Auburn Knob and Tube replaces knob-and-tube wiring one room or circuit group at a time, so an Auburn household can keep living at home while the house is rewired. It is still a complete replacement. The phases are planned from the start to end with no live knob-and-tube left, rather than fixing a few circuits and stopping.
We plan phased rewiring in Auburn, WA and surrounding communities, including Puyallup and Enumclaw, for houses where moving out for the duration is not realistic.
Old circuits seldom stop at a doorway. A single knob-and-tube run might feed two bedrooms and a hall light, so phases are drawn around circuits rather than room outlines. Working a floor at a time, or one attic or crawlspace route at a time, often lets one access path serve several rooms.
The order follows how the house is used. Many households want the kitchen and bathroom circuits done early, since that is where appliances and moisture are; others start with bedrooms so sleeping spaces are settled first. What stays powered during each phase, and any temporary arrangement, is decided by the electrician and kept within code.
Phased work only stays safe if everyone knows which circuits are new and which are still original. After every phase you get an updated circuit map and panel directory, so no forgotten knob-and-tube run is left energized when the next phase starts or after the final one.
Washington L&I requires inspection before electrical work is covered, and that applies to each phase: new cable in an open wall or ceiling is inspected before plaster patches or insulation go back. L&I issues the permits for addresses inside Auburn city limits; Federal Way addresses with an Auburn mailing address use that city’s own program.
Whether a phased job runs under one permit or several depends on the scope and timing, and we settle that with L&I before the first phase rather than guessing. You will know how many inspections to expect.
Expect a few practical disruptions. Circuits in the active phase are off while they are replaced, so some outlets and lights will be out for part of the work. Fishing new cable through lath and plaster means small openings at outlets, switches and ceilings, and some plaster dust despite covers and cleanup.
Furniture near the work area needs to move, and access to the attic, basement or crawlspace has to stay clear. How long each phase takes depends on the circuits and access involved, so the schedule is agreed during scoping rather than promised in advance.
Often, once the circuits are mapped. Where a circuit spans several rooms, the phase follows the circuit, which may mean two or three rooms together.
There is no single answer. It depends on how many circuits feed the room, whether there is attic or crawlspace access above or below, and wall and ceiling materials. The schedule for each phase is set during scoping.
No. Partial rewiring replaces only some circuits and may leave knob-and-tube in service. Room-by-room rewiring is a whole-house replacement split into phases, with an end point where every original circuit has been replaced or disconnected.
That is agreed in the scope. Some owners hire a plasterer or painter after the final inspection; others ask for patching to be arranged with the work. Either way, openings stay as small as the wiring route allows.
A phased rewire often begins with fuse box replacement so the new circuits have breaker spaces from the first phase. For an overview of knob-and-tube removal, see the Auburn Knob and Tube homepage.
Tell us which rooms need to stay usable, roughly when the house was built and whether there is attic or crawlspace access. Include the street address so the permit jurisdiction can be confirmed. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (253) 285-1913