What Rewiring a Knob-and-Tube House Costs in Metro Vancouver (2025-2026)
$12,000 to $30,000 for a whole-home rewire of about 2,000 square feet; partial rewires priced per circuit
Metro Vancouver figures, reviewed 2026-09-26. How these ranges are set
Get Quotes for This JobKnob-and-tube is still live in many pre-1950 homes in Kitsilano, Grandview, Dunbar, Mount Pleasant and the older parts of New Westminster and North Vancouver, often hidden behind newer-looking outlets. A full rewire of a 2,000 square foot house runs $12,000 to $30,000 in Metro Vancouver depending on how much of the house is opened up, with plaster and lath walls at the top of the band. A partial rewire that removes the knob-and-tube from the circuits that carry load and leaves ungrounded lighting circuits for later is priced per circuit.
The usual trigger is an insurer that will not renew a policy with active knob-and-tube, or a renovation that opens the walls anyway, which is by far the cheapest time to do it.
What you will actually pay
Access is everything. Fishing new cable through finished plaster and lath with a limited number of holes is slow; a gutted renovation makes the same rewire a fraction of the price.
| Job | Typical range | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-home rewire, about 2,000 square feet, finished walls | $18,000 to $30,000 | Plaster and lath, fishing and patching drive the top |
| Whole-home rewire, walls already open for renovation | $12,000 to $18,000 | The cheapest moment to do it |
| Partial rewire, per circuit removed and replaced | $800 to $2,000 per circuit | Kitchens, bathrooms and bedroom receptacle circuits first |
| Panel upgrade usually done at the same time | $3,500 to $7,000 | A 60A fuse service rarely survives a rewire |
| Drywall and plaster repair after fishing | $1,500 to $5,000 | Often quoted separately by a drywaller |
| Contractor's inspection letter for the insurer | $150 to $400 | Issued after the passed inspection |
What moves the price
Three things: how much wall has to open, whether the panel has to change, and whether the house has a second suite whose circuits must be separated. Character homes on the West Side often carry cloth-covered wiring from the 1930s alongside the knob-and-tube, and rubble or stone foundations that make basement runs awkward. Every rewire needs an electrical permit, and the inspector wants to see the rough-in before the walls close, so the sequence with your drywaller matters. A partial rewire that gets the insurer off your back this year and finishes the lighting circuits next year is a legitimate plan; make sure the quote says which circuits are in which phase.
Permits and inspections in Metro Vancouver
Seven Metro Vancouver local governments run their own electrical permit and inspection programs: the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Maple Ridge. Everywhere else in Metro Vancouver, including Richmond, Delta, Langley, White Rock, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster and Pitt Meadows, the electrical permit is issued by Technical Safety BC. Residential electrical permit fees typically run $150 to $300 and belong inside the quote, not as a surprise on the invoice.
What a fair quote includes
- Which circuits are being replaced, by room, and which ungrounded circuits remain
- The panel work, if the service is changing
- How many access holes the electrician expects and who patches them
- The permit, the rough-in and final inspections
- A letter for the insurer once the final inspection passes
Ask before you hire
- The contractor's Technical Safety BC licence number, which you can verify online, and proof of current WorkSafeBC coverage
- Whether the permit, the inspection and any BC Hydro coordination are inside the price
- What changes the price if they open a wall or a panel and find aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube or a full panel
- Whether drywall or exterior repair is included or quoted separately
- How long the quote is valid, and whether a deposit is required before materials are ordered
Want this done at your place?
Tell us what is wrong or what you want installed and we'll get you a real quote from a local Metro Vancouver electrician. We send it out to local contractors for you. Free, no pressure.
Common questions
Does disconnected knob-and-tube have to come out?
Abandoned, de-energised knob-and-tube can usually stay in the walls; what insurers object to is live knob-and-tube. Your electrician's letter should say which circuits are dead.
How long does a whole-home rewire take?
One to three weeks of electrical work in an occupied house, plus patching, plus the inspection schedule. A gutted house is faster.