Austin has a significant stock of homes built between the 1950s and 1980s — particularly in neighborhoods like Rosedale, Allandale, Brentwood, Cherrywood, and South Austin. Many of these homes still have their original wiring, which was installed to serve the electrical demands of that era. The demands of modern households are substantially different, and wiring that was adequate in 1965 may be inadequate — or unsafe — today.
Rewiring a home is a significant project, but it's not always necessary in full. In some cases, partial rewiring of specific circuits addresses the problem. In others, a full rewire is the right call. The starting point is recognizing which signs indicate a potential problem that warrants a professional evaluation.
Sign 1: Your Home Was Built Before 1970
Age alone isn't a reason to rewire, but it is a reason to have a licensed electrician evaluate your wiring. Homes built before 1970 may have wiring that predates the National Electrical Code requirements that became standard over the following decades. Specific concerns include cloth-insulated wiring (often called "knob and tube"), ungrounded two-prong circuits, and in some cases, wiring installed by previous owners without permits or professional oversight.
Cloth insulation degrades over time. The cotton and rubber materials used in knob-and-tube wiring from the early-to-mid 20th century were not designed for the temperatures and loads that modern appliances impose. As the insulation cracks and crumbles, bare wire can contact wood framing, insulation material, or other conductors — creating arcing and fire risk that isn't visible from the outside.
If you're buying an older Austin home or have never had the wiring inspected, a thorough electrical inspection is a sensible starting point. An electrician can identify what you have, where it's located, and what it would take to address any issues found.
Sign 2: You Have Aluminum Wiring
During the late 1960s and through the 1970s, aluminum was used extensively for branch circuit wiring in residential construction — primarily because copper prices spiked during that period and aluminum offered a cost-effective alternative. Many homes built during this window in Austin have aluminum wiring throughout.
The problem with aluminum wiring is that it expands and contracts more than copper with temperature changes, and it oxidizes at connection points. Over years of thermal cycling, connections at outlets, switches, and fixtures can loosen, creating high-resistance connections that generate heat. This is the mechanism behind a disproportionate number of electrical fires in homes of this era.
Aluminum wiring can be addressed in a few ways. Full copper rewiring is the most comprehensive solution. For homes where full rewiring isn't feasible, a licensed electrician can install approved connectors (called AlumiConn or COPALUM crimps) at each connection point to create a reliable copper-to-aluminum transition. This is a recognized and code-compliant remediation approach, but it requires accessing every connection in the home — every outlet, switch, and fixture — which is a substantial labor investment.
If you're not sure whether your home has aluminum wiring, look at the panel: aluminum branch circuit wiring will typically be labeled "AL" on the wire jacket, and it has a dull silver-gray appearance rather than the orange-copper color of copper wire.
Sign 3: Lights Flicker or Dim When Appliances Run
Some degree of voltage variation is normal — a momentary dip when a large motor starts, for example, is common. But persistent flickering, lights that visibly dim every time the refrigerator cycles, or a noticeable dip in brightness when the HVAC kicks on are signs of a more significant problem.
The most common causes are: circuits that are overloaded relative to their wiring and breaker size; loose connections at the panel, junction boxes, or fixtures; and inadequate service capacity for the home's actual electrical load. In older homes, it can also indicate wiring with degraded insulation or high resistance at splices that were made with materials no longer in use.
Occasional flickering that comes and goes can also indicate a loose neutral at the utility connection or main panel — a problem that needs attention quickly because it can cause voltage imbalances that damage appliances across the home.
Sign 4: Breakers Trip Repeatedly or Fuses Blow Often
In homes with fuse boxes rather than circuit breakers, a fuse that blows occasionally when loads are heavy is doing its job. A fuse that blows repeatedly under normal use — or a fuse box where you notice oversized fuses (pennies behind a fuse, 30-amp fuses in a 15-amp circuit) — is a sign that the wiring has been living beyond its rated capacity for some time.
In homes with circuit breakers, a breaker that trips regularly under ordinary use tells you that circuit is consistently overloaded. The options are to reduce the load on that circuit or to add circuits — which may require panel work. The option that is not acceptable is replacing the breaker with a higher-rated one to stop the nuisance tripping. That removes the protection without addressing the underlying overload.
If multiple circuits in different parts of the house are tripping regularly, or if you've added significant electrical loads (a home office, new appliances, a workshop) since the home was built, the wiring capacity may simply not match the demands being placed on it.
Sign 5: You Notice a Burning Smell or Discolored Outlets
A burning smell near an outlet, switch, or panel — even intermittently — is a serious warning. Electrical burning smells typically come from insulation that is overheating, arcing at a loose connection, or a device that is failing. The fact that the smell is intermittent does not mean it's minor; arcing faults are often intermittent, and they're one of the leading causes of residential electrical fires.
Discoloration around outlets or switch plates — particularly yellowing, blackening, or scorch marks — indicates that heat has been generated at that location. This can result from a loose connection, an overloaded circuit, or a failing outlet that has been arcing over time. A discolored outlet should be treated as a fire hazard until inspected and replaced.
If you notice either of these signs, don't wait. Stop using the affected outlet or circuit and have an electrician look at it the same day if possible.
Sign 6: You're Running Extension Cords as Permanent Solutions
Extension cords are designed for temporary use. When extension cords become a permanent part of a room's electrical setup — running under rugs, behind furniture, daisy-chained from one to another — they represent both a fire hazard and a clear sign that the home doesn't have enough outlets for its actual use.
Homes built before 1970 were typically wired with far fewer outlets per room than current code requires. A bedroom might have a single outlet on one wall. A kitchen might have two outlets shared across the entire counter run. This was adequate for the appliance loads of the era and wholly inadequate for today's households.
Adding outlets is not always a full rewiring project. In many cases, an electrician can extend an existing circuit to add outlets where they're needed, or run a new circuit from the panel to serve a specific room or area. This targeted approach is often the right solution when the existing wiring is otherwise in good condition and the issue is simply insufficient outlet placement.
Sign 7: You're Planning a Major Renovation
A kitchen remodel, a room addition, a finished basement or garage conversion — any renovation that opens walls is an opportunity to evaluate and address wiring that would otherwise remain inaccessible. If an electrician identifies wiring problems during a renovation, the cost to address them while walls are open is significantly less than it would be in a finished home.
For this reason, it's worth having an electrician assess the wiring in any area that will be opened up before the renovation begins, not after. This lets you incorporate any necessary electrical work into the renovation plan and budget rather than treating it as an unexpected addition midway through the project.
Austin's building permit process also requires that any renovation work meet current code. If an electrician identifies non-compliant wiring during permitted renovation work, it typically needs to be brought up to code before the project closes — making proactive assessment even more valuable.
Not Sure What Your Home's Wiring Looks Like?
We perform wiring evaluations for Austin homeowners considering renovation, purchasing an older home, or dealing with recurring electrical problems. We'll give you a clear picture of what you have and what, if anything, needs attention.
Whole-Home Rewiring (512) 847-4200What a Rewiring Project Actually Involves
Full rewiring of a home means replacing all branch circuit wiring — the wiring that runs from the panel to every outlet, switch, and fixture. In a home where walls are finished and staying finished, this requires fishing new wire through walls and ceilings, drilling through framing, and accessing each connection point with minimal damage to drywall or plaster.
A skilled electrician working in an occupied home minimizes the disruption. Access points are made strategically, and patching is either done by the electrician or coordinated with a drywall contractor. The permit process for a rewiring project in Austin involves inspections at rough-in (before walls are closed) and final (after devices are installed and panel connections are complete).
The scope, timeline, and cost of a rewiring project depend on the size of the home, the accessibility of walls and attic space, whether the panel is being upgraded at the same time, and whether any special circumstances apply (brick exterior, concrete slab, no attic access). An accurate quote requires an on-site walkthrough — there's no reliable way to estimate remotely.