Most electricians will tell you they need to cut open your walls to replace knob and tube wiring. That’s how they’ve always done it. But if you own a historic home in Newport with original horsehair plaster, that approach creates a bigger problem than it solves.
You’re left with walls that need plastering, painting, and repairs that rarely match the original finish. The cost adds up fast. The timeline stretches. And you’re stuck managing multiple contractors just to get your home back to where it was before the work started.
Our camera-based system changes that. We insert a specialized camera through your existing outlets to locate the old wiring, inspect for damage, and remove it without opening your walls. If there’s any impact at all, it’s minimal—maybe a small access point here or there. No demolition. No drywall dust covering your furniture. No expensive plaster repairs that never quite look right.
You get a fully upgraded electrical system that meets code, satisfies your insurance company, and keeps your home’s original character completely intact.
We’ve been working in Rhode Island’s historic homes for years. We’re not a general contractor trying to figure out how to handle horsehair plaster. We’ve built our process specifically around preserving the architectural details that make Newport homes worth protecting in the first place.
Newport has over 126 properties listed on the National Register. These aren’t just old houses—they’re Colonial-era homes and Gilded Age estates that deserve more than a sledgehammer approach to electrical work. That’s why we developed a camera inspection system that no other electrician in the area uses.
We’re licensed Master Electricians and members of the Rhode Island Electrical Inspectors IAEI Roger Williams Chapter. Our work is fully documented, code-compliant, and built to last. When we finish a job, your insurance company gets the proof they need, and you get the peace of mind you’re looking for.
We start with a camera inspection. We insert a specialized camera system through your existing outlets and feed it into the walls. This lets us see exactly where the knob and tube wiring runs, check for any damage from rodents or age, and locate hidden junction boxes or open joints that need attention.
Once we map out the system, we remove the old wiring using the same access points—your outlets. There’s no need to cut into walls or ceilings because we’re working from the inside. The camera shows us what we need to see, and our tools do the rest.
After the old wiring is out, we install new wiring that meets current electrical code. That includes a modern electrical panel with proper circuit breakers, grounded outlets throughout your home, and enough capacity to handle today’s appliances and electronics. Everything is tested, inspected, and documented.
The whole process typically takes one to three weeks depending on the size of your home. You won’t need to hire a plasterer or painter to fix walls afterward because there’s nothing to fix. Your home looks the same when we leave—just safer and fully up to code.
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Newport’s housing stock is older than most cities in the country. If your home was built before 1950, there’s a strong chance it still has knob and tube wiring somewhere in the walls. That’s not just an inconvenience—it’s a real issue when it comes to insurance coverage and safety.
Most insurance companies in Rhode Island won’t cover homes with active knob and tube wiring. If they do, they’ll give you 30 days to remove it or they’ll cancel your policy. Forced-place insurance can cost three times what you’re paying now, and it offers far less protection. If you’re trying to sell your home, buyers won’t be able to get a mortgage or insurance until the wiring is replaced.
Then there’s the question of how to replace it without destroying your home in the process. Horsehair plaster is incredibly difficult to repair or match. Most contractors don’t know how to work with it, and the ones who do charge a premium. If an electrician cuts into your walls the traditional way, you’re looking at extensive plaster and paint work that rarely blends seamlessly with the original finish.
That’s where our camera system makes the difference. You get full code compliance, insurance approval, and a safer electrical system—without sacrificing the historic details that make your Newport home valuable in the first place.
Not with our process. Traditional electricians cut open walls and ceilings to access old wiring, which means your horsehair plaster gets damaged and needs repair. That’s expensive and difficult because horsehair plaster is nearly impossible to match perfectly.
We use a camera system that goes through your existing outlets. We can see inside the walls, locate the wiring, and remove it without cutting anything open. If we need a small access point, it’s minimal—nothing like the demolition you’d see with a conventional approach.
Your plaster stays intact. You don’t need to hire a plasterer or painter. And your home keeps its original finish and character.
We insert a specialized camera through your outlets and feed it into the wall cavities. The camera gives us a clear view of where the knob and tube wiring runs, how it’s connected, and whether there’s any damage from rodents, moisture, or age.
This lets us map out the entire system before we start any removal work. We can spot covered junction boxes, open joints, or other issues that wouldn’t be visible otherwise. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we remove the old wiring using the same access points.
No other electrician in Newport uses this system. It’s what allows us to complete the job without opening your walls.
Most jobs take between one and three weeks depending on the size of your home and how extensive the old wiring system is. We’re not cutting into walls, so we don’t need extra time for demolition or repairs afterward.
The timeline includes the camera inspection, removal of the old wiring, installation of new code-compliant wiring, a new electrical panel, and final testing and inspection. Everything is documented so your insurance company has proof the work was done by a licensed electrician and passed inspection.
You can stay in your home during the work. There’s no drywall dust, no major disruption, and no need to move furniture or cover everything in plastic.
Yes. We provide complete documentation that shows a licensed Master Electrician performed the work and that it passed inspection. That’s what your insurance company needs to reinstate or approve coverage.
Most insurers in Rhode Island either refuse to cover homes with knob and tube wiring or require removal within 30 days of issuing a policy. Once the upgrade is complete and documented, coverage is typically restored immediately.
We’re fully licensed and insured, and we’re members of the Rhode Island Electrical Inspectors IAEI Roger Williams Chapter. Our work meets the National Fire Protection Association’s standards and complies with all local electrical codes.
We remove it completely and dispose of it. The camera system lets us trace every run of old wiring so nothing gets left behind in the walls. We also check for covered junction boxes and open joints that could create safety issues down the line.
Once the old system is out, we install new wiring that’s grounded, properly insulated, and rated for modern electrical loads. You’ll get a new electrical panel with circuit breakers, updated outlets throughout your home, and enough capacity to handle everything from air conditioning to kitchen appliances.
The goal is a clean, complete upgrade—not a patchwork fix that leaves old wiring mixed in with new.
The cost depends on the size of your home and how much wiring needs to be replaced. Most projects fall somewhere between a few thousand dollars and the higher end of the typical range for full rewiring jobs.
What you’re not paying for is wall demolition, plaster repair, and repainting. Those costs add up fast with traditional electricians—drywall repair alone can run anywhere from a few hundred to nearly a thousand dollars, and repainting an entire interior averages close to two thousand.
Our camera-based process eliminates those extra expenses. You’re paying for the electrical work itself, not for fixing the damage that other methods create. We can give you a clear estimate after an initial inspection.
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