Santa Clara County
Whole-House Rewiring in Los Gatos, CA
Rewiring is where Los Gatos's age really shows.
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Serving homes and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz.
(650) 550-0719Fox Electric is the marketing name of Fox Global Holdings LLC. CSLB #1145945, C-10.
Whole-House Rewiring for Los Gatos Properties
Rewiring is where Los Gatos's age really shows. The Almond Grove and downtown Victorians and Craftsmans date to the 1890s through the 1920s, and a fair number still have knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring tucked behind plaster walls and original wood trim. That wiring did its job for a century, but it has no ground, the insulation gets brittle, and insurers increasingly want it gone before they'll write or renew a policy. The challenge in these homes isn't the wiring itself so much as getting to it without tearing apart the architectural details that make a downtown Los Gatos home worth owning. Fox Electric rewires these properties by fishing new copper through walls and floors, opening as few sections of plaster as we can, and preserving the trim, picture rails, and built-ins wherever possible. We replace knob-and-tube, aluminum, or cloth wiring with modern copper branch circuits, add the GFCI and AFCI protection current code requires, and swap the old fuse box for a proper 200-amp panel in the same project. When we're done you get insurance-ready documentation of the work, which for many Los Gatos homeowners is the whole reason the rewire started. We'll always tell you if targeted repairs make more sense than a full rewire, too.
A whole-house rewire in Los Gatos requires a building permit and electrical inspection from the Town of Los Gatos, or from Santa Clara County for unincorporated hillside homes, and insurers often want proof the old wiring is gone. The downtown Almond Grove Victorians and Craftsmans are the main rewire candidates, and their plaster walls and original trim mean access has to be planned carefully to avoid needless damage. Hillside estates with long runs and outbuildings add scope. We scope the access points before quoting so there are no surprises mid-project.
Electrical project resources for Los Gatos
Los Gatos lists certain residential electrical service panels in its online permit tools, but eligibility also depends on town jurisdiction and the actual scope. A mailing address alone does not settle the permit authority. Public permit history is available online for more recent records, while older work may require a Building Division records request before planning a panel or rewire project.
Use the town's linked decision tool to establish the correct permit type and check whether the parcel is in town jurisdiction.
Prepare the permit number, address, inspection type, and contact details needed to schedule an inspection.
Official source checked September 12, 2026.
Why Fox Electric
Match the Scope to the Property
A house, condominium, and small commercial space can have different access, ownership, and approval requirements.
Permit coordination for Los Gatos
We confirm the project address, proposed work, and current local instructions before identifying the applicable permit and inspection steps. Utility participation is scoped separately when the project requires it.
Licensed C-10 Electrical Contractor
Fox Electric · Fox Global Holdings LLC · CSLB #1145945
Los Gatos FAQ
Can you rewire my 1900s downtown Los Gatos home without wrecking the plaster and trim?
That's exactly the kind of work these Almond Grove and downtown homes need. We fish new copper through walls and floors using existing cavities and access points, opening as little plaster as possible, and we protect original trim, picture rails, and built-ins. Some patching is unavoidable on a full rewire, but careful planning keeps it to a minimum.
My insurer flagged knob-and-tube wiring. Will rewiring fix that?
Yes, and for a lot of Los Gatos homeowners that's the trigger for the whole project. We replace knob-and-tube, cloth, or aluminum wiring with modern grounded copper, add GFCI and AFCI protection, and provide insurance-ready documentation of the completed work and passed inspection. That paperwork is usually what your carrier needs to write or renew the policy.
Do I have to move out during a Los Gatos rewire?
Usually not. We plan rewires in stages to keep power and essential circuits live where possible, so most homeowners stay in the house. On larger downtown homes or hillside estates with a lot of scope, we'll walk you through which areas are affected when, so you can plan around the work.
Is a full rewire always necessary, or can you just fix the bad parts?
Not always necessary. Sometimes only part of a home has problem wiring, and targeted repairs or partial rewiring solves it without the cost and disruption of a whole-house job. We assess the existing wiring during the walkthrough and tell you honestly whether a full rewire is warranted or whether a smaller scope does the job.
Does the rewire include a new panel?
It typically does. Homes old enough to need rewiring usually still have a fuse box or an undersized panel, so we replace it with a 200-amp breaker panel as part of the same project. That gives you GFCI and AFCI protection, proper grounding, and capacity for modern loads, all closed out under one Town of Los Gatos permit.
Does a rewire in a Los Gatos historic district need design review?
Interior rewiring does not change the exterior, but the Town has adopted historic district guidelines for Almond Grove, Broadway, Fairview Plaza, University-Edelen and the Downtown Commercial district, and a new exterior meter main or conduit on a street-facing wall in those districts should be checked against them before the panel location is fixed.
How old are the houses that typically need rewiring in Los Gatos?
The Town considers any home built before 1941 historic, and its historic districts date from 1880 (the University-Edelen subdivision) and 1883 (Broadway). Fairview Plaza has about three quarters of its houses built before 1900. Wiring in those houses predates grounding, GFCI and AFCI protection, and often predates breakers entirely.
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Whole-House Rewiring in Los Gatos
Choose a service, enter the project city, and share any details that may help us understand the work. You can edit these fields before sending the form.
Ask about the scope and fee for an assessment, diagnosis, or inspection before booking.
(650) 550-0719Related electrical guides
Continue with a guide that addresses the next planning decision.
Home Wiring
Whole-Home Rewiring: When It Makes Sense and What the Scope Should Include
A rewire should follow evidence about the existing circuits and future needs. Define what gets replaced, what remains, and how the home will be restored.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Knob-and-Tube Wiring: Assessing Condition and Planning Replacement
Building age alone is not a diagnosis. Identify active wiring, its condition, and the scope needed for your renovation.
Read the guide