Cost Guide
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in Boise?
Published September 9, 2026 · Updated September 9, 2026
Short answer
A full rewire of a 1,200 to 1,800 square foot Boise home costs $12,000 to $25,000. That is the size band most North End bungalows and Bench ranches fall into. A new panel, if needed, is separate at $1,500 to $4,000.
What drives the spread
Two houses the same size can be $10,000 apart. The difference is rarely square footage.
Access. A bungalow with a full attic above and a basement or crawlspace below is the cheap case: most runs travel vertically inside the wall cavity and the openings are at device boxes being replaced anyway. A slab house with a low-clearance attic is the expensive case, because every run has to be fished or surface-routed and every opening cut and patched.
Finish sensitivity. This is the North End factor and it is real money. A Craftsman with original fir flooring, built-in cabinetry and intact trim commands a substantial premium over one stripped in a previous renovation — estimates in the Boise market put it at $30 to $60 per square foot. Protecting that during a rewire takes time, and time is the bill.
Lead paint. Any home built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, and 1900s–1950s housing almost certainly does. Rewiring disturbs paint: cutting plaster for boxes, fishing behind baseboards, pulling and refitting trim. Lead-safe containment and cleanup is a genuine cost, and the cheapest quote is frequently the one that has not priced it.
What is actually in the walls
Knob-and-tube, standard from the 1880s to the 1940s, is common in North End and East End homes and in Nampa's older core. The ceramic hardware is durable; the rubber-and-cloth conductor insulation is not. It embrittles with age and fails at mechanical stress points. It also has no equipment grounding conductor at all, which is why every original outlet on it is two-prong.
Cloth-insulated copper from the 1940s to early 1960s sits in between. Often serviceable, often not — it needs looking at rather than assuming.
Aluminum branch wiring from the 1965–1975 window shows up in Bench and older Nampa housing. Full rewiring is frequently not required; approved remediation at the terminations using listed connectors is often correct and far cheaper.
The insurance question, which usually drives the timing
Many carriers will not write or renew a policy over active knob-and-tube. That is what turns a someday project into a this-year project.
Get your carrier's requirement in writing before you take bids. Carriers differ substantially: some accept certification that all knob-and-tube has been de-energized and removed from accessible areas, others require complete removal including runs in inaccessible cavities. That difference can be tens of thousands of dollars, and an electrician scoping without it is guessing at your requirement.
Partial rewiring
Legitimate and often correct when the problem is geographically contained — knob-and-tube confined to the original bedrooms while a later addition is sound copper. It works badly when the wiring eras are interleaved throughout, because you pay twice to open the same walls.
What is often left out of cheap quotes
- A new panel, at $1,500 to $4,000, if the existing one cannot carry the load
- Patching and paint — ask explicitly whether openings are made good
- The DOPL permit and inspection
- Removal of the old system, not just de-energizing it
- Lead-safe practice in pre-1978 housing
- Dedicated circuits for kitchen, laundry and fixed appliances
Bottom line
$12,000 to $25,000 for 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, with access and finish sensitivity deciding where you land. Get the survey before the quote — anyone pricing a rewire off square footage without having been in your attic and basement is guessing. Call 208-856-4826 to book one.
Related questions
Can I live in the house during a rewire?
Almost always. Working in zones of two or three rooms keeps the rest of the house energized. A whole-house rewire on a typical 1,400 square foot bungalow runs one to two weeks of working days with the family in place.
Does rewiring increase my home's value?
It removes a deduction more than it adds a premium. Active knob-and-tube narrows your buyer pool to those who can get insurance, which in practice means cash buyers or buyers planning to rewire — and both price it in.
Is aluminum wiring always a full rewire?
No. Approved remediation at the terminations using listed connectors is frequently the correct fix and costs a fraction of a rewire. Full replacement is warranted when the conductor itself is damaged or the circuit count is inadequate anyway.