# Ball park price knob and tube rewire....



## Jonl (Oct 17, 2010)

I you guys have a minute, ball park this for me.
1900 sqft
2 story with basement, 4 bed, 2 bath complete rewire from knob and tube. Overhead service. Ok under house access to fish wires up. Bad attic access. Sheetrock demo will be a minimum ha ya right...... 

200 amp service upgrade with bonding, overhead. ,
125 amp sub panel 
(14) circuits.
(33) receptacles.
(4) gfi receptacles.
(18) single pole switches.
(4) 3 way switches.
(15) overhead light assemblies. fixtures excluded
(4) 120 volt hardwired smoke detectors.
(2) 120 volt hardwired smoke/ carbon detectors.
(1) exhaust fan light combo
(1) 30 amp 220 volt dryer circuit.
(1) furnace ssu fuse 

I am feeling on the low side at $13,500.....


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Jonl said:


> I you guys have a minute, ball park this for me.
> 1900 sqft
> 2 story with basement, 4 bed, 2 bath complete rewire from knob and tube. Overhead service. Ok under house access to fish wires up. Bad attic access. Sheetrock demo will be a minimum ha ya right......
> 
> ...


Are you bidding it at new house rates? If so you will be lower than where you should be. I usually bid rewiring between 1.25- 2.0 x the normal new construction rates depending on what the actual jobsite looks like , and if there is people living there while I have to work, and then I add 1,500 per room for lead rrp if I find any lead paint during walk thru's. Most times I wont be tearing up enough sq footage inside to worry about the paint anyway.


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

2 story K&T? How good are you at drilling and fishing ceiling joists?


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## Jonl (Oct 17, 2010)

Lol. Not good. They have no idea how many sheetrock holes I will be making.....


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Jonl said:


> Lol. Not good. They have no idea how many sheetrock holes I will be making.....


Use a 4" hole saw and save the puck cuts for easy patching.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Knob and tube, but has sheetrock? 

Around here if it's knob and tube, it's definitely lath and plaster.


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Jonl said:


> Lol. Not good. They have no idea how many sheetrock holes I will be making.....


Many of the older K&T wired homes here had 9' ceilings. Maybe you can talk them into framing down to 8'.


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## Clarky (Sep 25, 2011)

Ball park 15 to 20 K, Have you done K&T before? I don't give a firm estimate on K&T. I have done a enough of them in the past, I'll compare previous K&T work and show them. Check the plaster to make sure it is horse hair[ which is soft] not the cement base plaster or you will need a carbide tip 4/1/8 about $75. If there is wood lath behind it it is probably horse hair. House has to be empty, not responsible for patching.They had better find themselves a good taper .


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

macmikeman said:


> Are you bidding it at new house rates? If so you will be lower than where you should be. I usually bid rewiring between 1.25- 2.0 x the normal new construction rates depending on what the actual jobsite looks like , and if there is people living there while I have to work, and then I add 1,500 per room for lead rrp if I find any lead paint during walk thru's. Most times I wont be tearing up enough sq footage inside to worry about the paint anyway.



This makes sense. 

It also_ sells_ when customers ask informing them the difference between open & closed construction is TIME

~CS~


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I'm the last one to give advice on rewires but, if I did one, I would give a budget cost, not a hard quote. Might even give a price range, min and max. Tough to bid a job when there are too many variables.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Most folks have no idea what old work takes. 

It's best explained by asking THEM how they'd get a wire from A to B 

I've often gained that spark of recognition from allowing the customer to imagine doing the job

~CS~


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

chicken steve said:


> Most folks have no idea what old work takes.
> 
> It's best explained by asking THEM how they'd get a wire from A to B
> 
> ...


We know a lot of tricks but sometimes you just hit a wall...


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## Jonl (Oct 17, 2010)

You all have made good points and got me thinking. I am going to play this one safe and go [email protected] especially since it's my 1st complete rewire. They kept trying to add stuff without a price increase, which was heading for trouble. So now they can add/change what ever they want.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

I also would be in the $15K to $18K range. Without patching.


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

MINIMUM $ 250 per regular device.
I'm about $ 24K

And they do the patching


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

macmikeman said:


> Are you bidding it at new house rates? If so you will be lower than where you should be. I usually bid rewiring between 1.25- 2.0 x the normal new construction rates depending on what the actual jobsite looks like , and if there is people living there while I have to work, and then I add 1,500 per room for lead rrp if I find any lead paint during walk thru's. Most times I wont be tearing up enough sq footage inside to worry about the paint anyway.


 You can test for lead paint yourself or you hire a consultant?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

te12co2w said:


> You can test for lead paint yourself or you hire a consultant?


They sell the testing kits at all the hardware and paint stores around here. I took the class for RRP and got the certs. Yes you can do your own testing, it is quite simple to do. Expensive for the kits though.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

sbrn33 said:


> I also would be in the $15K to $18K range. Without patching.


I'd be around there too off the top of my head. I'm not a fan of fixed pricing with K&T rewires though. Too .any variables to worry about.

If it is sheetrock it is probably screwed directly over lathe and plaster or the plaster is strapped, then sheetrocked. I wouldn't be expecting to cut a hole in 1/2" rock and pop in a plastic flappy-ear old work box and call it good. K&T went out in the 20s, maybe the very early 30s before bx and then romex. Sheetrock wasn't around back then. I don't think sheetrock came about until the 50s or 60s.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Just a glance at your list, and contracting in the same area as you, I think your price is lower than it should.

you affect all of us by bidding too low.


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## Bootss (Dec 30, 2011)

wcord said:


> MINIMUM $ 250 per regular device.
> I'm about $ 24K
> 
> And they do the patching


how much for light fixtures,cans,exhaust fans,ceiling fan


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## Bootss (Dec 30, 2011)

Jonl said:


> You all have made good points and got me thinking. I am going to play this one safe and go [email protected] especially since it's my 1st complete rewire. They kept trying to add stuff without a price increase, which was heading for trouble. So now they can add/change what ever they want.


now the hard part is to keep generating newjobs like this sounds like the neighborhood is old so keep up the marketing in those neighborhoods that you get more jobs


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## Bootss (Dec 30, 2011)

Lep said:


> now the hard part is to keep generating newjobs like this sounds like the neighborhood is old so keep up the marketing in those neighborhoods that you get more jobs


feel free to PM me to give me the general city location of where all these old houses are.remember PM me only nobody else


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Waiting for a signature & seed $$$ >>>




> Partial rewire of 2 unit apt house @ DIY st, for a Mr handyman
> 
> Existing service to remain 2 meter, no common areas requiring separate power, all areas rental.
> 
> ...


~CS~


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## retiredsparktech (Mar 8, 2011)

Going_Commando said:


> I'd be around there too off the top of my head. I'm not a fan of fixed pricing with K&T rewires though. Too .any variables to worry about.
> 
> If it is sheetrock it is probably screwed directly over lathe and plaster or the plaster is strapped, then sheetrocked. I wouldn't be expecting to cut a hole in 1/2" rock and pop in a plastic flappy-ear old work box and call it good. K&T went out in the 20s, maybe the very early 30s before bx and then romex. Sheetrock wasn't around back then. I don't think sheetrock came about until the 50s or 60s.


Regarding the use of K&T in wiring new construction, I understand, that in some locales, it was used until the later 40's. I personally couldn't see it, as it seems to be a real labor-intensive practice.
Romex wasn't allowed in all of Milwaukee county, until around 1974, when they started building FHA-235 homes. Before that, everything was BX and EMT. Also, no SE cable.


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## StevieScott (Jul 26, 2014)

No, It will take at least $15,000-$18,000 according to your description. You have to cover a long area, this amount is enough to purchase all the accessories.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Just had an inspection in a 9 unit monster, state gave the owners 6 months to get rid of the K&T....


~CS~


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