Across Melbourne, there are plenty of older properties and heritage-listed apartments, and many of them are built with double-brick walls. Double-brick apartments are known for their durability, insulation, and timeless appeal.
However, when it comes to electrical upgrades, their solid construction can often present unique challenges. Unlike modern homes with wall cavities that allow easy access for cabling, double-brick properties often require more planning, labour, and compliance considerations to complete a safe and effective rewiring project.
Whether renovating an older apartment, upgrading outdated wiring, or preparing a property for modern electrical demands, understanding the challenges involved can help you avoid costly surprises. Here are some key considerations property managers and homeowners should keep in mind when organising a house rewiring service for their double-brick apartments.
1. Wall Construction & Cable Routing
Rewiring double-brick apartments can be challenging due to their solid walls and lack of cavities. Successfully rewiring these spaces requires careful planning and meticulous attention to detail.
Internal Walls
The internal double brick walls are solid. As such, rewiring can be a slow and messy job. Electricians must cut channels into the brickwork to lay conduits, which can be noisy, create significant dust, and require patching and re-plastering when finished.
External Walls
External brick walls typically have a gap between the two brick layers. This can make things easier for electricians since they can typically fish cables down this cavity to avoid cutting into more brick. However, blockages from mortar debris and dust can make this difficult, so professionals will need to be extra diligent to keep the worksite clean and unobstructed.
2. Strata & Body Corporate Rules
If your double-brick apartments are part of a strata or corporate body, there are additional compliance considerations. This is especially true for older properties that may require substantial upgrades.
Common Property
In Victoria, structural brick walls and electrical risers are considered common property, meaning they are not included in individual lots. As such, strata managers must get formal Strata Committee Approval before chasing walls or altering the main switchboard during a rewiring.
Compliance & Heritage
Older apartments (such as Art Deco or mid-century Victorian blocks) may have heritage status, requiring extra steps with the local council to be cleared for safety. Your electrician must ensure that the work complies with the House Rewiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000) to keep occupants safe and protect the building.
3. Switchboard & Power Upgrades
It’s one thing to rewire a house, but the entire process is also dependent upon both system capacity and safety switch loadout. If both the electrical capacity and safety switches are insufficient, then they must be resolved before any real rewiring work can be done.
Capacity Concerns
Older buildings and apartments often run on a single phase with low amp limits. If you are renovating a kitchen or replacing gas appliances with electric ones, like an induction cooktop, you may need a three-phase upgrade. Otherwise, your apartment won’t be able to handle the capacity of new upgrades or modern appliances.
Safety Switches
Modern compliance standards require RCDs on all circuits. Older double-brick apartments may still feature outdated switchboards with ceramic fuses. These older systems must be fully replaced with new safety switches immediately before any rewiring begins.
4. Health & Safety Concerns
While older double-brick apartments have their charms, there can also be real safety concerns when rewiring a 1960s/1970s brick apartment. Asbestos and fire protections are two major considerations to make when attempting to upgrade older properties.
Asbestos Danger
Apartments built before 1990 may contain asbestos in switchboard backings, vinyl flooring, or the eaves. A professional inspection and potential removal by a licensed asbestos removalist will be required before major electrical work can be executed. This can add substantial time and cost to your house rewiring project.
Fire Separations
Working with brick can be tricky since its structural integrity is critical to reserving its fire safety rating. Drilling or cutting through fire-rated brick or concrete requires certified fire-stopping to ensure the fire rating of the apartment remains intact.
5. Cost & Time Requirements
No two house rewiring services will likely cost the same due to different needs. The time required for these projects can also differ between apartments depending on what is required.
Higher Labour Costs
Due to the difficulty of routing wires through solid brick, double-brick apartment rewiring can cost anywhere from $7000 to $25,000+ AUD, depending on the size of the apartment and the extent of the finishes required. Of course, this can vary due to multiple factors. So please make sure you reach out for a free quote
Surface Repairs
When planning to rewire a double-brick apartment, be sure to factor in the cost of cleaning and surface repairs. Chased walls will require plastering, skimming, and repainting when the rewiring is complete so that things look just as they did before work began.
What a Double-Brick Apartment Rewiring Actually Fixes
A house rewiring service replaces aged cable with modern PVC-sheathed conductors and upgrades outdated electrical switchboards so that circuits and RCDs are correctly labelled and protected. This makes it easier to install new upgrades in the home, such as air conditioning and ceiling fans.
After a rewiring service, you will notice…
- Safety switches that trip fast on a fault
- Consistent power to appliances
- No more dimming lights
- Sufficient capacity for modern appliances and upgrades
- Clear labelling and tidy wiring
Make Your Double-Brick Apartment Safer & More Reliable
Rewiring a double-brick apartment is rarely a simple project. Between solid brick construction, strata requirements, health and safety risks, and fire-rating compliance, it takes careful planning and experienced electrical professionals to ensure the work is completed safely and correctly.
Whether you’re managing an ageing apartment block or upgrading a single unit, investing in a professional house rewiring service can improve safety, increase electrical capacity, and help future-proof the property for modern living.
If you’re considering rewiring a double-brick apartment, contact our team for a free quote. We can assess your existing electrical system, explain your options, and provide expert advice to help you plan a safe, compliant, and cost-effective upgrade.
If you’re ready to make your double-brick apartment safer and more reliable, call us at Approved Electrix to futureproof your property today!
