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Faulty wiring can be a huge source of problems for many houses in New Zealand. For starters, it increases the risk of accidents like fires. Poor wiring job also decreases the electrical capacity of a home, which may cause damages to electrical appliances and gadgets. Unfortunately, a lot of homeowners aren’t aware that they do need to rewire their entire house. If you’re in the same situation and you’re not sure whether to have your house rewired, our short guide below may help you figure things out.

Signs you Need a full House Rewire in NZ

New Zealand offers an array of housing types ranging from attached townhouses to standalone residential buildings. It’s also quite common to for Kiwis to live in homes built in the 50s to 70s, which often come with dated electrical wirings. As a rule of thumb, if you live in a property that’s more than 30 years old, you must have your wiring checked and updated to the latest standards. You must act quickly to prevent untoward incidents that may arise from faulty electrical wiring. You should also consider checking your wires residence if you’re planning a major renovation job.

In case you’re not sure how old your property is or if you doubt the value of getting a full house rewire, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the tell-tale warning signs below:

  • The persistent scent of electrical burn
  • Seeing brown markings on switches and sockets
  • Frequent blowing of fuse or tripping of the circuit breaker
  • Dimming or flickering lights all around your house
  • Hearing sizzling or buzzing sounds
  • Frequent need to replace light bulbs
  • Unexplainable power outages

If you observe the signs of faulty home electrical wiring above, you need to call your trusted electrician right away. Otherwise, you might end up with a less energy-efficient home, increased risk for fires and electrocution, and damaged appliances.

I’m ready for a House to Rewire, What’s Next?

Supposed you’re ready to get your house rewired by our team of electricians. What happens next? What should you expect from the job? Does this mean the electrician has to cut off power in every part of the residence?

Essentially, a full electrical rewiring job involves the following steps:

    • Creating a detailed inventory of every electrical device in your home
    • Checking for existing infrastructure in the property such as plumbing work
    • Removing all the old wires in your residence as well as steel conduit
    • Adding cables with tough plastic sheath
    • Upgrading the fuse board
    • Installing protective equipment such as RCDs
    • Replacing switches, light fixtures and other old fittings
    • Relocating the power meter
  • Testing the new system installed

Depending on the complexity of your electrical wiring system and the size your home, a typical rewiring job can last for a couple of day or several more. However, this doesn’t mean that your entire house won’t have electricity during the length of the service. With careful planning, you can set up temporary spaces for cooking and doing chores while our electricians complete the job.

Ideally, you should consider getting the rewiring job done before you make new updates such a kitchen revamp. This way, you ensure that the electrical system in your home becomes suited for modern-day living. You may also have the job done separately from a renovation project. This way you can prepare everything before you start installing new fixtures and whatnot.

How much does it Cost to do a Full House Rewire in New Zealand?

Note that’s virtually impossible to provide you with a ballpark figure on how much an average rewiring job costs in NZ. This is because we must consider a few factors when providing a quote. These factors include the following:

  • The complexity of the wiring system (this includes the number of fittings and electrical wiring)
  • Size of your property
  • Accessibility of the wires through the ceiling and sub-flooring
  • The extent of the electrical rewiring task
  • The hourly rate of your electrician

To help you compute the average costs of your home rewiring project, you can note the following rates below:

  • The hourly cost of hiring an electrician: $40 to $90 (excluding GST)
  • Inspection of your home’s electrical system: $250 to $400
  • Installation costs of power socket: $150 to $250
  • Wiring upgrades: The rate relies on the type of electrical wiring material you prefer to use plus your home’s size and electrical requirements.

Get your NZ Home Rewired Today!

Needless to say, a home rewiring service is definitely a must if you want to prevent mishaps and other unnecessary expenses like buying a new fuse or replacing an overloaded appliance. Whether you live in a dated or a modern house, it pays to have a fully functional electrical system that meets the current standards.

With the help of our professional electricians here at Hall Electrical, you can have your wires inspected and replaced in no time. Call us today to book your appointment!

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A popular electrical installation in 2022 is sure to be an extractor fan installation, like the one we recently completed in these Grafton flats. Grafton electricians have their work cut out for them. As many of these older homes lack an extractor fan in the bathroom or kitchen. 

Healthy Homes Standard

As of the 1st of July all renewed tenancies must now comply with the healthy home standard. Concerns over mould and dampness have led to regulations to protect the tenants of rental homes by requiring extractor fans. Poor ventilation is harmful to one’s health. So if you are concerned about mould and dampness in your home’s bathroom consider installing an extractor fan.

Grafton Electrician to the rescue

Being electricians in the Grafton area for over 20 years we were happy to spruce up a set of local rental properties. Built in the 1970s, these homes were hit hard by the new healthy homes standard. So, the landlord needed an affordable solution to bring their properties up to the standard. Not wanting to cheap out on the health of their tenants they opted for an extractor fan slightly over powered for the flats small bathroom.

Any room with a shower or bath must have new fans with a minimum diameter of 120mm. We offer an extractor fan with a diameter of 150mm to ensure all excess moisture is removed.

The extractor fan installation in these Grafton flats was straightforward. As we are able to both supply and install the extractor fan. Rather than needing to install a new switch we are able to set up the fan to turn on with the light on the same switch.

Overall the property manager was left happy and all of their Grafton properties passed their healthy home inspections. If you need a Grafton Electrician to install an extractor fan in your home or rental call 0800 422 973 or contact us online.

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Seaview Road, Remuera
New Home Build

The Electrical Brief:
Electrical Services

Electrical Features:

  • Electrical Services – Distribution, Power and Lighting
    • Distribution board installation
    • Power cabling and outlet installation throughout
    • Lighting cabling and fitting installation throughout
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New Kitchen & House Extension
(Joanne McCrae and Mark Dickie)

When Joanne McCrae and Mark Dickie decided to extend their 60-year old Balmoral house, they did a good bit of research to decide who to use as their electrical contractor. They checked out the website, No Cowboys, and came up with a shortlist based on the reviews.

They invited quotes and although Hall Electrical was not the cheapest, the attention to detail paid by Phil at that stage gave them the confidence to put their electrical work in the hands of Phil and his team.
The job was reasonably complex with the extension involving the conversion of a large unused upstairs deck into a dining room, turning a kitchen/dining area into one large modern kitchen. A bedroom was also extended.

Because of the age of the house, there was a certain amount of “making safe” to be done before even the pre-wiring could begin. The old meter box was upgraded and all the old wiring brought up to modern standards. Placement of power points and lights was a key component and Phil’s input was much appreciated. A kitchen island was put in and the kitchen needed to be pre-wired for two stoves, a fridge and the other essential electrical appliances that make up the modern kitchen.

Mark says, “When we requested temporary wiring be installed to assist the builder, it wasn’t a problem; they were here, there was a quick consultation with the builder and the job was done. No delay; all as easy as a phone call.”

The entire job took the Hall Electrical team 10 weeks and would have taken longer if Phil and Joanne weren’t “in sync”, says Mark. The Hall team never needed chasing up, he says, and they added value by being proactive with ideas and suggestions. “It was never a problem to discuss changes,” says Mark who admits to being a little finicky. The thing that will make him call them again, he maintains, is trust; he felt completely confident giving them the run of the house. The bonus was old style values and there was no mess left at the end of their jobs.

There’s more yet to be done on the Dickie-McCrae home and Hall Electrical can expect to receive a call asking them to do the work.

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Karaka Homestead
The Electrical Brief:

An electrically simple, energy efficient and beautiful home.

Electrical Features:

  • LED lighting installed throughout.
  • A complete LED strip runs unbroken around the lounge to give a soft glow.
  • An additional LED strip on the breakfast bar is subtle in the evening to avoid bright overhead lighting.
  • A fully functional theatre room with projector and inbuilt surround sound also feeds full 1080 HDMI to all TVs.
  • Data wiring connects office and rooms for a central printer.
  • Fountains and pumps maintain the fishpond below the floor in the atrium with subtle lighting highting the plants. Gentle up-lights complete the Japanese feel.
  • Outdoor lighting is complimented by large pots with internal lamps to make them glow at night.
  • Path lighting to a floating pagoda on the lake is completed with fountain, tree and bush lighting.
  • A backup generator is connected by way of a changeover switch.
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New Home Build
(Steve and Larissa Mutton)

Larissa Mutton and her husband Steve are delighted with their beautiful new 300 square metre home in Henderson.

With four bedrooms, three lounges, an office, two bathrooms, ensuite, dining room, kitchen and a double garage, it has everything a modern family could wish for.

That’s largely thanks to the work the Muttons and Phil Hall put into planning and installing the complex electrical and data systems necessary to ensure that everything they could possibly need now, and in the future, was installed during building.

The house needed to be wired for more than just sound – they needed security, music, data, and of course lighting. In all, 135 lights were put in.

The entire house was data-wired through a central hub, and smart wired to the alarm system. Computers can be used in all the main living areas and bedrooms and are connected to a single, central printer. There is the added security of being able to monitor all computers from a central point.

Larissa says Phil was extremely thorough right from the planning stage. “He went through the house room by room, asking what each one would be used for, what appliances and furniture there would be, and how they would be positioned. He wanted to account for every possible eventuality.”

Phil also took the time to explain the outcome of each of the various options being considered. He wanted Larissa and Steve to consider how their choices would look both during the day and at night, how their artwork could best be displayed, and how the lighting would work with their furniture. Larissa says Phil listened to their requirements, then gave them several options to choose from that fit their budget.

What looks good on a plan, says Phil, doesn’t necessarily work well in practice. And he enjoyed the challenge of making Larissa and Steve’s house both look stunning and meet their needs. Larissa is particularly thrilled with how lovely the garden looks at night.

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Te Henga Road, Waitakere
New Home Build

The Electrical Brief:
Electrical Services

Electrical Features:

  • Electrical Services – Distribution, Power and Lighting
    • Distribution board installation
    • Power cabling and outlet installation throughout
    • Lighting cabling and fitting installation throughout