Rewiring plaster walls
Rewiring finished plaster walls in Philadelphia
New cable goes in through the house you have. What we open, we patch.
Most Philadelphia rowhouses, twins and brownstones were built with lath-and-plaster walls. We fish through them from the attic, the basement and the boxes already in the wall.
Same-week appointments
Plain-language explanations
When you need it
Signs the wiring behind your plaster is due
Two-prong outlets
Old outlets with no ground, or adapters plugged into them.
A fuse box
Or a small breaker panel with no room for a new circuit.
Cloth cable or porcelain knobs
Seen in the basement or the attic. The wall carries more of it.
Lights that dim
When a toaster or a space heater comes on.
An inspection report
From a buyer, a seller or an insurer, listing the wiring.
A heat pump or a new kitchen
More load than the old circuits were built to carry.
What the work includes
Room by room, on the written plan
New cable and boxes
Fished through the stud bays, with boxes cut in where the old ones were.
Patching
Every opening filled and skimmed, ready for paint.
The permit and both inspections
Filed by our office, scheduled with you.
A labeled panel
And a one-page record of every circuit, for the next owner.
Cleanup
Plaster dust vacuumed with a HEPA vacuum at the end of each day.
How pricing works
What moves the price of a wall
Plaster over brick against lath on studs, how far the attic or basement is from each room, and how many circuits the plan needs.
What the plan includes
Cable, boxes, labor, patching and skim coat, the permit and both inspections.
What it doesn't
Painting, wallpaper and the city's permit fee, which we pass through at cost.
Our work
Walls we have opened, and closed
Sample photos.
Questions about plaster walls
Will you have to open my walls?
Only in small places. New boxes go where old ones already are, and cable is fished through the stud bays from the attic, the basement or a closet. Where a wall can't be fished, such as plaster over brick, we say so on the survey sheet and show you the other route before any work starts.
Do I have to move out?
Usually not. Power is off to the circuits we are working on, and we plan the order of rooms with you so you can keep a kitchen and a bathroom running. Some houses need a day with the power off at the panel, and we tell you which day ahead of time.
Who patches the plaster, and who paints?
Lena's patch crew fills and skims every opening we make, and leaves the wall ready for paint. Painting and wallpaper are not in our price.
See what is behind your walls
Book the survey. You get the sheet and the plan in writing.