Why are your quotes so far apart?
Usually because they price different jobs. When you’re comparing knob and tube rewiring quotes, look at the totals last. Two careful bidders can land on very different numbers because one priced the K&T circuits and the other priced every circuit in the house.
We replace knob and tube across Cincinnati, Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky at Conflux Cincinnati Knob and Tube, and this guide works for any quotes you’re weighing, ours included.
How do you get every quote on the same scope?
Give every bidder the same list. A written circuit list from an assessment does that: each circuit, its rooms and its status.
- Get one circuit list. From a knob and tube inspection, or from the first bidder’s visit.
- Send it to every bidder. Ask each to price it and to note anything they’d change.
- Ask for the same format. Line items for circuits, panel, permit, patching and records.
- Read the notes as well as the totals. The bidder who spots something the others missed may be the one to hire.
Which lines hide the difference?
Most gaps come from a handful of lines. Put your quotes side by side and check each one.
| Line | What to check | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Circuits replaced | How many, and which rooms | The main unit of work |
| What remains | Whether any K&T stays live, and where | Insurers ask; a “rewire” can still leave ceiling lights on K&T |
| Dead runs | Disconnected at both ends, tested and recorded? | One end isn’t enough; see active versus abandoned K&T |
| Panel and service | Included, excluded or quoted separately | Panel work is a separate scope that can add a large line |
| New circuits | Kitchen, bath and appliance circuits added? | Adds value now; costs more to add later |
| Devices | New receptacles and switches on every replaced circuit? | Old devices on new cable defeat the purpose |
| Permit and inspections | IBI permit, rough-in and final included? | The permit is small; leaving it out is the problem |
| Openings and patching | Counted per room; who patches and to what finish | Often the biggest difference between quotes |
| Protection and cleanup | Floors and furniture covered, dust control | Matters when you’re living there |
| Schedule | Working days, inspection steps, switchover date | Two quotes for the same scope can run very differently |
| Records | Circuit map, panel directory, scope letter, disconnection photos, permit final | Your insurer and any buyer read these |
Who patches the holes, and is it in the price?
That’s the line quotes leave out most, and where surprises come from. One quote may patch to paint-ready; another may leave openings rough for your own plasterer.
Neither is wrong, but they aren’t the same price. Ask each bidder to tell you:
- How many openings they expect in each room
- Whether they patch, and to what finish: rough, patch-ready or painted
- Who matches textured or lath and plaster finishes
Plaster-wall rewiring explains what “patch-ready” means and how we keep openings few.
Which numbers can you check yourself?
Only a few parts of a quote have a public figure. Use them to sanity-check a line, not to judge the total.
| Item | Public figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IBI added-wiring permit, single-family | $120 with processing | IBI fee schedule |
| IBI reinspection | $40 per trip | IBI fee schedule |
| City contractor registration | $130 | City of Cincinnati |
| Electrician mean wage, Cincinnati metro | $32.13 an hour, against $34.37 nationally | BLS |
A wage is what the electrician earns, not what a contractor bills; the billed rate also carries insurance, licensing, vehicles, permits and supervision. So don’t divide a quote by the wage.
What if the bidders disagree about the job itself?
Then you have a scope decision to make before you compare prices. One bidder says rewire everything; another says replace a few circuits now and the rest later. That isn’t a pricing gap.
| If one bidder says | And another says | Ask both |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-house rewire | Partial replacement | Which circuits are live, and what would remain after the partial job? |
| Replace the panel first | Rewire first | Does the panel have space for the new circuits, and does a load calculation call for more service? |
| Repair the damaged section | Replace the circuit | Did you trace and test the rest of the circuit? |
| No openings needed | Openings in several rooms | Where will cable travel where the attic or basement gives no access? |
The answers usually show you which bidder looked harder. Our guide to repair or replacement explains the trade-offs, and K&T and 200-amp service covers the panel question.
What should you ask every bidder?
- What K&T, if any, remains after your job, and where?
- Which openings do you expect in each room, and who closes them?
- Is the IBI permit included, and who opens it?
- What records will I get at the end?
What’s left out, and what’s only a placeholder?
Read the exclusions as carefully as the price. On K&T jobs the common ones are patching and painting, panel or service work, K&T nobody could see until the walls opened, and work near suspect materials such as old attic insulation.
An allowance is a placeholder amount for something nobody knows yet. Ask each bidder how they set it and what happens if it runs over. Our guide on asbestos and K&T covers one common unknown.
How do you choose once the quotes match?
Once the scopes match, price matters, and so does how each bidder answered your questions. Our hiring guide lists the credentials to check and the answers that should worry you.
Want a scope you can send to every bidder? Call (513) 496-2715 to book the tracing visit. Our guide to how long a rewire takes helps you compare the schedules too.