What Does It Cost to Rewire a 1980s House in the Austin Area?
Published November 3, 2026
If you are remodeling a whole 1980s house in the Austin area and the walls will be open, the rewire is one of the first costs to price. SoFi Learn's national cost guide puts the cost to rewire a house at $6 to $10 per square foot. SoFi's own national example, published January 30, 2026, is about $15,000 to $25,000 for a 2,500 sq ft house. Those are SoFi's national numbers, not an Austin quote and not a RenovatePros price. Have a licensed electrician price the rewire for your house, and ask for the rewire as its own line in your remodel quote.
What does it cost to rewire a house per square foot?
The cost to rewire a house runs $6 to $10 per square foot in SoFi Learn's national cost guide, dated January 30, 2026. SoFi's own example for a 2,500 sq ft house is about $15,000 to $25,000. Your price in the Austin area can land anywhere in that range, or outside it. SoFi says the cost moves with the size of the house, its age, how much work it needs, the wire and parts used, and local labor rates.
SoFi's guide also lists a few other lines that often come up on an older house. Each one prices something different, so keep them apart.
| Line item | SoFi Learn figure (national, Jan. 30, 2026) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-house rewire | $6 to $10 per sq ft | Replacing the wiring through the house |
| SoFi's 2,500 sq ft example | about $15,000 to $25,000 | The same rewire rate on a 2,500 sq ft house |
| Opening walls in an older home | $4 to $8 per sq ft | Getting to wiring that is hard to reach |
| Basic electrical panel upgrade | $2,000 to $4,000 | A panel upgrade; a service upgrade with underground wiring costs more |
Don't add these lines together and call it your budget. Your house may not need every line, and your electrician prices your house, not the average one.
The rewire sits inside a much bigger number. If you're remodeling the whole house, RenovatePros' published whole-home renovation estimates for the whole job run in three tiers: about $100,000 to $150,000, $150,001 to $250,000, and $250,001 to $500,000. Those are general estimates for the whole job, not a rewire price. What helps you most is seeing the rewire as its own line. You get a clear upfront quote with an itemized scope and final pricing, so you can see what the wiring covers and what it doesn't. Emily Hester G. compared a lower bid and wrote, in a review on the RenovatePros site: "they were missing several line items. Daniel wasn't missing anything."
Is rewiring easier when the walls are already open?
The wiring in a 1980s house is easier to reach when the walls are already open. In a whole-house remodel, the walls come open anyway for the kitchen, baths, plumbing and layout work. With the studs bare, an electrician can see the old wire and run new wire without cutting into finished walls.
SoFi Learn lists opening a wall to reach out-of-the-way wiring as an added cost for older homes, at $4 to $8 per square foot.
So ask two plain questions when your rewire is priced. Does the electrician's price assume the walls are open or closed? And is patching the walls in the electrician's price, or in the remodel's drywall line? You want the wall work counted once, in one place. For more on planning a whole-house job, read the whole-home renovation post.
Could a 1980s house have aluminum wiring?
A 1980s house in the Austin area could have some aluminum wiring, so have it checked rather than assume it has none. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) covers aluminum wiring in its guidance "Repairing Aluminum Wiring" (Publication 516). CPSC ties aluminum branch-circuit wiring mainly to wire put in from 1965 into the mid-1970s, in new homes, in additions, and in circuits that were rewired or added.
A house built in the 1980s comes after that window. Being built later still does not prove your house has no aluminum wire. An addition or a circuit from those years could carry some. CPSC's survey also did not cover aluminum-wired homes built after 1972.
The check is an inspection by a licensed electrician. CPSC recognizes three repairs for aluminum branch wiring:
| Repair | What it is | CPSC's view |
|---|---|---|
| Rewire with copper | New copper branch circuits replace the aluminum ones | The best method, though too costly or impractical for many homes |
| COPALUM crimp connector | Short copper leads joined to the aluminum with a crimped connector | A safe, permanent repair, done by trained electricians |
| AlumiConn connector | Short copper leads joined with a set-screw connector | The next best choice when COPALUM is not available |
If your house is getting a whole-house rewire anyway, the copper option is already on the table. Your electrician prices any aluminum repair after the inspection.
Does the electrical panel need replacing too?
Whether a 1980s house needs a new electrical panel depends on a load check by a licensed electrician, not on the age of the house. The electrician looks at what the remodeled house will run and compares that with what your panel and service can carry.
If the check says you need more, SoFi Learn's national guide puts a basic electrical panel upgrade at $2,000 to $4,000. SoFi adds that a service upgrade needing underground wiring costs more than that. Your electrician will tell you which one your house needs, if either.
What does code require when you rewire?
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) says Texas adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) as its state electrical code, effective September 1, 2026. TDLR notes a limited exception for ground-fault rules on certain outdoor outlets. The City of Austin's Building Technical Codes page, as read October 28, 2026, also lists the 2026 NEC as effective September 1, 2026.
Two NEC rules shape most rewires. Arc-fault protection (AFCI) is in NEC Section 210.12, and ground-fault protection (GFCI) is in NEC Section 210.8. Your electrician and your inspector apply both rules to your house.
Licensing has its own rule. TDLR's FAQ says: "Anyone who performs electrical work in the state of Texas must be licensed." TDLR also lists exemptions to that rule on its own exemptions page. If you have a question about who may do a piece of the work, check with TDLR or your city.
Who do we ask about the electrical permit?
Ask the building department that covers your address about the electrical permit. You find out which one that is in two steps.
- Confirm whether your address is inside a city's limits.
- If it is, ask that city's building department. If the house is outside city limits, ask the county.
When you call, ask what permit and inspections a whole-house rewire needs, and which code edition applies to your address. The building department's answer is the one that counts for your house.
Should we replace old pipes at the same time?
If you are wondering about polybutylene or other old pipes in a 1980s house, ask a licensed plumber what your pipes are made of while the walls are open.
How do we plan the rewire with the rest of the remodel?
If you are still deciding whether to keep the house at all, start with whether to tear down or remodel a 1980s West Lake Hills house. If you are keeping it, plan the wiring with the rest of the work while the walls are open. On a RenovatePros job, you work directly with the owner, who is on-site managing the crew, with no sales reps. Book a free on-site walkthrough to plan your project, and bring your wiring questions. If your home is in Dripping Springs, Bee Cave, Lakeway, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, Oak Hill, Circle C Ranch, Belterra, Driftwood, The Hills, Spicewood or Wimberley, RenovatePros works in your area.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to rewire a house?
SoFi Learn's national cost guide, dated January 30, 2026, puts the cost to rewire a house at $6 to $10 per square foot. SoFi's own national example is about $15,000 to $25,000 for a 2,500 sq ft house. Your Austin-area price depends on your house, so have the rewire priced as its own line in your remodel scope.
What does it cost to rewire a house per square foot?
SoFi Learn's national guide puts a whole-house rewire at $6 to $10 per square foot. For older homes where walls must be opened to reach the wiring, SoFi lists a separate $4 to $8 per square foot. In a whole-house remodel the walls are already open for other work, so ask whether your rewire price assumes open walls or closed walls.
What does it cost to rewire a house with aluminum wire?
The cost to rewire a house with aluminum wire depends on which repair a licensed electrician recommends after an inspection, so get it quoted for your house. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Repairing Aluminum Wiring" guidance recognizes three repairs: rewiring with copper, COPALUM crimp connectors and AlumiConn connectors. CPSC ties aluminum branch wiring mainly to wire put in from 1965 into the mid-1970s, so have a 1980s house checked rather than assume it has none.
Who can do the electrical work on a rewire in Texas?
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) says in its FAQ: "Anyone who performs electrical work in the state of Texas must be licensed." TDLR also lists exemptions to that rule on its exemptions page. If you have a question about who may do a piece of the work on your rewire, check with TDLR or your city.
Is it cheaper to tear down a 1980s house than rewire and remodel it?
Whether tearing down a 1980s house costs less than remodeling it mostly depends on whether the foundation, frame and roof are sound, because those are what a remodel keeps. Have them inspected before you decide. The full comparison is in tear down or remodel a 1980s West Lake Hills house.