"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).



New Jersey is one of the few states that has a "Rehab Code".
http://www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/rehab/index.shtml It was designed to
minimize expenses when rehabbing an old house. You can find a copy of it on
the New Jersey web site. My brother is an electrical inspector in one of
the tougher code enforcement towns and he always tells me that he can't make
homeowners bring their house up to current code because of the Rehab code.
Many building inspectors are not fully aware of the Rehab code and it may be
a tough sell to get them to comply with it. You might want to print out a
copy and show it to your local building inspector and ask him what he
thinks.

Based on that you can upgrade whatever you want without being forced to
upgrade the whole house. Although in the long run it is best to bring the
house up to modern standards as much as possible for safety, convenience,
and resale. You would still need to install smoke alarms and carbon
monoxide detectors as per the fire code.