Find an electrician on the up-and-up who can answer your questions.
You are much better off by following the code and having it
inspected both for personal peace of mind and insurance
reasons. I would also investigate either full or partial AC.
I purchased a 4 level house without central air conditioning
and was able to run central AC to all rooms using attic space and
inside of closets for lower levels.

If you find an electrician willing to do the work without a permit
find someone else. In my state and county there is a page in
the local paper for stop work orders for people having work
done without permits. Make sure your electrician is licensed.

Good Luck

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lvMMMCDLXXIX+1
"BETA-32" wrote in message
. ..
I bought an old, 2-1/2-story, semi-detached home a while back as-is. It
has old wiring throughout and, due to the way it is constructed, rewiring
the entire house will not be easy (mostly because the side. front, and back
walls are all masonry). It now has 100-amp service with circuit breakers.

Here's what I am trying to figure out. Should I have the entire house
rewired now (including a new service panel, etc), or should I start out by
just having the new service panel put in (probably will be 200-amp
service) and then worry about rewiring rooms etc. later on? I do know
that I will need a permit either way.

If I have the entire house rewired, an electrician I had look at the house
said that means the whole house will have to be brought up to all of the
current codes (outlets every so many feet in the kitchen, outlets every so
many feet in bedrooms, a dedicated line to each bedroom for a window AC,
etc.). He wasn't an easy person to communicate with, so I couldn't get a
clear answer about what would happen if I just had a new electrical
service installed and keep the existing wiring throughout the house.

My concern is really not about the cost. It's about whether getting into
that entire project is going to expose me to a nightmare of regulations
and inspections.

What I am wondering is, could I just have the service panel replaced and
upgraded and basically just be exposed to the permit regulations related
to that and not be required to bring everything else in the house up to
current codes? In other words, the existing wiring would just be
reconnected to the upgrade panel. If that's how it would work, that's
what I would want to do.

Is that how it typically works?

(I am in New Jersey, and I do know that in the end I will need to find out
for sure from the local building inspector, but I am hoping to get some
ideas about it from here first).