Heritage and character homes
Old houses, new wiring, the plaster left mostly alone
Victoria's older homes were wired for a few bulbs and a radio. We bring them up to date while keeping as much of the original fabric as we can.
Every house built before the war has its own story behind the walls. Some have been rewired twice. Some still run on the cloth-covered wire that went in when the house did, with a few newer circuits spliced on by owners over the decades.
We start by finding out which kind of house yours is. We open the panel, look into the attic and the basement, and test every circuit before we quote. Then we plan new runs that follow the house's own paths: through closets, up beside chimneys, along baseboards that can come off and go back on.
Where we have to open plaster, we cut small, cut neatly, and tell you exactly where in advance. A plasterer who knows lath and horsehair can close it so the patch disappears; we can recommend a few.
What we usually find
Knob-and-tube wiring
Common in houses from the 1910s and 1920s. We replace it rather than extend it or splice into it, and we tell you in writing which circuits are still live and which are gone.
Fuse panels
Often small and overloaded. A new panel is usually the first step.
Two-prong outlets
No ground. We add grounded circuits where you need them most.
Too few circuits
One circuit for a whole floor trips with a kettle and a heater.
Earlier fixes
Hidden junctions and mixed wire from past owners. We trace them all.
How we work in old plaster
Small openings, planned in advance
We map every run before we cut. Most new wire goes in from the attic and basement, behind removed baseboards, and through closets. When a wall does have to open, you see the spot marked first.
We lay drop cloths on old floors, protect mouldings and newel posts, and vacuum plaster dust as we go. At the end of each day the house is livable.
Ask about your house- Fernwood
- James Bay
- Rockland
- Fairfield
- Oak Bay
The neighbourhoods we work in most. If your house is a character home anywhere in Greater Victoria, we would be glad to see it.