# Knob and Tube Replacement During a Remodel in Boston > Knob and tube replacement during a remodel in Boston-area homes: old circuits traced when walls open, rewired before insulation, inspected before walls close. URL: https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-remodel-rewiring/ [Decker Boston Knob and Tube](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/) arranges knob and tube replacement during remodels across Boston and nearby cities, carried out by licensed and insured electricians and planned around the rest of the renovation. A kitchen, bath, attic or basement project opens walls that would otherwise need fishing and patching, which makes it the cheapest moment to replace the old wiring in those rooms. The harder question is the circuits that run through the remodel to somewhere else. This page covers how that is decided, how the electrical work fits the construction schedule, and what has to happen before the walls close. ## What happens on the first visit The best first visit happens while the remodel is still a plan, or as soon as demolition starts. The electrician needs to see the old circuits where they are exposed and to know what the finished rooms will need. ### Reading the plan The visit starts from the remodel drawings or the contractor’s scope: what walls open, what moves, and what the new rooms need, such as counter outlets, appliance circuits, bath fans or a heated floor. That sets the new circuit count and tells the electrician whether the panel can hold it. The [fuse box and panel upgrade](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/electrical-panel-upgrade/) page covers what happens when it can’t. ### Tracing what the demolition exposes Then comes the old wiring. Every circuit visible in the open bays is traced to where it starts and every room it reaches, at the panel and in the attic and basement. Old circuits can wander. A kitchen wall may carry a run that also feeds the dining room ceiling and a bedroom above, and cutting it at the remodel edge without knowing that leaves rooms dead or, worse, live on a splice no one can see. The [knob and tube inspection](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-inspection/) explains how tracing works. ### What you get back You get a written scope that both you and your general contractor can work from. It lists the new circuits for the remodeled rooms, which old circuits are replaced inside the remodel, which are followed beyond it, which runs are left disconnected and confirmed dead, and what the remodel crew closes versus what is patched outside the remodel. ## Why a renovation changes the knob and tube decision Massachusetts doesn’t force old wiring out because a room is renovated. Rule 3 of 527 CMR 12.00 lets new work be added without bringing the rest of the installation up to code, as long as the new work creates or worsens no violation. What changes during a remodel is the cost and the risk of leaving it. ### The cost of access disappears Most of the cost of replacing knob and tube in a finished house is access: fishing through plaster, cutting openings, patching and painting. In an open wall, cable runs straight across the studs to its boxes. The [how replacement works guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/how-knob-and-tube-replacement-works/) describes the fishing that a remodel avoids. ### Insulation goes in next A remodel that insulates the walls it opens runs straight into knob and tube, which relies on open air around each conductor to shed heat. Mass Save’s assessment standards treat any knob and tube found as a [barrier to insulating](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-insulation-barrier/), so old runs left in an insulated cavity are a problem for both the wiring and a later energy upgrade. The time to deal with them is before the insulation crew arrives. ### Old splices come to light Homeowners renovating older houses room by room report finding knob and tube tied into junctions before newer branch circuits, so old and new wiring share a single run. Demolition may be the only time those junctions are seen. The [guide to knob and tube mixed with newer cable](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-mixed-with-romex/) explains why they matter. ## Kitchens, baths and attics Each type of remodel brings its own electrical rules and its own routing chances. ### Kitchens Massachusetts requires ground-fault protection for receptacles within six feet of the top inside edge of a sink bowl, and for receptacles inside a cabinet supporting a sink. It allows a time-limited exception for listed cooking equipment that is incompatible with ground-fault devices, which ends January 1, 2029 and requires an inspection under the state rules. A receptacle installed to meet an individual branch circuit requirement must be a single receptacle unless the equipment has more than one cord. Every 120 volt branch circuit in the kitchen needs arc-fault protection too, so a new kitchen alone can fill a panel. ### Bathrooms Bath remodels add fan and lighting circuits and ground-fault protected outlets. Opening a bath wall can expose a circuit shared with the next room, which is the moment to decide whether to follow it, and in a [plaster-walled house](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/plaster-wall-rewiring/) following it now saves cutting finished plaster later. ### Attics and top floors An attic conversion gives the electrician what fishing usually lacks: open joists over the top floor. Old runs in the attic can be removed outright before insulation goes in, and new circuits for the rooms below can drop from above. Where the attic was the main route for old wiring, converting it can be the natural moment for a [partial replacement](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/partial-knob-and-tube-replacement/) of the whole top floor. Planning a renovation in an older house? Have the old circuits traced before the walls close, so the decision is made on purpose. Get an Estimate (617) 405-3599 ## Fitting the electrical work into the remodel schedule The order is fixed by the inspection rules more than by preference. Massachusetts says wiring may not be concealed until the inspector of wires has inspected it, and the inspector has up to 72 hours from proper notice, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, for interior work. Insulation and wallboard wait on that. In a remodel the electrical stages fit around the construction like this: - the old circuits are traced and the electrical permit is in place before new wire is pulled - new circuits are run in the open walls and old ones are replaced as scoped - the rough-in inspection is booked as the electrical rough-in finishes, before insulation - old circuits are disconnected and confirmed dead, and the new ones tested - insulation and walls close, followed by devices, fixtures and the final inspection In Boston, [Inspectional Services](https://www.boston.gov/permitting/permits/electrical-permit) issues the electrical permit to the licensed contractor, separately from the building permit, and contacts the contractor within 48 hours of an inspection request. The [Boston permit guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/boston-electrical-permit-for-rewiring/) covers fees and the other cities. ### Lead paint and the general contractor In a house built before 1978, demolition of painted walls is renovation work under the state’s Department of Labor Standards rules once it disturbs more than six square feet of painted surface in a room, and a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor is required. Agree in writing who holds that responsibility for the remodel’s openings, and for any electrical openings outside it, which count too. The [asbestos and lead paint guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/asbestos-and-lead-paint-during-rewiring/) covers both materials. ## Records and price The electrical side of a remodel leaves two things behind: a record of what remains, and a price that depends on how far the work reached. ### The record When the remodel is finished, keep the closed electrical permit, a labeled panel schedule and a written note of any knob and tube that remains in service outside the remodeled rooms. That note is what an [insurer](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-insurance-massachusetts/), a Mass Save assessment or a buyer will ask for, and it keeps the remaining work easy to plan. ### The price The price inside the remodel follows the new circuit count, panel space and the permit, with little access cost. Work followed beyond it follows the usual drivers: live circuits, plaster, attic and basement access and patching. When the remodel becomes the start of a [whole house rewire](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/whole-house-rewiring/), a typical Boston-area budgeting range is $8,000 to $25,000 or more. The [partial vs full guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/partial-vs-full-knob-and-tube-replacement/) weighs how far to go, and the [quote comparison guide](https://deckerbostonknobandtube.com/guide/comparing-knob-and-tube-rewiring-quotes/) shows what each scope should spell out. ## What's included - Tracing every old circuit the demolition exposes to where it starts and every room it feeds - A written scope agreed with you and your contractor: circuits replaced inside the remodel, circuits followed beyond it, and old runs left disconnected - New circuits for the remodeled rooms laid out from the new kitchen, bath or attic plan - Arc-fault protection on every new 120 volt branch circuit, and ground-fault protection near sinks - Panel space confirmed for the new circuits before the layout is final - The electrical permit filed by the licensed electrician, separate from the building permit - A rough-in inspection booked before insulation and drywall or plaster - Dead knob and tube removed from the open bays, with remaining runs disconnected and confirmed dead - A written record of any knob and tube left in service outside the remodeled rooms ## How far the electrical work reaches during a remodel | | Remodeled rooms only | Remodel plus the circuits that pass through | Whole house while the remodel is open | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fits when | The old circuits in the remodel serve only those rooms | Old circuits exposed by demolition feed rooms beyond the remodel | Knob and tube runs through most of the house and the budget allows it | | What changes | New wiring inside the remodel footprint | Those circuits replaced to their ends, with some openings outside the remodel | Every branch circuit, staged around the remodel | | Openings outside the remodel | None | Some, along the old routes | Throughout the house | | Panel | Spaces for the new circuits | More spaces; sometimes a new panel | Usually a new panel, sometimes a service change | | Records afterwards | Old wiring may remain elsewhere, and the record should say where | A shorter list of remaining knob and tube | One record that no knob and tube remains in service | | Main risk | Old runs cut and capped at the remodel edge but still live beyond it | Openings in finished rooms you hadn't planned to touch | Cost and a longer schedule | ## Related resources 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 Does knob and tube wiring have asbestos? Three old-house materials can sit right where a rewire goes: the wire's own covering, the paint on the plaster, and the fill in the attic. Here is what is known, what has to be tested, and how each changes the job. 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 How do you compare knob and tube rewiring quotes? Two rewiring quotes for the same Boston-area house can be thousands apart and both be honest, because they describe different jobs. Lining them up on the same points shows which job each one is. ## How a knob and tube job runs from first call to sign-off 1. First call Tell us what prompted the call, the town and type of building, how many units it has, and any deadline from an insurer, a sale or an insulation contractor. Photos, an inspection report or a Mass Save assessment help route the job to the right licensed electrician. 2. Assessment The electrician reviews the panel and the accessible attic and basement wiring, traces circuits, and notes which knob and tube is active, abandoned or mixed. You receive written findings and a scope, with access, patching and permit items listed separately. 3. The work The licensed contractor files the permit, then works area by area so the rest of the house keeps power. New cable is fished or run through open framing, the rough-in is inspected before walls close, and old circuits are disconnected and removed where reachable. 4. Completion Circuits are tested and labeled at the panel, the final inspection closes the permit, and you get the records: what was replaced, what was abandoned in place, and any knob and tube that remains. Those papers answer insurers, buyers and Mass Save. ## What this work looks like Bathroom opened to the studs during a remodel with new cables, new boxes and an old cast-iron tub Opened wall with old capped wires on porcelain knobs on one stud and a new cable to a new blue box on the next Rewire while the walls are open Bring the electrician in before demolition ends, so old circuits are traced and the rough-in inspection is on the schedule. Get an Estimate (617) 405-3599 ## Rewiring During a Remodel questions ### Does the remodel's building permit cover the electrical work? No. Electrical work needs its own electrical permit, and in Boston only a contractor holding a Massachusetts trade license may apply for it and do the wiring. A homeowner or general contractor can hold a short-form or building permit for the construction side, but the licensed electrician files the electrical permit. Boston's Inspectional Services also warns against starting before the permit is issued, which can double the permit cost. ### What if demolition turns up live knob and tube feeding other rooms? Stop work on that bay and have the electrician trace the circuit before anyone cuts it. Homeowners report finding that the old circuit in the room being renovated also feeds the rooms next door, so cutting it at the remodel edge can leave those rooms dead, or live on a hidden splice. The choice is then to replace the circuit to its ends or to reconnect the outside rooms properly and record what remains. ### Can new kitchen circuits be tied into the old wiring in the rest of the house? New circuits for a remodeled kitchen normally run back to the panel on their own, with arc-fault protection and ground-fault protection near the sink, rather than being spliced onto old runs. Massachusetts lets new work be added without bringing the rest of the house up to code, but the new work can't create or worsen a violation, and splicing new loads onto old circuits is where that line tends to be crossed. ### When should the electrician be brought into a remodel? Before demolition finishes, and ideally before the design is final. The electrician needs to see old circuits as they are exposed, confirm the panel has room for the new kitchen or bath circuits, and get the rough-in inspection onto the schedule ahead of insulation and wallboard. Brought in late, the electrical work tends to hold up the other trades, or old wiring gets closed in before anyone has decided about it. ### Is knob and tube replacement cheaper during a remodel? The part inside the remodel usually is, because open studs and joists let cable run straight to its boxes with no fishing and no patching charged to the electrical work. Circuits followed beyond the remodel cost what they would cost anyway. The price still follows the number of circuits, panel space, permit and inspection, and any lead-safe work, and the remodel's own plan sets how many new circuits the rooms need. ## Related services ### Partial Replacement → The circuits still on knob and tube replaced from the panel to the last device, with a written record of anything left for a later phase. ### Whole-House Rewiring → Every branch circuit replaced with new grounded cable, for houses where knob and tube, cloth cable and old splices are mixed through the walls. ### Fuse Box and Panel Upgrades → Fuse boxes and full panels replaced, and 60 or 100 amp services enlarged where the load calculation calls for it, planned together with the rewire.