A rewire begins with mapping what exists. We open the panel, sample junction boxes, attic runs and crawlspace splices, and identify each wiring generation in the house, because most old Montgomery homes carry two or three: original knob and tube or cloth wiring, a 1960s addition in early NM cable, and a handful of newer circuits. The scope that comes out of that survey distinguishes what must be replaced from what can legitimately stay, which is how a rewire gets priced honestly.
The housing that drives this work sits in Cloverdale, Old Cloverdale, the Garden District and Capitol Heights, built roughly 1900 through the 1940s. Cloth insulation there is often brittle enough to flake off at any disturbance, and attic heat that reaches 130 degrees every Alabama summer has baked it for decades. The 1960s and 1970s stock in Dalraida and Chisholm brings a different problem, aluminum branch wiring, which we address with COPALUM or AlumiConn terminations or full replacement depending on budget and condition.
Rewiring is permitted work with a rough in inspection before any opened walls close and a final inspection at completion, both through the City of Montgomery Inspections Department. The new work meets current NEC: grounded circuits throughout, AFCI protection on living areas, GFCI where required, and enough circuits that a window unit and a microwave no longer share a run. In practice most rewires also trigger a panel conversation, since a 60 amp fuse box cannot serve a properly circuited house.
Craft in this trade is measured by how few holes a rewire needs. Fishing new cable through balloon framed walls, using existing chases, and cutting small, patchable openings at strategic points keeps plaster damage manageable. The real hazards we plan around: energized knob and tube buried under blown insulation, splices twisted and taped outside any box, and ceiling boxes supporting fans they were never rated for. Every one gets corrected, not covered.
Technician insight
In Cloverdale attics the danger is not the knob and tube you can see, it is the runs buried under decades of blown insulation. The design depended on air around the conductors to shed heat, and burying them removes that, which is why we probe insulated bays before quoting any historic rewire.
Phased Rewire of a Garden District Bungalow
A 1920s bungalow carried 3 wiring generations: knob and tube upstairs, cloth downstairs, and a 1970s kitchen circuit. The rewire ran in 3 phases over 8 working days with bedrooms powered every night, passed rough in with walls open, and finished with a 200 amp panel replacing the original fuse box. Patch openings totaled 14 across the whole house.
House Rewiring Services We Offer
✓Whole House Rewiring
Complete replacement of all branch wiring, devices and boxes, done in phases so the home stays livable.
✓Knob and Tube Removal
Original knob and tube circuits de energized, removed where accessible and replaced with grounded copper.
✓Cloth Wiring Replacement
Brittle cloth insulated circuits replaced before insulation failure becomes an arc fault.
✓Aluminum Wiring Remediation
COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors at every termination, or full replacement of aluminum branch circuits.
✓Partial Rewiring
Targeted replacement of the worst circuits, kitchens and baths first, when a whole house scope is not in the budget.
✓Ungrounded Outlet Correction
Two prong circuits brought to grounded three prong service as part of the rewire.
✓Plaster Safe Cable Fishing
Rewiring routed to minimize wall damage in historic plaster homes.
How it works
- 1
Wiring Survey and Quote
Survey of the panel, attic, crawlspace and sampled boxes to map every wiring generation, followed by a written phased quote.
- 2
Permit and Phased Sequencing
Permit filed; work sequenced room by room or floor by floor so power stays on in the areas you live in.
- 3
Rough In and Trim Out
Rough in inspection with walls open, then patching coordination, device installation and trim out.
- 4
Final Inspection and Testing
Final inspection, full circuit testing, and a labeled panel documenting the new layout.
Pricing
Rewire pricing follows square footage, framing type, attic and crawlspace access, and how much stays live during the work. Balloon framing and open crawlspaces fish easily and cost less per circuit; solid blocking, finished ceilings and occupied phased work cost more. The survey turns those variables into a fixed written price before anything is opened.