Replacing an overhead electricity service with an underground route can remove a visible wire, reduce conflicts with a new roofline and reorganise the entrance. It also crosses the boundary between the electricity network and private property work, with applications, trenching, meter equipment, shutdowns and inspections that must be sequenced.
Do not begin with a trench. Begin with the relevant distributor or network, a licensed electrical contractor and accurate site information. Requirements and ownership vary across Australia.
Define why the supply is changing
Record whether an extension conflicts with the aerial route, a point of attachment must move, façade appearance is the goal, trees create concern or broader supply upgrades are planned. The reason helps distinguish essential work from optional undergrounding.
List future loads such as electric cooking, hot water, heating, cooling, solar, battery, pool and vehicle charging. Undergrounding is not automatically a capacity upgrade; have supply requirements assessed separately.
Coordinate the decision with roof, façade, driveway and landscape plans. A new route should fit the completed property, not only avoid today’s obstacle.
Identify network and customer responsibilities
Ask the local electricity distributor or network to identify its assets, application process, design requirements, approved connection point, inspections and any provider choices. Ask the electrician to identify customer-owned switchboard, meter enclosure, conduits and cabling.
Keep written responsibilities in a matrix. A quote from the private contractor may not include network work, and a network offer may not include trenching or building repairs.
Do not assume rules are national. The exact process depends on the provider, state or territory, property and connection.
Commission an electrical load and installation assessment
A licensed electrician should inspect existing supply, phase arrangement, meter, switchboard, main protection, earthing and visible defects. Record what must be renewed for the proposed connection.
Energy Safe Victoria’s home-safety guidance directs Victorian consumers to licensed people for electrical work; equivalent local licensing and regulator requirements apply elsewhere. WorkSafe Queensland also highlights risks from electricity and work near overhead lines.
Do not touch the service, attachment or meter equipment. Network isolation and electrical work require authorised arrangements.
Survey the existing overhead path
Locate pole, service line, point of attachment, vegetation, roof, gutters, antennas, scaffold zones and proposed building height. Provide survey levels where clearance or structure decisions depend on them.
Plan how the old service remains safe during construction until cutover. Scaffolding, cranes, metal roofing and ladders can create new approach risks even if final undergrounding is approved.
The builder should incorporate network guidance into the site safety plan and coordinate any required disconnection before work enters unsafe zones.
Do not schedule removal before replacement is ready
The property may need an approved pit, conduit, board and inspection before the network transfers supply. Sequence dependencies to avoid an unnecessary long outage.
Keep an authorised cutover plan
Name each party, prerequisite and communication contact. A date in the building programme is not confirmation that network work is booked.
Confirm the underground connection point
The network may nominate a property boundary, pillar, pit, pole or other arrangement. Survey that point and its levels before designing the private route. Do not choose a landscape-friendly entry that the provider will not accept.
Check whether work in the footpath, verge or road requires separate permits and accredited contractors. Public-domain restoration and traffic control can influence cost and time.
Record ownership and access around the connection. Future provider work must not depend on moving a locked shed or built-in seat.
Design the route around every buried constraint
Overlay sewer, stormwater, water, gas, communications, irrigation, drainage, tree roots, footings, retaining walls, pools and future structures. Use service locating and available plans, recognising that old records may be incomplete.
For more detail on this part of the project, see Tree Roots and House Foundations: What to Check Before Renovating.
The electrical designer and network establish separation, conduit and crossing requirements. Do not publish generic trench dimensions or stack utilities by guesswork.
Prefer a route that remains understandable and repairable while limiting damage to significant trees and hard landscape. A shorter line is not always the safest or least costly.
Protect trees and soil structure
Have an arborist assess trenches within relevant root areas. Open cutting can damage roots; alternative routes or professionally designed boring may be considered. Do not sever roots because the conduit line is straight.
Control excavation near footings, walls and boundaries. Geotechnical or structural advice may be needed for deep or constrained work. Keep spoil and machinery out of protected areas.
Reinstate soil layers and drainage appropriately. A service trench can become a preferential water path if poorly backfilled.
A related guide to consider while planning this work is Excavating Contaminated Soil: Scope, Costs and Records.
Coordinate stormwater and ground water
Survey downpipes, pits, overland flow and low points. Keep connection pits or enclosures from becoming water traps and seal building entries through approved details. The network and electrician determine product requirements.
Your Home stormwater guidance supports whole-site water planning. A new conduit crossing should not crush a drain or redirect runoff toward the switchboard wall.
Photograph drainage crossings and test repaired systems before backfill. Do not wait for the first storm to discover a damaged pipe.
Plan conduits and draw arrangements
Have the licensed contractor install specified conduit, bends, pits, draw provisions and markers under network requirements. Route geometry must allow cable installation without damaging it. Avoid unapproved substitutions.
Inspect the open trench, bedding, conduit and crossings at required hold points. Record measurements from permanent features. Future landscaping should receive an as-built plan.
Cap and protect incomplete conduits from water and debris. An installed pipe is not ready for cable simply because both ends are visible.
Upgrade the meter and switchboard coherently
Underground entry may change enclosure, cable approach or meter requirements. Coordinate this with the renovation’s electrical upgrade and future solar or battery equipment. Preserve distributor access.
Do not conceal the new board in a wardrobe or lock it behind a garden screen without provider and electrician acceptance. Show all door swings and working areas.
Schedule wall framing, cladding and painting around board installation so weather and fire-related details remain inspectable.
Design the building entry
Show how conduit rises or enters beneath the building, how water is excluded and how structural and termite systems are preserved. This junction needs coordinated electrical and building details.
A sleeve through concrete should be planned before pouring where possible. Late coring requires structural and service review. Seal only with compatible, approved systems.
Keep access to cable termination and inspection points. Do not bury the route behind permanent joinery.
Coordinate communications and other utilities
A shared excavation window may allow separate compliant conduits for communications or future services, but each provider has its own requirements. Obtain designs rather than dropping spare pipes into the trench casually.
Label all conduits and endpoints accurately. Do not create misleading empty pipes that appear approved for electricity. Preserve required separation.
Sequence water or gas renewal so excavations are not repeatedly opened. One coordinated site plan should govern.
Manage temporary supply
If the house remains occupied or the builder needs power, the electrician and network should design lawful temporary arrangements. Construction boards, generator use and connection stages require their own safety controls.
Separate household and site needs. Do not run heavy construction equipment from ordinary extension leads through windows. Protect temporary cables and equipment from water and vehicles.
Remove temporary work formally after permanent supply is commissioned and update labels.
Plan the network application programme
Map application, offer, payment, design acceptance, civil work, inspections, metering and cutover as separate milestones. Lead times and dependencies can change, so obtain current provider information instead of promising a standard schedule.
Nominate who submits documents and answers technical queries. Incorrect addresses, phases or equipment details can delay the sequence.
Keep approvals current if the renovation design changes. A moved board or altered route may require resubmission.
Remove the old overhead equipment safely
Only authorised network and licensed personnel should disconnect and remove service components. Clarify who removes the point of attachment, brackets, cables or old enclosures and who repairs roof or wall penetrations.
Inspect the façade after removal for water entry, corrosion and structural damage. Make good using compatible building details rather than sealing holes indiscriminately.
Coordinate aerial removal with scaffold and crane safety. Treat conductors as live until the authorised party confirms otherwise.
Reinstate paving, garden and public areas
Set backfill, compaction, pavement base and finish requirements for each zone. A trench across a driveway or path can settle later if restoration is treated as landscaping cleanup.
Keep marker and access requirements visible. Do not plant large trees over the route without advice. Restore irrigation and drainage and test them.
Photograph finished and concealed work. Retain permits or public-domain completion records.
Prepare an AUD responsibility budget
Separate network fees and work, design, private electrical work, trench and conduit, traffic control, board and meter changes, temporary supply, old-service removal and reinstatement. Confirm AUD and GST because some charges may be treated differently.
For hypothetical arithmetic, assume network and application allowances are A$10,000, civil work A$18,000, private electrical and board work A$16,000, and reinstatement A$6,000, all assumed to include GST for this illustration. The invented total is A$50,000. It is not a fee schedule, market price or quote.
Use current written network offers for the real budget. Keep unknown public-domain and rock excavation separate.
Resolve title and access rights before civil work
Check whether the proposed route crosses shared driveways, community title, common property, easements or land controlled by another authority. Obtain surveys and formal consent. A cable does not gain a legal route simply because a contractor can excavate it.
Clarify who can access pits and equipment after completion and who maintains the surface above. Avoid placing permanent gates, pools or buildings over rights that require access. Record any new easement or agreement through appropriate legal advice.
Where connection work extends into the verge or road, align property reinstatement with authority standards. The most attractive private paving detail may stop at the boundary.
Prepare the household for cutover day
Confirm the authorised outage window close to the date and identify refrigeration, communications, medical equipment, security, gates and home-office needs. Arrange safe alternatives through competent providers. Do not connect generators or temporary supplies improvised by residents.
Shut down sensitive equipment using manufacturer guidance and keep a clear route to switchboards and meters. The electrician should explain which parts may remain energised and who can authorise restoration.
After supply returns, check essential appliances and controls methodically. Report faults without opening electrical equipment. Update clocks and systems only after the electrician confirms handover.
Manage latent ground conditions transparently
Rock, undocumented concrete, contaminated soil, groundwater and unknown services can change the civil method. Establish investigation and variation rules before excavation. A low provisional sum should not pressure workers to continue unsafely.
When a conflict appears, stop the affected route, photograph it and have the relevant designers approve an alternative. Update network drawings or permissions where needed. Do not curve conduit around an obstacle outside specified limits.
Keep a daily record of open trench length, protection, weather and inspection. This supports both safety and accurate reinstatement.
Protect the underground asset in future
Provide as-built plans, markers and provider records to the homeowner. Before later fencing, irrigation, landscaping or extension work, arrange proper service locating rather than relying only on memory or a sketch.
Maintain access lids and keep ground levels within provider requirements. Do not cover pits with soil, artificial turf or fixed furniture. Inspect unusual settlement or water pooling promptly.
Archive the former overhead-route removal and façade repair as well. Future roof work should know that the old attachment is no longer an electrical point but may still need weather maintenance.
Complete cutover with evidence
- Confirm network ownership, process and approved connection point.
- Assess supply, board, earthing and future loads.
- Coordinate route, services, trees, drainage and building entry.
- Inspect conduits and crossings before backfill.
- Complete authorised cutover and remove the aerial service.
- Test, label, document and reinstate every disturbed surface.
At handover, verify supply operation, board labels, meter access, exterior drainage and the repaired façade. Store network approvals, electrical documentation and as-built route measurements. Tell future landscapers where the service lies.
An underground supply is successful when the visible wire disappears but the system becomes more knowable. The route, responsibilities and access remain clear, and the new façade and garden can develop without compromising the electrical connection beneath them.
Reference basis: Energy Safe Victoria, Home Safety; WorkSafe Queensland, Electricity; Australian Government Your Home, Stormwater; Australian Government Your Home, Renovations and Additions.