For a typical three-bed house the electrical work takes two to three weeks. A flat is usually one to two weeks. Then comes plastering and decorating, which adds another week or two depending on how much making good there is. So a realistic answer for a whole house from start to redecorated is around four to six weeks.
What changes it most is the building itself. Solid walls take longer to chase than stud walls. Original floorboards that have to come up and go back carefully slow things down compared with modern chipboard. A property that is empty moves faster than one where a family is living around the work, because whole floors can be tackled at once.
First fix then second fix
Cables go in first while walls and floors are open, then plastering happens, then the sockets, switches and fittings go on at second fix.
Empty is faster
An empty property can be worked floor by floor and typically finishes noticeably quicker than an occupied one.
Making good is the tail
The electrical work often finishes well before the house looks finished, so plan the plastering and decorating into your timeline.
Your questions, answered
Can I live in the house during a rewire?
Usually yes. Circuits come out in a planned order so you keep power and lighting in the rooms you most need, though it is dusty and disruptive while it happens.
Will I be without power the whole time?
No. Power goes off in sections rather than for the duration, and there are usually only a few full days without it while the board is changed over.
Does a partial rewire take less time?
Much less. Doing only the socket circuits or only the lighting can often be finished in a few days, and I test first to tell you whether that is genuinely enough.
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