Whole-House Rewiring in Mountain View, CA

Telltale signs in those 1940s and 50s cottages are two-prong ungrounded outlets, a fuse box instead of breakers, cloth-covered wires visible in the basement or attic, and warm switch plates. We do a walkthrough and check actual conditions rather than guessing from the home's age, then tell you whether it is a full rewire, a partial one, or just a few problem circuits.

Not necessarily. A lot of 1960s Cuesta Park and Waverly Park homes have aluminum branch wiring, and in many cases the safe, cheaper fix is pigtailing the connections with approved copper-to-aluminum connectors at every device rather than rewiring the whole house. We assess the condition and tell you honestly which approach your home actually needs.

Rarely. We fish new copper through existing wall cavities and use attics, closets, and crawlspaces as access points, opening drywall only where there is no other path. The 1940s plaster-and-lath walls common in Old Mountain View take more care than newer drywall, but we still keep the patching to a minimum and repair what we open.

Yes. A rewire requires a building permit and electrical inspection through the City of Mountain View, and Fox Electric pulls and closes both out. Insurers frequently ask for proof the old knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring was replaced, so we leave you with the closed permit and documentation they will accept.

Whether you can remain in the home depends on the circuit plan, work areas and duration of outages. Discuss phased work and the availability of essential circuits before authorizing a rewire. Any PG&E disconnect and city inspection need to be coordinated; a single outage day cannot be assumed.

Old Mountain View first: its street grid was mapped in the 1870s and the neighborhood has had its own preservation plan since 1991, so this is where pre-1950 wiring and fuse services turn up. The 1950s ranch houses in Blossom Valley more often need a panel and added circuits than a full tear-out. Monta Loma and Bell Meadows Eichlers rarely need a complete rewire but need careful routing because there is no attic.

Longer than an EV or panel permit. Residential remodel permits get a two-part review: the city confirms the application is complete within about 3 weeks, then runs code review in roughly 4 to 6 weeks depending on scope. We submit the plan set through ProjectDox with the load calculation and circuit schedule so the completeness step passes the first time.