Thorndon was Wellington's elite residential area until the 1960s, when the urban motorway was cut through it. Today it is mostly villas, concentrated at the north end of Tinakori Road and along Hobson Street, with cottages on the slopes behind the Tinakori Road shops and multi-unit buildings scattered through the area.
Villas and cottages this old have usually been rewired at least once, though not always completely. We test the installation, find out what each circuit is really running on and tell you whether a full rewire, a partial rewire or a new switchboard makes the most sense for your plans.
Common Home Types in Thorndon
Thorndon's character houses have painted rusticated weatherboard walls and corrugated iron roofs, sit close to the street and have narrow side yards and small rear yards. Inside, wiring often shows a century of change: original rubber-insulated cable in a back bedroom, newer plastic-sheathed cable in the kitchen and a switchboard that has been patched as circuits were added. Rubber-insulated wiring should be replaced, not extended. A subfloor and ceiling space usually give us room to rewire with little disturbance to the linings. Apartments and multi-unit buildings follow body corporate rules for any work on shared parts of the building.
What Thorndon Conditions Mean for Your Wiring
Thorndon sits on the narrow coastal plain at the northern end of central Wellington, with Te Ahumairangi Hill rising about 300 metres behind it and the Wellington Fault scarp visible nearby. The steeper streets south of Harriet Street mix very large and very small sites, so cable routes to garages and outbuildings vary a lot. Houses sit close together and close to the street, which limits where outdoor lights and meter boxes can go, and most parking is on the street, so a home EV charger only works where there is off-street space. If your house is in a character precinct, check the District Plan before changing anything on the street front.
Electrical Services in Thorndon
- Emergency Electrician: Power out, sparks, a burning smell or a breaker that will not reset?
- Electrical Repairs: Tripping RCDs, dead power points, flickering lights and faulty switches traced to the cause and repaired, not just reset.
- Switchboard Upgrades: Old fuse boards replaced with a modern switchboard, circuit breakers and RCD protection, inspected and certified.
- House Rewiring: Full and partial rewires for villas, bungalows and older homes, replacing tired rubber-insulated or overloaded wiring.
- Power Points: Extra power points, USB sockets, outdoor weatherproof outlets and new circuits for heat pumps, spa pools and workshops.
- Extractor Fans: Bathroom extractor fans and kitchen rangehoods wired and ducted outside, to move steam and damp out of the house.
- CCTV Installation: Home and business security cameras and CCTV, wired or wifi, with recorder setup, outdoor cabling and phone viewing.
- Oven and Cooktop Installation: Ovens, induction cooktops and new kitchen circuits connected safely, including upgrades from gas or older electric hobs.
- Electrical Inspections: Electrical safety inspections and pre-purchase checks with a written report, covering the switchboard, wiring, RCDs and earthing.
- Smoke Alarm Installation: Hard-wired and long-life photoelectric smoke alarms installed in the right places, including rentals that must comply.
- LED Lighting: LED downlights, pendant and feature lighting, dimmers and smart switches, planned around how each room is used.
- Outdoor Lighting: Garden, deck, driveway and security lighting, with sensors and timers, wired safely for the outdoors.
- EV Charger Installation: Home EV chargers installed on a dedicated, properly protected circuit, with a switchboard check and certificate.
- Solar Panels: Solar panel systems and home batteries sized to your power use, installed and connected by licensed electricians.
- Commercial Electrician: Maintenance, fit-outs, lighting upgrades and fault finding for offices, shops, clinics and light industrial sites.
- Test and Tag: Portable appliance testing and tagging for workplaces, with a full register of results for your records.
- Data Cabling: Network and data cabling for homes and offices: Cat6 points, comms cabinets, wifi access points and TV outlets.
Not sure what you need? Read the electrician prices guide or book an electrician in Thorndon.
Working in Thorndon
Steep, forested Te Ahumairangi Hill rises about 300 metres behind Thorndon, and after severe storms in 2004 its lower slopes were cleared and replanted with native trees.
Building the motorway in the 1960s destroyed many graves in the historic Bolton Street Cemetery, and 3,693 early settlers were reinterred in a mass grave.
You will often see our vans near Old St Paul's and Parliament Buildings on the way to a job in Thorndon.
Electrician Thorndon FAQs
Does my Thorndon villa still have rubber wiring?
It might, at least in places. Many villas were partly rewired over the years and still have rubber-insulated cable in the ceiling or under the floor. We check every circuit and show you what we find before recommending anything.
Can I have an EV charger without off-street parking?
A home charger needs a parking space on your own property, close enough to run a dedicated circuit from your board. A charger has to be on your own property. If you have a garage or a pad on the section, we can assess it.
Is rewiring a villa very disruptive?
Less than most people expect. Villas usually have a subfloor and a ceiling space, so we can run most new cable without opening walls. We plan the work room by room so you can keep living in the house.
Will I get a Certificate of Compliance?
Yes, for any new or altered fixed wiring. If the work includes a new main switchboard, a licensed electrical inspector checks it too, and you receive a record of inspection.