You asked for two or three quotes on your rewire, and the totals are so far apart they hardly look like the same job. Often they aren’t. Before you compare the bottom lines, check what each one covers: how many circuits, whether the panel is in, what happens to each wall opening, whether the permit and inspections are included, and what record you get at the end.
At Northloom Minneapolis Knob and Tube, we price rewires across Minneapolis and St. Paul from traced circuits. This guide is a checklist for reading any quote, ours or anyone else’s, so you know what each number actually buys.
What should I line up between quotes?
Go through each quote line by line and fill in this table for each one.
| Line | What to look for | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit count | A number, and how it was found | Most of the price is built on it |
| Scope of each circuit | Replaced end to end, from the panel to every device | Partial sections leave original wire in service |
| Panel and service | Included or not; what size; why | Often the biggest single swing |
| Openings | Expected openings, room by room | Sets how disruptive the job is and how much patching follows |
| Patching | The finish level, by name | The most common hidden difference |
| Permit and inspections | Included, and named in the quote | Required; skipping it costs you more later |
| Old circuits | Disconnected at the source and tested | Proves the original wiring is dead |
| Record | Circuit list, panel directory, permit dates | What insurers and buyers ask for |
| Schedule | Working days and inspection dates | Lets you plan your household around it |
If a quote is silent on a line, ask. A quote that answers every line is far easier to trust than one that answers half.
How do I know the circuit count is right?
Ask how it was found. The circuit count is what the price rests on, and the method behind it tells you how much to rely on it.
- Traced
- Each circuit switched off at the panel, matched to its rooms and identified. A price can rest on this.
- Walked
- Counted by walking the rooms and counting outlets. It can miss circuits that cross rooms, or count modern circuits as original.
- Assumed
- Worked out from the size of the house. A rough guide at best.
If two quotes give different counts, ask each how it got there.
Does the quote include my panel?
Check, because panel work can move a quote a long way. Look for whether it’s in, what size, and why.
- Included or not
- Some quotes include a new panel; others assume your existing one has room.
- Size
- The service size should come from a load calculation, and the quote should say so.
- Utility
- A service change brings in Xcel Energy, and the quote should say who coordinates it.
Who patches the holes, and how well?
This is where quotes split most, and most quietly.
| Finish level | What you get |
|---|---|
| Closed and ready for paint | Openings filled, skimmed and sanded |
| Left for your plasterer | Openings squared and clean, nothing filled |
| Painted to match | Usually separate; named if it’s included |
| Decorative plaster or wallpaper | A specialist’s work; noted as excluded |
“Patching included” with no finish level could mean any of these. Ask which.
Is the permit in the price?
It should be. The fee is a small share of the total. In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry issues electrical permits, and a typical rewire of 15 to 30 circuits in a one-family home carries a $191 state fee, or $226 with a new service. In St. Paul, the city charges $15 a circuit. Work started without the request for inspection carries a state investigation fee on top of the permit, and unpermitted work can’t be documented the way insurers and buyers expect.
Does “rewire” mean the same thing in every quote?
Not always. Some quotes say “rewire” but describe something narrower: new outlets on existing circuits, a panel swap, or only the circuits in one part of the house. Check that each circuit in scope is replaced from the panel to every device on it, and that the original circuit is disconnected at its source and tested dead.
What if they find something inside the walls?
Every older house can hide surprises: a damaged run inside a wall, a splice that leads somewhere unexpected, vermiculite in the attic. Ask each quote how it handles them.
- How they're found
- Tracing before pricing catches most; some only show once walls open.
- How they're priced
- A stated rate or a change order, agreed before the extra work starts.
- Vermiculite
- Attic work stops for testing; testing and any abatement sit outside the electrical quote.
How long will each one take?
A quote’s schedule should tell you how many working days, which rooms on which days, when the rough-in and final inspections fall, and when the panel changes. A single total with no breakdown makes it hard for you to plan. The guide to how long a rewire takes explains what sets the length.
How do I check who’s behind the quote?
In Minnesota, only a licensed electrical contractor can file the request for inspection, and you can look up any license on the Department of Labor and Industry’s website. The hiring guide covers the other questions worth asking.
What should make me suspicious?
- No permit
- Or a suggestion to skip it to save you money.
- No circuit count
- A price with nothing in your house behind it.
- Vague patching
- “Patching included” with no finish level.
- Partial sections
- Replacing only the parts of circuits that are easy to see.
- No record
- Nothing in writing about what was replaced and disconnected.
What does a fair comparison look like?
Picture two quotes for the same story-and-a-half house. Quote A is lower. Read closely, it covers the 14 circuits its author saw on a walk-through, assumes the existing panel, and leaves openings “for the owner’s plasterer.” Quote B is higher. It covers 19 circuits found by tracing, includes a breaker panel with room for arc-fault protection, closes every opening ready for paint, and lists the permit, both inspections and a written record. Add the five missing circuits, the panel and the patching to Quote A, and the gap may close or flip. That’s why you line quotes up first: the cheaper total is only cheaper if it leaves you with the same house at the end.
Can I ask them to rewrite their quotes?
Yes, and it’s a fair request. Ask each one to restate the quote on the same lines: circuits, panel, openings, patching finish, permit, schedule and record. Anyone who does this work regularly can do that quickly. A quote that can’t say how many circuits it covers is telling you something about how it was put together.
Once they match, how do I choose?
When the quotes describe the same work, compare totals, then schedules, then how each handles surprises. The cost guide explains what goes into a Minneapolis price and why local labor runs higher than national averages. Questions about a quote you have: (612) 509-6597.