Updated October 2026
Straight answer
Yes. We handle electrical work across Somerville, and a lot of it is knob and tube removal and partial or full rewiring in older triple-deckers and two-families. When an insulation contractor flags live knob and tube, we confirm which runs still carry power, replace them with grounded cable, and tell you when the attic and walls are clear for insulation. Phones are answered 24/7.
Why insulation stops at live knob and tube
Knob and tube was designed to shed heat into open air. The conductors run on porcelain knobs, spaced apart, with nothing around them. Pack blown-in insulation over that wire and it can no longer cool itself, which is why weatherization programs treat live knob and tube as a barrier. The same old runs often have brittle cloth insulation, no ground, and splices that someone added decades later with friction tape.
The first visit is about finding out what is actually live. In a Somerville triple-decker, one unit may be fully rewired while the unit below still feeds its bedroom ceiling lights from original wire. We test from the panel and at the fixtures, follow the runs in the attic and basement, and give you a written list of what remains and what it serves. That list is what the insulation contractor needs to move forward.
Somerville triple-deckers and the insulation question
Somerville streets are lined mostly with three-unit wood houses, and like Cambridge, the city is trying to make room for more. Rewiring one means three sets of plaster walls, three panels and a single attic that sits over the top unit only. If old knob and tube up there is still energized, the Mass Save program will not blow in insulation until those circuits are retired or replaced. So the upstairs owner who wants a warmer winter usually starts with us. We trace every live run, replace it, and leave notes the insulation contractor can work from.
Rewiring a flat without gutting it
Full gut renovations are the easy case. Most of our Somerville rewiring happens in occupied homes, with plaster walls people want to keep. We fish new cable from the basement and attic, use closets and baseboards as paths, and cut small, square openings only where we have to. Each opening is placed so a plasterer can close it quickly. Old wire we cannot pull is cut dead at both ends and tagged.
Rewiring is also the moment to add what the old system never had: grounded outlets, AFCI and GFCI protection where current code calls for it, more kitchen circuits, and a panel that matches the new load. If the unit is heading toward a heat pump or an induction range, we size those circuits now so the walls are not opened twice. We can phase the work room by room when that suits the household.
Partial removal or a full rewire?
Not every house needs everything replaced at once. If the knob and tube is limited to a few attic runs feeding top floor ceiling lights, replacing those circuits may clear the barrier without touching the rest. If original wire still feeds outlets across two floors, patching around it tends to cost more over time than one planned rewire. We show you which situation you are in before you commit.
A partial job still gets a full look at the panel and the grounding, since new circuits need somewhere sound to land. In older Somerville buildings we often find a fuse panel or an early breaker panel serving one unit, and that piece may need to change along with the wiring. We put both options on paper so you can compare scope rather than guess.
What Somerville homeowners call us for
Knob & Tube Wiring Replacement
Finding and replacing live runs so insulation work can go ahead.
Whole-House Rewiring
Room by room rewires in occupied flats with original plaster.
Fuse Box Replacement
Old fuse panels that often sit behind the same original wiring.
GFCI & AFCI Protection
Protection added to kitchens, baths and bedrooms as circuits are replaced.
Triple-Decker & Multi-Family Electrical
Shared meters and house circuits that come into play during a rewire.
Electrical Safety Inspection
A written list of what is live and what it feeds, before anyone quotes.
Tell us what is happening and where. We answer day and night.
Call (617) 843-6591Knob and tube questions from Somerville
We test which runs are still live and what they feed, then quote replacing them. Once the live wire is replaced or confirmed dead, the insulation work can continue. We give you a written summary you can pass to the contractor.
Yes. We work room by room, restore power at the end of each day where we can, and keep openings in the plaster small and planned. Expect some dust and limited use of the rooms we are working in.
Wire that is disconnected at both ends carries no current, so it cannot overheat. We confirm it is truly dead, cut and tag it, and leave it in place when pulling it out would mean opening more plaster.
Usually not, because each unit has its own panel. Shared items such as hallway lights, the basement and the house meter may come into the plan, and we coordinate any brief outage with the other owners.
Yes. Phones are answered 24/7, and an electrician can come out for anything urgent, such as a hot outlet, a burning smell or circuits that suddenly went dead.