Lumiel Blog

A Practical Guide for Busy London Families

Lumiel London
September 8, 2025
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Notes from our journey

For most families in London, the thought of rewiring their entire house sounds like a nightmare—dust, disruption, and the stress of living without power or comfort. But what if you didn’t have to do it all at once?

Good news: You can rewire your house in stages. And for many busy homeowners in places like Wimbledon, Clapham, or Putney, this phased approach is often the smartest, most realistic option.

In this guide, we’ll explain:

  1. How staged rewiring works
  2. When it's a good idea
  3. The pros and cons
  4. Typical costs per stage
  5. How Lumiel makes it easy, clean, and family-friendly

🧠 What Is Staged Rewiring?

Staged rewiring means breaking down a full house rewire into smaller, manageable phases—whether by room, floor, or circuit—over weeks or even months.

Example:

  1. Phase 1: Kitchen + consumer unit
  2. Phase 2: Upstairs bedrooms + hallway
  3. Phase 3: Living room + outdoor lighting
  4. Phase 4: Loft or extension wiring

This allows you to remain in your home, spread costs, and reduce the immediate impact on your family life.

✅ When Staged Rewiring Makes Sense

Why Staging Helps:

🏡 You're living in the home 👉 Avoids moving out or major disruption

💷 You want to spread the cost 👉 Pay per stage as budget allows

🧒 You have children or vulnerable family 👉 Reduces noise, dust, and disruption

🧱 You're renovating in phases 👉 Sync electrical work with building schedule

📝 Your EICR only flagged some circuits 👉 Upgrade only what's urgent, not everything

🛠️ How Staged Rewiring Works with Lumiel

At Lumiel, we work closely with families to design a bespoke rewiring plan that suits your timeline, budget, and lifestyle.

Here’s how it usually goes:

  1. Home assessment – We inspect your wiring and identify what’s outdated, urgent, and what can wait.
  2. Rewire plan – Work is split into phases (by room/floor), with clear costs per stage.
  3. Safe system setup – Consumer unit (fuse board) upgraded first, so your home is safe throughout.
  4. Sequential rewiring – Each stage carried out at agreed times, fully tested and compliant.
  5. Final testing & certification – Once complete, we issue full NICEIC certificates and optional landlord reports (EICR).

🧽 What About the Mess?

Rewiring often involves:

  1. Chasing walls to run new cables
  2. Lifting floorboards
  3. Cutting access panels

With staging, disruption is contained to one area at a time. We use:

  1. Dust barriers
  2. Floor protection
  3. Clean-as-we-go practices

We also schedule work around family routines—school hours, evenings, or weekends.

💷 What Does It Cost?

Staged rewiring is priced per phase, based on the number of electrical points (sockets, switches, lights) and whether a fuse board upgrade is required.

Stage

Updated Typical Cost (inc VAT)

Kitchen only: £1,200 – £1,920

1st Floor (bedrooms + landing): £2,880 – £3,840

Lounge + dining room: £1,920 – £2,880

Consumer unit upgrade: £840 – £1,260

Outdoor circuits / garden lights: £720 – £1,440

🔎 Note: Phased rewiring may cost slightly more overall than a full rewire done in one go, due to multiple visits—but it’s much easier to manage for families.

📜 Is It Still Certified?

Yes. Each phase is tested and certified individually. Once the final stage is complete, we provide:

✅ Electrical Installation Certificate

✅ Full Part P Building Control notification

✅ Optional EICR if required (for landlords or home sales)

All work is NICEIC-approved and fully insured.

🛡️ Pros & Cons of Rewiring in Stages

✅ Pros:

  1. Live in the home throughout the process
  2. Spread costs over time
  3. Focus on urgent areas first
  4. Less stress for families with young kids or pets

⚠️ Cons:

  1. Slightly higher total cost due to split labour
  2. Some surfaces may be unfinished between stages
  3. Requires careful planning and trusted electricians

👨‍👩‍👧 Real Example: Staged Rewire in Clapham

“We couldn’t afford to rewire our whole house in one go, and we didn’t want to move out with two toddlers. Lumiel planned the work in three visits, always cleaned up, and kept us in the loop. Total cost was just over £5,400 spread across 4 months—and now the house is future-proof.”

— Emma R., Clapham North

🔋 Combine with Other Upgrades

Staged rewiring is also a perfect time to:

  1. Add smart home controls
  2. Install EV charger cabling
  3. Prepare for solar panel systems
  4. Fit modern LED garden lighting
  5. Add extra sockets or USB outlets

Ask us how to future-proof your home while upgrading your wiring.

📞 Need to Rewire Without Moving Out?

Let Lumiel take the stress out of home rewiring. We’ll design a family-friendly plan that’s safe, compliant, and fits around your life—not the other way around.

✅ Free assessment in South West London

✅ NICEIC-certified and fully insured

✅ Trusted by busy families across Fulham, Putney, Clapham, Wimbledon, and beyond

👇 Book your phased rewire consultation today.

Let’s make your home safer, smarter, and ready for the future—one step at a time.

‍

A Practical Guide for Busy London Families
Lumiel Team