Leichhardt
ElectricianSwitchboards, Safety Switches & EV

Leichhardt grew up around Norton Street and Parramatta Road, and its streets still show every stage of that history: single-fronted Victorian terraces near the Annandale border, Federation cottages towards Lilyfield, interwar semis and a band of post-war brick houses and walk-up flats. The Italian cafés and the Italian Forum give the suburb its reputation, but for an electrician it is the age and variety of the housing that matters.

The 2021 Census counted 15,158 residents. 36.5% of dwellings were separate houses, 33.6% were semis, terraces or townhouses and 29.0% were flats, so no single type dominates. About 40.4% of homes were rented, and the median age was 37.

A typical Leichhardt call starts with a renovation. Someone is opening up a back wall for a kitchen extension and wants to know whether the old circuits can stay. Often they can't: we still see lighting runs with no earth, porcelain fuse carriers and boards mounted on old fibre-cement panels at the front door. We test before we quote, then plan the new cabling while the walls and ceilings are open, which is far cheaper in effort than coming back after the plasterer.

Parking and access shape the day too. Many houses have no side access, so materials come through the front door and the hallway, and we lay down drop sheets before anything else. In the semis, the switchboard can sit on a shared wall, and we check that nothing on the neighbour's side is affected before work starts.

More on wiring in Leichhardt

Terraces were built before household electricity was common, so every circuit in them has been added later, often more than once. We still find rubber-insulated cable in roof spaces, lighting with no earth, and switchboards mounted on old asbestos panels at the front of the house.

Access is the tricky part. Shared walls, tight roof spaces and lath-and-plaster ceilings mean cable routes have to be planned carefully to avoid damage. Rewiring is often best done in stages or during a renovation, when floors and walls are open.

We inspect first, explain what is safe to keep and what should be replaced, and put it in a written quote. If the house is heritage-listed or in a conservation area, we work around visible fittings and details. All work is tested and certified on completion.

Figures: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Leichhardt.

Common jobs in Leichhardt

• Staged rewiring – done room by room during a renovation
• Switchboard replacement – including boards on old fibre-cement panels
• Induction cooktop circuits – for kitchen extensions
• Ceiling fans – in upstairs bedrooms of two-storey terraces

No power or a burning smell in Leichhardt? See our 24/7 Inner West emergency electrician page, or call 0421 772 661.