# How do you compare knob and tube rewiring quotes?

> Comparing knob and tube rewiring quotes: what a complete scope includes, why totals differ by thousands, red flags homeowners report and what to expect.

URL: https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/comparing-knob-and-tube-rewiring-quotes/

Compare rewiring quotes on scope before price. Line them up on the same points: which circuits are replaced, what happens to the old runs, how many openings are needed and who closes them, whether the permit and inspections are included, what protection and panel work come with it, and what records you get at the end. Only then are the totals measuring the same job. [Decker Boston Knob and Tube](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/) arranges knob and tube replacement across Boston and nearby cities, carried out by licensed and insured electricians, with a written scope that separates the electrical work from the patching.

Homeowners report it can take a lot of calls to get more than one quote for knob and tube work. Once you have two or three, this guide is the checklist.

Key takeaways

- Ask every contractor for a circuit-by-circuit list; it’s the only way to know two quotes cover the same wiring.
- Check whether “remove all knob and tube” means every active circuit or only the runs that can be seen.
- Patching and painting are often a separate line, or a separate trade. Get the finish level in writing.
- The Boston permit fee is small, but whether it and both inspections are included isn’t a detail.
- A whole-house job falls in a typical Boston-area budgeting range of $8,000 to $25,000 or more; where a quote sits in it should be explained by its scope.

## Why two quotes for one house differ

Quotes usually differ because they describe different work, not because one contractor is overcharging. Five things account for most of the gap.

1. **How much of the wiring is included.** One quote replaces every live old circuit; another replaces what’s visible in the basement and attic.
2. **Patching.** One includes closing every opening to a paint-ready finish; another leaves holes for someone else.
3. **The panel.** One includes a new panel or service; another assumes the existing panel can take the new circuits.
4. **New circuits and outlets.** One adds kitchen circuits and outlets; another replaces like for like.
5. **Lead-safe work.** In a pre-1978 house, one plans openings and containment for the state’s lead-safe rules; another doesn’t mention them.

Each of these can move a price by thousands. The [cost guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-replacement-cost-boston/) shows how much each driver weighs.

## The lines a complete quote covers

Use this as a side-by-side checklist. A quote that leaves a line blank isn’t necessarily wrong, but you should know what the blank means.

| Line | What a complete quote says | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Circuits replaced | Each circuit, the rooms it serves and what it’s made of ([circuit tracing](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-inspection/)) | Shows whether every active knob and tube circuit is included |
| Old wiring | Which runs are disconnected and left in walls, which are removed from reachable attics and basements | Avoids surprises about what stays behind |
| Verification | How the electrician proves no old circuit is still connected through a hidden splice | Underpins the “no knob and tube in service” summary |
| New circuits and devices | Added circuits, outlets, switches and fixtures, and any relocated ones | Rewiring is the cheapest moment to add them |
| Protection | Arc-fault breakers on new circuits, ground-fault protection near sinks, tamper-resistant receptacles where required ([AFCI and GFCI guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/gfci-and-afci-on-knob-and-tube/)) | Massachusetts code requires them on new work |
| Panel and service | Whether the panel stays, is replaced, or the service is upgraded, and who files the utility request ([panel upgrades](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/electrical-panel-upgrade/)) | Panel work is a separate scope with its own range |
| Openings | Approximate number and location of access openings per room | Drives patching cost and the lead-safe threshold |
| Patching and finish | Who closes each opening, and to what finish: rough patch, paint-ready or painted ([plaster wall rewiring](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/plaster-wall-rewiring/)) | The most common gap between quotes |
| Lead-safe work | Whether openings exceed six square feet of painted surface per room in a pre-1978 house, and how that’s handled ([lead paint guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/asbestos-and-lead-paint-during-rewiring/)) | Changes setup, containment and cost |
| Permit and inspections | Permit filed by a licensed electrician, fee included, rough-in and final inspections | Walls can’t close until the rough-in is inspected |
| Schedule | Areas in order, power-off windows, where inspections fall ([living at home guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/living-at-home-during-rewiring/)) | Shapes life at home during the work |
| Records | Labeled panel schedule, written summary of what was replaced, closed permit | What an insurer, buyer or Mass Save will ask for |

## What “remove all knob and tube” should mean

This is the line most worth reading twice. The phrase can describe two very different jobs.

### Visible-only versus every live circuit

Replacing the runs in an open basement and attic is quicker and cheaper than replacing every live circuit, including the ones that only run through finished walls. Electricians on a trade forum discussed exactly this: a homeowner who needed knob and tube gone for insurance wanted only the basement runs replaced, and the replies warned that a claim could be denied if the insurer had been told all of it was gone. A quote should say which it is.

### Removed versus disconnected

Old runs inside finished walls are normally disconnected at both ends and left in place, because pulling them out would mean opening the plaster. Runs in a reachable attic or basement are taken out. Homeowners report confusion on exactly this point, from being told every unused run must come out to finding dead knob and tube left in place to save money. Writing it down settles it. The [removal service](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-removal/) explains both.

## Red flags

Most differences between quotes are honest. A few things deserve a direct question before you sign.

- **No circuit list.** Without one, neither side can say later what was included. Homeowners report quotes that misread the wiring altogether.
- **No mention of patching.** Ask who closes the openings and to what finish. Homeowners report ceilings left damaged after otherwise finished work.
- **No permit.** In Boston only a licensed contractor can file the electrical permit, and starting before it’s issued can mean double the permit cost. The [permit guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/boston-electrical-permit-for-rewiring/) covers the rules.
- **Promises nobody can keep.** No contractor can guarantee an insurer will accept the house, or that no wall will be opened.
- **A price with no visit.** A rewiring price set without tracing the circuits is a guess about what’s live.

## Two illustrative quotes for the same house

This example is illustrative; no house was priced to write it. Both quotes are for a two-story plaster house with most circuits still on knob and tube.

|  | Quote A | Quote B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Circuits | Every live old circuit, listed by room | “Replace knob and tube,” no list |
| Old runs | Attic and basement runs removed; wall runs disconnected | Not stated |
| Panel | New panel with space for arc-fault breakers | Existing panel reused |
| Openings and patching | Openings listed per room; closed to paint-ready | “Patching by others” |
| Permit | Included, with both inspections | Not mentioned |
| Records | Panel schedule and written summary | Not mentioned |

Quote B will very likely be lower. It may also be a smaller job with the expensive parts left for later. Ask Quote B’s contractor to fill in each blank, then compare again. The [partial vs full guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/partial-vs-full-knob-and-tube-replacement/) helps if one quote really is a partial scope.

## Price context to check a quote against

A whole-house replacement falls in a typical Boston-area budgeting range of $8,000 to $25,000 or more; a panel or service upgrade alongside it falls in a typical Massachusetts range of $3,000 to $6,500. Labor is part of why the Boston numbers run high: electricians in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro earn a mean $40.08 an hour against $34.37 nationally, about 17% more, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure is a wage, not a billing rate: what a contractor bills per hour also has to cover insurance, licensing, vehicles and overhead. The [cost estimator](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/tools/knob-and-tube-cost-estimator/) shows how a house’s details move the range.

## When a program is paying part of it

If a Mass Save barrier incentive, the HEAT Loan or a Boston Home Center loan is involved, the quote has to fit the program, and the order of steps matters.

- **Mass Save enhanced barrier incentive:** up to $7,000 of eligible removal costs for moderate-income households, working from a licensed electrician’s signed proposal.
- **HEAT Loan:** 0% financing for pre-weatherization barriers after a Home Energy Assessment; work finished before authorization isn’t covered.
- **Boston Home Center:** work done before approval isn’t reimbursed.

Contractors arranged through this site can supply the licensed-electrician proposal and completion documents these programs ask for. The [grants guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-removal-grants-massachusetts/) covers eligibility, and the [insulation barrier service](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-insulation-barrier/) covers the certification Mass Save needs.

If you have quotes in hand, or want a written scope to compare against them, call Decker Boston Knob and Tube at [(617) 405-3599](tel:+16174053599) or [ask for an estimate](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/contact/).

## Questions about this guide

### Should a knob and tube quote be priced per circuit or as one total?

Either can be fair, as long as the circuits are listed. A total with a circuit-by-circuit scope behind it lets you see what's included; a per-circuit price makes it easier to compare and to stage the work. What matters is that both quotes describe the same circuits, the same openings and the same patching, so the numbers are measuring the same job.

### How should a quote handle knob and tube found after the walls are opened?

It should say so before you sign. Concealed runs and splices sometimes only appear once tracing and routing begin, so ask how a newly found live circuit is priced and approved: a per-circuit figure, a written change before any extra work, or an allowance. A quote that's silent on it leaves the question for the middle of the job.

### Do I need the quote in a particular form for Mass Save or the HEAT Loan?

Yes. Mass Save's enhanced barrier incentive works from a signed proposal by a licensed electrician to deal with the knob and tube to the extent the approved weatherization needs, and the HEAT Loan asks for a signed proposal on the contractor's letterhead. Tell each contractor at the start that you're using one of these, and apply before signing the contract.

Want this answered for your house?

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Get an Estimate

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## More guides

Cost Guide

How much does knob and tube replacement cost in Boston?

The range Boston-area owners budget with, the handful of things that push a house toward either end, and the public figures sitting inside every price.

Learn

How is knob and tube wiring replaced?

A rewire runs in an order the code partly sets. Each stage depends on the one before it, and knowing the order explains most of the schedule and the price.

Decision Guide

Should you replace part of your knob and tube or all of it?

Repair, partial replacement and a whole-house rewire answer different problems. The circuit map, the reason you're acting now and your plans for the walls decide which one fits.

Learn

How does a Boston electrical permit for rewiring work?

Every knob and tube rewire in Boston runs through one permit office, one fee formula and two state rules about when walls can close. Here is the sequence from filing to final sign-off.

Decision Guide

Are there grants for knob and tube removal in Massachusetts?

True grants are rare. The real help runs through Mass Save's insulation programs and a few city and state loans, and the order you apply in matters as much as which one you pick.