same time adds $1,500–$3,000 and is recommended if the panel is due for replacement. Permits vary by city and scope, typically adding $500–$1,000. Drywall patching and painting by a separate contractor follows electrical sign-off — budget an additional $3,000–$8,000 depending on wall condition. All pricing is provided in a written quote after a full circuit assessment.

Typically one electrical permit with two required inspections in San Jose. The rough-in inspection is performed after all new wiring is pulled and stapled in place but before walls are closed — the inspector verifies wire sizing, routing, box installation, grounding, and AFCI and GFCI placement. The final inspection is performed after all devices are installed, panel connections are made, and everything is operational. If a panel upgrade is included in the same project it falls under the same electrical permit. Permit application is made at SJPermits.org and approval in San Jose typically takes 5–15 business days for residential electrical work. Cali Rollin Electric manages the entire permit and inspection process.

Not always — but it is strongly recommended to do both at the same time if your panel is due for replacement. If your panel is 100A or less, it very likely needs upgrading simultaneously since a full rewire with modern circuits and AFCI breakers will push its capacity. If you have a hazardous panel like FPE or Zinsco, the rewire is the perfect time to replace it. If your panel is a 200A Square D, Eaton, or Siemens in good condition with open slots, you likely do not need an upgrade. The labor savings are significant — adding a panel swap costs only $1,500–$3,000 when the crew is already in the home for days. Doing it later as a standalone job costs significantly more. The free estimate includes a full load calculation and panel assessment.

They address two completely different parts of your electrical system. A panel upgrade replaces the breaker panel and service entrance only — all existing wiring throughout the home stays in place. It solves insufficient capacity, hazardous panel brands, and no room for new circuits, but it does not address dangerous in-wall wiring. A whole house rewire replaces all branch circuit wiring running through the walls, ceilings, and floors — the panel stays unless upgraded simultaneously. It solves deteriorated wiring, ungrounded circuits, K&T, and aluminum branch wiring, but it does not solve panel capacity issues on its own. The clearest way to think about it: the panel is the brain, the wiring is the nervous system. An aging home usually benefits most from both done together.