How much does it cost to rewire a house?

Rewiring a typical home runs about $6,000–$24,000, averaging around $12,000 for a 2,000 sq ft house. By square footage, expect roughly $3–$12 per sq ft — the low end applies when wiring is reachable through an attic, basement, or crawlspace, and the high end applies when finished walls and ceilings have to be opened to fish new wire through.

Why does wiring accessibility change the price so much?

An electrician who can pull wire through an open attic, basement, or crawlspace can do it in a fraction of the time it takes to cut into finished walls and ceilings, fish wire through the framing, and then patch and repaint every opening afterward. That labor difference is the single biggest swing factor in a rewire quote — a home with easy access can cost roughly half what a similar home with plaster walls and no attic access would.

Is rewiring an older home with knob-and-tube wiring more expensive?

Yes. Knob-and-tube wiring (common in homes built before 1950) has to be fully removed before new wiring goes in, and it typically has no ground wire, so the whole system needs updating to meet modern code rather than a simple swap. Expect knob-and-tube removal and replacement to cost noticeably more than rewiring a home that already has modern wiring in similar condition.

Does a whole-house rewire include a new electrical panel?

Not always — a rewire and a panel upgrade are separate jobs that are often bundled because an electrician is already on site. Many older homes getting rewired also need their panel bumped from 60 or 100 amps to 200 amps to handle modern loads, which typically adds to the total rather than being included by default.

Do I need a permit to rewire a house?

Almost always — rewiring touches your home's electrical system, so most jurisdictions require a permit and at least one inspection to confirm the work meets code. A licensed electrician typically handles the permit as part of the job.

Whole-house rewire cost in Denver

Whole-house rewire in Denver costs about $6,300 to $25,200 (typically $12,600) — local prices run about 5% above the national average.

These figures adjust our national whole-house rewire range to Denver's local cost level — see the method and sources below.

Low

$6,300

Typical

$12,600

High

$25,200

About $3.15 – $12.60 per sq ft of home, installed

How we localized this

We start from our national whole-house rewire range of $6,000–$24,000 and adjust it for Denver, where costs run about 5% above the national average. Denver home-improvement costs run modestly above the U.S. average. A cost-index comparison puts Denver renovation pricing about 12% above the national average in its overall framing, while the multiplier it actually applies to individual project estimates is closer to 4% above; other local renovation guides put the metro at 10–20% above. Mortenson's quarterly construction cost index also shows Denver's nonresidential construction costs rising faster than the national pace, consistent with a tight, in-demand contractor market. We land on a conservative 5% above national, nearer the lower end of that range. Materials are priced roughly nationally, so treat this as an approximation — your actual price depends on your home, contractor, and project specifics.

Denver cost sources (2)

Denver Home Improvement Costs (2026) — Cost to Renovate
Construction Cost Index for Denver — Mortenson

A decade of rapid population growth has kept Denver's contractor market tight, and material transport costs into the Rocky Mountain region add a modest premium on top of labor. The Front Range sits in one of the country's top hail-exposure zones, which makes roofing and exterior-siding work a recurring, often insurance-driven expense. Denver's semi-arid, high-altitude climate also affects concrete work — flatwork tends to crack faster than in humid climates without fiber reinforcement and properly placed control joints, so that's worth confirming with a contractor on any driveway, patio, or foundation job. Most Denver homes have full, unfinished basements, which makes basement finishing one of the metro's most common and highest-return projects.

Estimate your Denver whole-house rewire

Estimate by home size, wiring access, and age. The estimate starts from our published per-square-foot range.

Your area

Adjusts the estimate to local cost levels. Pick a metro or leave on national.

Home size: 2,000 sq ft

Wiring accessibility

Open attics, basements, and crawlspaces are far cheaper to rewire through than finished walls and ceilings.

Home age & wiring condition

Electrical panel

Estimated cost for your options in Denver

$6,300 – $25,200

Typical: $12,600

Adjusted for Denver — costs there run about 5% above the national average.

How we got this

Starts from our published whole-house rewire range (per sq ft × 2,000), adjusted for:

Wiring accessibility: Open access (attic/basement/crawlspace)×1
Home age & wiring condition: Modern wiring, standard upgrade×1
Electrical panel: Keep existing panel×1
Area: Denver×1.05

These figures are planning estimates compiled from public cost data on the dates shown — not quotes, bids, or guarantees. Real prices vary widely with your home, location, materials, permits, and contractor. Always get itemized written quotes from licensed local pros before budgeting or hiring.

What changes the price

Home size — Raises cost
More square footage means more wire runs, outlets, and circuits — rewiring is priced mainly by area.
Wiring accessibility — Raises cost
Wire that's reachable through an attic, basement, or crawlspace is cheap to fish through; finished walls and ceilings that must be opened and patched can roughly double the labor.
Home age & existing wiring — Raises cost
Older homes — especially pre-1950s knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring — need full removal plus code-compliance upgrades that newer wiring doesn't.
Electrical panel — Raises cost
Adding a new 100–200A service panel alongside the rewire is common on older homes and adds to the total.
Permits & inspections — Raises cost
Electrical permits and the required inspections are built into a licensed electrician's quote in most areas.
Wall & drywall repair — Raises cost
Opening walls to run wire means patching drywall or plaster afterward — often billed separately from the electrical work itself.

Get real quotes for your Denver whole-house rewire

Our ranges are for planning. The only way to know your real price is itemized quotes from licensed local pros — always get at least three before you hire.

Tip: search for licensed, insured Denver whole-house rewire contractors in your area, check reviews and references, and compare written itemized bids — not just bottom-line numbers.

Whole-house rewire cost — FAQ

How much does it cost to rewire a house?: Rewiring a typical home runs about $6,000–$24,000, averaging around $12,000 for a 2,000 sq ft house. By square footage, expect roughly $3–$12 per sq ft — the low end applies when wiring is reachable through an attic, basement, or crawlspace, and the high end applies when finished walls and ceilings have to be opened to fish new wire through.
Why does wiring accessibility change the price so much?: An electrician who can pull wire through an open attic, basement, or crawlspace can do it in a fraction of the time it takes to cut into finished walls and ceilings, fish wire through the framing, and then patch and repaint every opening afterward. That labor difference is the single biggest swing factor in a rewire quote — a home with easy access can cost roughly half what a similar home with plaster walls and no attic access would.
Is rewiring an older home with knob-and-tube wiring more expensive?: Yes. Knob-and-tube wiring (common in homes built before 1950) has to be fully removed before new wiring goes in, and it typically has no ground wire, so the whole system needs updating to meet modern code rather than a simple swap. Expect knob-and-tube removal and replacement to cost noticeably more than rewiring a home that already has modern wiring in similar condition.
Does a whole-house rewire include a new electrical panel?: Not always — a rewire and a panel upgrade are separate jobs that are often bundled because an electrician is already on site. Many older homes getting rewired also need their panel bumped from 60 or 100 amps to 200 amps to handle modern loads, which typically adds to the total rather than being included by default.
Do I need a permit to rewire a house?: Almost always — rewiring touches your home's electrical system, so most jurisdictions require a permit and at least one inspection to confirm the work meets code. A licensed electrician typically handles the permit as part of the job.

Cost data compiled July 26, 2026.

Sources (4)

Cost To Rewire A House [2026 Data] — Angi
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House? (2026) — HomeGuide
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in 2025? — HomeAdvisor
Average Costs to Wire a House — Fixr

National range and per-sq-ft unit synthesize Angi, HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, and Fixr into one low–typical–high band rather than reproducing any single source's table. HomeAdvisor's headline 'cost to rewire a house' widget on this article shows $603–$2,594 (avg $1,566) — roughly 5–10x below its own per-square-foot body table ($3–$5/sq ft) on the same page; Angi's summary callout has the same mismatch against its own $2–$4/sq ft body table. Both were read as a template/data error and NOT used; each site's per-square-foot body table was used instead. HomeGuide's highest per-sq-ft figure ($17) reflects its hardest-access tier (opening finished walls/plaster throughout) rather than a typical job, so it informs our 'high' end rather than our 'typical' figure. Metro-level breakdowns are coming as we verify local data.

Compare other locations

See all Denver electrical costs on the Denver electrical page.

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