How to tell it's time for a replacement
- aluminium wiring — standard from the 60s-80s; aluminium "flows" at connections, which loosen and heat up over time;
- sockets without an earth pin (no protective conductor) — today's household appliances and electronics assume earthing;
- two-wire installation with a "borrowed neutral" — a common practice in pre-war tenement houses that prevents proper RCD installation;
- fuse wire instead of circuit breakers, no RCD, crumbling insulation;
- recurring faults that are "invisible" — before you start guessing, see what measurements show.
The scale of the issue in our region is enormous. For example: according to Wałbrzych's housing stock management programme for 2024–2028, over 90% of buildings wholly owned by the municipality were built before 1945 (data concerns municipal stock, not the entire city — but it clearly shows the age of local buildings). The city centres of Świdnica, Świebodzice, and Dzierżoniów look similar.
All at once or in stages?
Replacing "all at once" is the cheapest per point and best when the flat is already undergoing a general renovation or is temporarily empty. But in an occupied property, phased replacement works perfectly — provided the stages are arranged in the correct order:
- Stage 1: consumer unit and property supply — a new distribution board with RCD and proper protection immediately increases the safety of the rest of the installation;
- Stage 2: kitchen and bathroom — rooms with water and the largest loads (induction hob, washing machine, boiler); this is usually combined with the renovation of these rooms;
- Stage 3: rooms — successively, according to renovation rhythm and budget.
We conclude each stage with measurements and documentation, so at any given moment, it is clear what is new and what is pending. Such a plan can be implemented for years without living on a construction site.
How we work in an occupied flat
Chasing and chiselling always create dust — but there's a difference between renovation and disaster: we protect furniture and floors with foil, work room by room, and electricity in the rest of the flat works every evening. In a tenement house, cooperation with the administrator is added — from approvals to the condition of risers and the main supply cable (we write about why this is important in a separate guide on main supply cables). You can see how such work looks on a large scale in the case study of modernising a tenement house from 1920 — 48 flats.
Don't know where to start? Start with a diagnosis including measurements and a plan of stages with a separate valuation for each — then you make decisions based on numbers, not fear. Larger works can be spread over 0% instalments (PayU). Book a diagnosis.
