Your home is your castle, and as the years go by, you may find that your electrical needs change. If you’re thinking about rewiring your house, you may also wonder how to do it without tearing out your walls. It’s very common for contractors to install drywall over the electrical system as they build, which can make it difficult to access the wiring once construction has been completed. The good news is that today’s electricians can use advanced techniques to install new wiring in your home without removing the drywall. By taking stock of your current system and mapping out a plan for the new installation, your electricians can replace your wiring and upgrade your electrical system with a minimum of disruption.
How Will Electricians Rewire Your House?
If you find that your household’s electrical demands keep growing or you want to fireproof your house, hiring a pro to update your electrical system is a natural choice. To get started, your electrician will inspect the existing wiring to locate any hazards and determine whether its carrying capacity is adequate. After estimating the load requirements for the future, they will map out the new wiring plan, which could involve redistributing or adding circuits, outlets, and switches. Once the new layout is finalized, your electrician will disconnect and remove the exposed old wiring so they can reroute and install new wiring in accessible locations like crawl spaces, attics, outlets, and fixtures. Using these spaces allows the electrician to place wires above ceilings and behind without needing to break through the drywall. When the process is complete, the electrician will test your new wiring to ensure that all of the switches, fixtures, and outlets work properly and safely, and make sure they leave the space as they found it. Here’s how the process unfolds:
Planning the New Wiring Layout
When your electrician arrives, they will make a map of your electrical layout that details where its outlets, fixtures, switches, distribution boxes, and wires will go. After deciding which parts of the system to add on to, change, move, and replace, they will plan to install new wiring with the goal of inflicting little to no damage on your walls.
Preparing to Install the New Wiring
Once your electrician finalizes the new electrical map, they will prepare to install new wires in your house. To avoid cutting through your drywall, they will pull the new wires through an open attic or crawl space. To begin the installation, your electrician will shut off power, disconnect the main breaker panel and the existing wiring, and remove as much of the old wire as possible. As long as the remaining wires behind your walls are inactive and are unlikely to cause problems with the new installation, they can stay in place.
Getting the New Wiring in Place
As soon as your house has been prepped, your electrician will begin to set up new wiring by your home’s main breaker panel and pull it through your walls to the designated access points in your home. Though they may need to drill holes through plates on your walls to install the new wire, they will try to avoid making breaks in the drywall. Once the electrician feeds the wires behind the walls and connects them to the relevant fixtures, outlets, and switches, they’ll secure the wires to your studs, joists, or rafters. When the new wires are in place, your electrician will go back to your service panel to connect the wiring and turn on the power so they can test your new system.
Testing Your Electrical Components and Cleaning Up
Once power has been restored, your electrician will be ready to check all of your fixtures, switches, and outlets and test the new wiring to make sure that it’s fully functional and safe to use. If everything checks out, they’ll screw your switchplate and outlet covers back onto your walls, make small patches and repairs, and clean up any debris.
Can You Rewire a House Without Ruining Your Walls?
Installing new wiring in your home is a big job, but professional electricians can do the work easily without creating a mess. If they plan the installation carefully, they should be able to do the work without damaging your drywall. This means you won’t have to deal with the added expense of hiring contractors to remove and install drywall and endure the disruption of reconstructing your house.
Call Mister Sparky to Rewire Your House Without the Mess
When you’re ready to update the wiring in your home, Mister Sparky can do the job right. We’ll be delighted to upgrade your electrical system to meet your needs without messing up your drywall.