Federation houses, built roughly around the turn of the twentieth century, are a big part of suburbs like Hurlstone Park, Ashfield, Summer Hill, Haberfield and Croydon. They were designed before most of today's electrical load existed, and many have been rewired in stages since.
Ring 0421 772 661 to talk about your home. Blue Link Electrical is a licensed electrician based in Hurlstone Park, surrounded by these houses.
Very few Federation homes still have their first wiring, but many carry layers from different decades. It's common to find a newer section of PVC cable joined onto older cable in the roof, circuits extended for a kitchen or bathroom renovation, and a switchboard that has been patched rather than replaced. The installation can work fine day to day while being difficult to trace when something goes wrong.
The houses themselves help and hinder. High ceilings and a raised timber floor with a subfloor space often give reasonable access for new cabling. Solid brick internal walls, decorative plaster ceilings, cornices and ceiling roses mean any new work has to be planned so it doesn't damage features you'd want to keep.
Sections from different eras, sometimes with older rubber-insulated cable still in service. See old wiring in Inner West homes.
Ceramic fuses, few or no safety switches and little room for new circuits.
Original rooms often have one or two power points, leading to adaptors and extension leads.
Kitchens, bathrooms and sunrooms added later, sometimes wired separately from the main house.
The upgrade that makes the most difference is usually the switchboard. Replacing a ceramic fuse board with circuit breakers and RCD protection improves safety and makes room for the circuits a modern household needs. Our switchboard upgrades page explains what's involved.
After that, owners tend to add power points in living rooms and bedrooms, replace old light fittings with LED, install ceiling fans in the high-ceilinged rooms, and run dedicated circuits for air conditioning, induction cooking or an EV charger. With higher ceilings, ceiling fans need a suitable downrod and a solid fixing to the ceiling structure, and the ornate centre rose may need to be worked around rather than removed.
Nuisance tripping after rain is common where outdoor circuits or old cable in damp subfloors are involved. Lights that flicker or circuits that go dead often trace back to a loose or aged joint in the roof space, where earlier extensions were connected. Burnt or brittle cable insulation near light fittings is something we look for, especially where hot old globes were used for decades.
None of these mean the whole house needs rewiring straight away. An electrical safety inspection tells you which parts are sound and which aren't, so you can plan work in a sensible order.
We use the subfloor and roof space for cable routes wherever possible, chase walls only where there's no alternative, and talk through outlet and switch positions before cutting anything. If the house is in a heritage conservation area or heritage listed, external changes such as meter boxes or outdoor lighting may need council consideration, so it's worth checking early.
Every job is tested to AS/NZS 3000 and you receive a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work where required.
Not necessarily. Many have been partly rewired already. An inspection shows which circuits are sound and which need replacing, so you can plan in stages.
Usually, yes. The fan needs a suitable downrod and a secure fixing to the structure, and we work around decorative features wherever we can.
We route cable through the roof space and subfloor where possible to minimise damage, and discuss any wall work before starting.
Often water getting into outdoor fittings or old cable in a damp subfloor. A fault-finding visit pinpoints the circuit.
Yes. NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 332956C, fully insured.
NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 332956C · Fully insured · Since 2016 · Based in Hurlstone Park
Excellent electrician Blue Link Electrical was honest, knowledgeable, and took the time to answer my questions The work was completed quickly without rushing and everything works perfectly Will be using them
Very professional and reliable service. Blue Link Electrical were punctual, friendly, and knew exactly what they were doing. The job was completed to a high standard and the place was left clean. Highly recommend to anyone needing electrical work.
Can't fault the service from Blue Link Electrical From first contact to job completion everything was smooth and professional Quality workmanship and great attention to detail. One of the best trades experiences I've had. Make sure you do them slowly
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