Most homes we work on run far more than they were wired for. Rewiring is not one job — it runs from replacing a handful of unsafe circuits to pulling every conductor in the building. The first thing we do is tell you which one you actually need.
A home wired in the 1980s or 90s typically got a couple of general-purpose circuits per floor and nothing dedicated. Now the kitchen has a microwave, an air fryer, and a coffee machine on one of them, there's a home office at the end of the hall, and a car charging in the garage. The wire is sound. There simply isn't enough of it.
Older branch circuits were run without an equipment grounding conductor. That's why the outlets have two slots. Surge protectors plugged into them don't do the job they were bought for, because the path they divert energy to isn't there — and swapping in a three-prong receptacle doesn't create one.
Knob-and-tube, cloth-sheathed cable, and aluminum branch circuits all fail in their own way — embrittled insulation that sheds when disturbed, connections that loosen and heat at the terminations. These are also the findings insurers increasingly ask about at renewal and inspectors flag during a sale.
We start by finding out what is actually in the walls, because the answer changes the job completely. That means opening the panel, pulling a sample of devices, and looking where the wiring is visible — the attic, the crawlspace, the garage, the space behind the panel. From that we can tell you whether you are looking at a whole-home rewire, a partial rewire of the circuits that are genuinely unsafe or overloaded, or a handful of new dedicated circuits that solve the real complaint for a fraction of the cost. Most homes land in the middle, and we would rather say that than sell the largest version of the job. Where a rewire is warranted, we route new conductors through attics, crawlspaces, closets, and existing chases wherever they exist, so the wall damage is limited to specific access points rather than the whole surface. Rewiring is permitted electrical work, so we file the permit, meet the inspector, and hand back closed paperwork. American Electric Co holds an active CSLB C-10 electrical contractor license, #938027.
What is behind your walls depends largely on when the house was wired, and each type raises a different question. Age alone does not condemn wiring.
| What's in the wall | Typical era | What it means today |
|---|---|---|
| Knob-and-tube | Pre-1950 | No equipment ground; insulation embrittles with age |
| Cloth-sheathed cable | 1950s–1960s | Sheathing cracks and sheds; frequently ungrounded |
| Aluminum branch circuits | Mid-1960s–early 1970s | Terminations loosen and heat; needs an approved repair |
| Grounded copper NM | 1970s–1990s | Sound wire, too few circuits for how homes run now |
| Modern copper NM | 2000s onward | Usually a circuit-count question, not a rewire |
What matters is the condition of the insulation, whether an equipment ground is present, and whether the circuit count matches how the house is actually used. Two homes of the same age can need very different work. We look before we recommend.
We open the panel, pull a sample of receptacles and switches, and inspect the runs that are visible from the attic, crawlspace, or garage. Wiring type, grounding, splice condition, and circuit count all come out of that — and all four change the scope.
You get the findings with photos and a written scope that separates what is unsafe, what is merely undersized, and what is fine. If a partial rewire plus two dedicated circuits solves the actual problem, that is what we quote.
We file the electrical permit with the authority that covers your address, then map the routing before anything is opened — through attics, crawlspaces, closets, and existing chases wherever they exist, so the access points are chosen rather than discovered.
New conductors are run to each device, boxes are set and made accessible, and every termination is torqued to specification. Circuits are labeled at the panel and tested under load. Where the panel cannot carry the finished circuit count, we say so before the walls are closed, not after.
We schedule and accompany the inspection, resolve any correction items, and patch the access points we opened. You end up with a labeled panel, a documented permit, and wiring that matches how the house is used. CSLB #938027 — verifiable at cslb.ca.gov.
Serving Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Newhall, and surrounding communities.
View Santa Clarita →Serving Valley Glen, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Burbank, and Northridge.
View Valley Glen →We'll walk your property, evaluate your system, and give you a clear, plain-English plan — with a fixed quote you can take to the bank.
