Is a Full Rewire Worth It in Fort Myers Homes?

We get asked this all the time. Usually starts with a call like, “Hey, the lights in my kitchen flicker every time the AC kicks on — do I need a rewire?”

And honestly, maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. But if your home was built before the early 1980s, there’s a good chance your wiring’s living on borrowed time.

We’ve been in crawl spaces, attics, and garages all over Fort Myers. Some of these homes are built solid — block walls, strong roofs — but the wiring’s another story. Back then, builders weren’t thinking about modern power loads. They didn’t plan for today’s refrigerators, air conditioners, pool heaters, or 10 chargers plugged in at once.

So let’s talk about what a rewire really means, when it’s worth doing, and what it looks like from our side of the job.

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First Things First: How to Know It’s Time

Here’s what we look for when someone calls us out.

• Lights dim or flicker when you use another appliance

• Outlets feel warm or spark

• Breakers trip over and over again

• Two-prong outlets (no ground)

• Wiring that looks old — cloth or aluminum

• Or, worst of all, that faint “burned” smell near an outlet or panel

If any of that sounds familiar, it’s not something to ignore. We’ve opened panels that looked fine from the outside but had half-melted breakers behind the cover. Fort Myers heat and humidity speed up corrosion — and that means loose, unsafe connections.

One thing we always tell folks: electricity doesn’t “age gracefully.” It either works right or it doesn’t.

If your inspection turns up older aluminum branch circuits instead of copper, this Fort Myers guide to aluminum to copper walks through when targeted pigtailing is enough and when a full rewire is the safer call.

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What a Full Rewire Really Means

A rewire isn’t about ripping down walls and chaos everywhere. It’s more like surgery — clean, careful, step-by-step.

We pull new copper wire through existing paths wherever we can. We replace old outlets, switches, and junctions. If the panel’s outdated or undersized, we upgrade it — most of the older homes here only have 100 amps, and that’s barely enough to run a pool pump and an air handler these days.

We go circuit by circuit, room by room. We’ll be honest — it’s not a quick fix. But when it’s done, you’ve basically hit the reset button on your whole electrical system.

We always keep things livable while we’re working. You’ll still have power in parts of the house while we tackle the others. We’ve gotten pretty good at that after years of rewiring homes while families still lived in them.

If you’re also thinking about future remodels or additions, our Fort Myers article on pre-wire vs retrofit explains how wiring during construction compares to upgrading later once the walls are closed up.

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Why It’s Worth the Effort

Here’s the deal: a rewire isn’t cheap. But it’s one of those things that pays you back quietly every day.

Safety first. That’s the big one. Old wires get brittle, insulation breaks down, and those loose connections build heat. Once we rewire, those risks are gone. No more mystery sparks or flickers.

Modern power. Older homes were never built for what we use now. We’ve seen 50-year-old bedrooms sharing a circuit with a fridge and two TVs. A rewire fixes that. You’ll finally have the outlets and amperage to use your home comfortably.

Insurance. This one’s practical. Some companies flat-out refuse to cover homes with aluminum or cloth wiring. Once you’ve got new copper throughout, that problem disappears.

Resale. “Completely rewired” is a huge selling point. Buyers know it’s one of the biggest safety upgrades you can make.

And maybe the most underrated benefit? Peace of mind. No more wondering if that warm outlet is harmless or a ticking time bomb.

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A Real Job Example

We worked on a home off McGregor Boulevard last year. 1971 build. Nice place — terrazzo floors, big oak in the yard. The owners said their lights dimmed every time the pool pump came on.

We popped the panel open and it was a mix of aluminum and copper with old twist-on connectors. Not great. The insulation on some wires had hardened like chalk.

We rewired the whole place with copper, upgraded to a 200-amp service, and added surge protection for good measure. By the end, their lights stopped dimming, and their insurance company even lowered their premium.

When we were wrapping up, the homeowner said, “You know, I didn’t realize how bad it was until you fixed it.” We hear that a lot.

For a second real-world look at what starting fresh can do for an older Florida house, this Naples Park whole-home rewire case study shows how new copper wiring and a panel upgrade changed day-to-day life for that family.

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What It Costs

Every home’s different, but most full rewires in the Fort Myers area run somewhere between $8,000 and $20,000. Depends on square footage, attic access, and how the original wiring’s laid out.

That’s not pocket change, but here’s how we look at it: people spend that much on flooring, cabinets, or a new roof. None of those things will save your house from an electrical fire.

If budget’s tight, we’ll phase it out. Safety circuits first, then the rest over time. No sense doing it all at once if it strains you — as long as we fix what’s risky right away.

If seeing those numbers has you thinking about other projects too, our Fort Myers-focused upgrades FAQ answers common questions about costs, timelines, and how to decide what to tackle first.

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Partial Rewires

Sometimes we don’t need to do the whole thing. Maybe the bedrooms were updated years ago but the kitchen and living room are still original. In those cases, we’ll do a partial rewire — replace the worst sections and tie them cleanly into the panel.

You still get new, safe wiring where it matters most, and you can come back to the rest later.

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What It’s Like Working With Us

At Coharbor Electric, we treat rewiring like a partnership. You’ll always know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and what it’ll cost before we start.

We’ve done this for a long time around Fort Myers, so we know what we’re dealing with — moisture, salt air, and older block construction. We use corrosion-resistant connectors, and we plan ahead for your future needs.

When we leave, we don’t just give you power; we give you peace of mind. Every outlet, every breaker, every circuit labeled and tested.

And yes — we clean up before we go. You won’t find drywall dust in your toaster.

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Wrapping It Up

So, is a full rewire worth it in Fort Myers homes?
Yeah. It is — if your wiring’s old or unsafe. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the kind of upgrade that keeps everything else running smooth for decades.

If you’re not sure where you stand, start with an inspection. We’ll check your panel, test your circuits, and tell you exactly what’s going on.

👉 Call Coharbor Electric today to schedule your inspection or consultation. We’ll walk you through it all in plain language and help you figure out if a full rewire—or maybe just a phased one—is right for your home.