We rewire pre-1950 Buffalo homes.

Not always. Most old Buffalo houses are a mix already: some circuits replaced over the decades, some still live knob and tube. If your insurance carrier sent a letter, read it carefully, because most carriers want all active knob and tube gone, not just some of it. Where phasing is possible, know the tradeoff: two mobilizations and twice the patching usually cost more over time than one job done once. We will tell you which situation you are in after the walkthrough.

Mostly no. Buffalo doubles, Foursquares, and cottages are balloon framed with open basements and attics, which means new cable can be fished through the wall cavities from above and below. We do cut access holes at switch and outlet locations and wherever blocking is in the way, and every planned cut is listed in the written scope before work starts. Expect patching, not demolition. Gutting walls to rewire a house like this is usually a sign the contractor does not know old houses.

One to three weeks for a typical Buffalo double or Foursquare, depending on size and how much of the house we can reach from the basement and attic. A panel upgrade adds a day or two, and the municipal inspection at the end adds scheduling time, not work time. We sequence the job room by room and restore power at the end of every workday. The written scope includes the schedule, and the schedule holds unless we find something genuinely hidden.

Faster than the letter makes you feel. Carriers commonly give 30 to 60 days, and that window is usually enough to assess, scope, and complete the work. Send us the letter through the contact form and we respond within one business day. If the timeline is tight, a signed contract with a scheduled start date is often enough for the carrier to hold your policy while the work happens. Nobody plans for this letter, but it is one of the most common reasons Buffalo homeowners reach us, and it is solvable.

Full rewires generally run $10,000 to $30,000 and up, which works out to roughly $6 to $10 per square foot. A panel upgrade, if you need one, runs $4,000 to $7,000 and up. What moves the number: square footage, how much of the house is still live knob and tube, plaster condition, and how much of the run we can fish versus cut. You get a written room-by-room scope with one number, and the number holds.

Almost everyone does. We work room by room and restore power every evening, so the house never goes dark overnight. The honest part: there is dust, there are access holes, and each room is disrupted for a day or two while we work through it. If you work from home, plan around the rooms on that day’s schedule. We give you the sequence in advance so you can plan the week instead of reacting to it.