Rewiring a double-brick house forces a visible design choice. New cables can travel through carefully planned chases and cavities with substantial making good, or through surface-mounted conduit and service routes that remain accessible. Most successful projects use a deliberate combination rather than treating one method as universally superior.
All electrical design, isolation and work must be carried out by appropriately licensed practitioners under the requirements applying in the property’s state or territory. Homeowners should focus on scope, access, finish and documentation—not on live-work instructions.
A related guide to consider while planning this work is Rewiring an Older Australian House: Scope, Access and Renovation Timing.
Begin with an electrical use brief
List current and planned cooking, hot water, heating and cooling, solar, battery, vehicle charging, workshop, office, communications and accessibility needs. Mark appliance locations and likely furniture before deciding outlet routes.
Collect bills or load information where useful, but let the electrician assess supply and demand. More outlets do not automatically require every circuit to follow the same path.
Distinguish essential renewal from optional repositioning. Safety defects and deteriorated wiring deserve priority; decorative concealment can be compared separately.
Commission a whole-house electrical assessment
Have the licensed electrician inspect switchboards, supply, earthing, protective devices, circuits, accessories and visible wiring and conduct appropriate testing. Energy Safe Victoria’s home-safety guidance specifically directs Victorian consumers to qualified, licensed people for electrical work; equivalent regulators apply elsewhere.
Record circuit function, observed wiring type, inaccessible zones and urgent defects. Do not rely on cable colour or house age alone to identify condition.
WorkSafe Queensland’s electricity guidance reinforces the serious risks of electrical energy and work near lines. It is Queensland workplace guidance; the project’s electrician and local regulator establish the residential process.
Survey double-brick construction accurately
Identify solid masonry, cavity walls, brick skins, plaster, render, cornices, picture rails and later framed linings. Determine where the cavity is clear, tied, filled, damp or interrupted. “Double brick” can hide many local details.
Map lintels, arches, chimneys, structural piers, damp-proof elements and cracks. A chase that appears convenient may weaken a narrow pier or cross a moisture path.
Ask a structural or building professional to review proposed cutting in significant masonry. Electrical access should not be designed independently of the wall.
Use a room-by-room route plan
Draw switchboard, ceiling, subfloor, roof, corridor and joinery routes, then identify short drops to each accessory. This can minimise repeated masonry disturbance.
Reserve straight routes for future understanding
Cable zones and documented paths help later trades avoid damage. A concealed diagonal chosen to save a metre becomes a permanent uncertainty.
Understand concealed chase implications
A chase can hide conduit or cable beneath repaired plaster or render, preserving clean walls. It creates dust, vibration, waste and permanent loss of masonry or finish. Depth, position and structural acceptability require project-specific design.
Older lime plaster, decorative finishes or brittle brick can make local repair conspicuous. Cutting may reveal damp, loose mortar or previous services. Build investigation and making good into the programme.
Do not instruct unlicensed workers to cut ahead of the electrician without a coordinated marked plan and hazard assessment. They can expose live wiring or make unusable routes.
Understand surface conduit implications
Surface conduit protects and organises wiring visibly with less wall cutting. It can be accessible for later change and suitable in garages, utilities, wardrobes or rooms where a deliberate service expression fits.
Profile, fittings, bends, junction boxes, saddles and paint response determine whether it looks considered. A thin line placed along skirting may conflict with furniture; a high organised route may be less noticeable.
Use products suited to location, exposure and electrical design. Surface access does not make the work DIY or remove requirements for protection and certification.
Consider skirting and cornice service routes
Purpose-designed service skirting, dado, cornice zones or new joinery can carry cables without chasing long masonry runs. Assess product capacity, compartments, corner pieces, fire and access requirements with the electrician.
These routes can also organise data, but power and communications need appropriate separation and design. Do not improvise hollow timber mouldings around loose cables.
Show transitions at doors and built-ins. A route that works along one wall may become awkward at an archway.
Use roof and subfloor access where available
Existing accessible roof or underfloor spaces can reduce horizontal chasing, but they may contain insulation, heat, moisture, vermin, tight clearances and structural obstructions. Licensed trades should assess safe access and cable conditions.
Do not disturb suspect asbestos-containing roof or floor materials. Map ceiling penetrations and seal protective assemblies as designed.
Provide access panels only where they serve ongoing inspection and are integrated with the building. A row of arbitrary hatches is not good planning.
Coordinate wet areas and kitchens early
Fix final appliance, switch, lighting and outlet positions before waterproofing, tiling and joinery. Masonry walls leave little tolerance for late movement. The electrician should work from approved elevations.
Keep electrical routes coordinated with plumbing, gas and exhaust. Do not cut competing chases through one narrow wall. Wet-area location requirements must be assessed for the actual room.
Photograph rough-in before finishes and keep measurements from fixed edges. Avoid hiding accessible electrical equipment behind permanent cabinets.
Plan switchboard and meter work
A full rewire may reveal limited board space, ageing supply equipment or earthing issues. Have the electrician prepare a board and circuit schedule including future loads. Provider or network coordination may be required.
Keep meter and switchboard access clear and comply with the relevant utility requirements. Do not conceal them within decorative joinery.
Sequence shutdowns around household needs. If occupancy continues, establish which areas are isolated and how temporary power is lawfully provided by the contractor.
Coordinate earthing and metal services
Rewiring can coincide with plumbing changes, gas retirement and new structural steel. The electrician should review earthing and bonding as part of the complete installation. Article 196 addresses this topic in detail.
Do not remove old metal pipes or connect new conductive elements before trades coordinate. A service considered redundant mechanically may still interact with the electrical arrangement until assessed.
A related guide to consider while planning this work is Removing Redundant Electrical Wiring During Renovation: Scope and Access.
Record final electrodes, bonds and accessible test points without exposing them to garden burial or damage.
Keep data and home technology separate but coordinated
Plan fixed data, wireless access points, alarms, doorbells, audio and future conduits alongside electrical work. Decide what needs a cable and what can remain wireless. Avoid building around a single third-party platform.
Provide accessible equipment ventilation and a clear power source. Do not trap routers or control hubs inside a sealed masonry cupboard.
Label both ends and document routes. Empty conduit for a plausible future need can be useful when its path and draw arrangement are known.
Protect heritage finishes
Inventory decorative plaster, tiled skirtings, timber panelling, wallpaper, face brick and significant paint schemes. Work with a heritage professional where relevant. Surface routes may preserve fabric better than concealed ones.
Trial a chase repair and a conduit sample in inconspicuous zones. A painted conduit can appear calmer than a long imperfect plaster patch; another room may justify painstaking concealment.
Remove switches and fittings carefully and catalogue salvage. Do not reuse unsafe equipment for appearance without professional approval.
Manage dust and hazardous materials
Assess plaster, render, backing boards, old switchboard panels and coatings for asbestos, lead or other hazards before disturbance. Use competent testing and removal. Masonry chasing also creates silica dust requiring proper controls.
Isolate work zones, protect air pathways and keep residents and pets away. A room-by-room occupied rewire needs a realistic cleaning and safe-access plan.
Do not let urgency bypass testing. Hidden wiring can remain isolated while material questions are resolved through professionals.
Decide the route by zone
Use concealed drops where structure and finish allow, surface routes in service spaces, and new joinery or lightweight partitions where they organise multiple needs. Draw the combined strategy on elevations.
Keep junctions accessible only where the system requires; do not scatter boxes randomly. The electrician should approve containment, fill, bends and pull lengths for the selected cable design.
Review the design with furniture and artwork. Surface work should not sit behind a wardrobe that makes it inaccessible.
Plan making good as a skilled trade
Specify masonry repair, plaster system, curing, priming and painting after electrical inspection. Match substrate type rather than filling every chase with one modern compound. Active damp or cracking needs prior repair.
Australian Government Your Home repair guidance supports treating causes before finishes. Electrical work can expose moisture paths that should be diagnosed while open.
Use hold points so no chase is covered before the electrician completes required checks and photographs.
Maintain fire and acoustic construction
Identify walls or ceilings with protective or acoustic roles, including garage boundaries and apartment separations. Penetrations and chases require compatible designed repair. Ordinary foam is not a default solution.
Surface conduit can also cross joints and doors that need continuity. Have the building professional review route transitions.
Record products and installation evidence. Future additions should use the same controlled process.
Prepare an AUD route comparison
Price electrical investigation, board work, full circuit renewal, chasing, surface containment, access panels, data, hazardous-material work, plaster repair, painting and occupancy protection. State AUD and GST.
For hypothetical arithmetic, assume electrical work is A$34,000, concealed-route building work A$18,000 and finishing A$10,000, totalling A$62,000 including GST. A surface-led alternative might retain the same A$34,000 electrical scope plus A$10,000 containment and finishing, totalling A$44,000. These invented figures are not market prices.
Compare room-by-room mixed options, disruption and heritage value. Do not choose a route solely from per-metre cost.
Issue a point schedule for comparable tenders
Number lights, switches, outlets, fixed appliances, data points and control equipment on plans and elevations. State whether each item is retained, replaced or relocated and identify the proposed route type. This removes ambiguity from broad allowances such as “rewire bedroom”.
Ask tenderers to price investigations, difficult access and making good consistently and to identify excluded decorative fittings. Review proposed brands, plate dimensions and availability before rough-in because masonry openings are not easily shifted.
Keep a controlled revision when joinery or appliance choices move. The electrician should not work from an old plan while the cabinetmaker uses a new elevation.
Test the finished house in normal use
Beyond formal electrical verification, walk each room with the licensed electrician and intended furniture plan. Test two-way switching, bedside reach, task lighting, exterior controls and access to isolators. Confirm outlets are not hidden behind fixed panels.
Operate major appliances under the commissioning procedure and check that circuit labels match what actually turns off. Demonstrate safety devices and explain when to seek professional attention. Do not invite residents to remove covers or investigate faults.
Inspect restored plaster in side light after it has dried. Keep decorative defects separate from electrical certification so both are closed properly.
Preserve flexibility without filling every wall
Place spare pathways where future solar, charging, data or room changes are credible, using electrician-designed conduit and accessible endpoints. Label them on the board schedule and as-built plan. An empty route is useful only when someone can locate and use it safely.
Leave capacity statements to the electrician; physical empty space does not prove electrical capacity. Review future loads whenever they become real.
A restrained set of organised routes can be more adaptable than excessive outlets scattered around old masonry. Let likely furniture zones and service hubs guide provision.
Inspect before every wall closes
- Complete the electrical assessment and final load brief.
- Survey masonry, cavities, finishes and hazardous materials.
- Approve concealed and surface routes by room.
- Coordinate structure, wet areas, data and protective assemblies.
- Inspect and photograph rough-in before making good.
- Test, label and document the completed installation.
At handover, use the circuit schedule, test switches and demonstrate isolation through the electrician. Walk the surface routes and finished chase lines in good light. Keep certificates, as-built drawings and photographs with the house records.
A double-brick rewire succeeds when safety and future capacity are clear while the routes respect the building. Concealment is valuable where it can be achieved soundly; visible conduit is valuable where it preserves fabric and access. Good design makes the combination feel intentional.
Reference basis: Energy Safe Victoria, Home Safety; WorkSafe Queensland, Electricity; Australian Government Your Home, Repairs and Maintenance; Australian Government Your Home, Lightweight Framing.