Unfortunately, it 'isn't possible to rewire without damaging existing walls. It is almost always the case that opening of walls is required to run cables. Our electricians use a specialist chasing tool which cuts a 50mm wide, 40mm deep opening along the walls and allows for cable access.
Our team are skilled in keeping damage to a minimum and keeping repair costs down for re-plastering walls. We will only remove plaster where necessary for the rewire and we can discuss the likely routes before we start. Rewiring a house by nature a messy job and our team are all equipped with dust sheets and hoovers to clear up at the end of each day and keep this mess to a minimum.
Can you rewire a house without removing drywall?
It is almost always necessary to cause some damage to a stud / drywall to install cables. In more modern houses, it is possible to run the cables using rods and cameras.
Where the walls have been drywalled with drywall adhesive (commonly known as dot & dab) it may be possible to rod behind the plaster, which means no chasing is requires. However, there may be timber noggins or adhesive blocking the route for the cable in which case we would need to chases in the walls.
Can you rewire a house without removing plaster?
In nearly all rewires, we need to remove some plaster to remove old cables and put the new cables in place. It's very rare that walls and ceilings need completely removing, we usually just remove a small amount of plaster allowing for easy repair. A plasterer would then bond and skim over the cables ready for re-decoration.
When we do need to put chases in the walls, we use a chasing tool which cuts a 50mm wide, 40mm deep opening down the walls and allow for cable access. A plasterer would then need to come and repair these, ready for decoration.