SVreX wrote: No it doesn't. There is no local code. The code is the NEC- the National Electric Code. Some local officials may enforce it better than others, but there is no local electric code.
There are many states or communities that modify the NEC to suit their needs. They may also stick with previous revisions of the NEC rather than accepting the latest version. However, I don't know whether this particular situation (grounding with bx sheathing) is allowed or not for his location.
In reply to stuart in mn:
That is true.
However, generally those modifications are of one of two types- they don't ADOPT new revisions, or they ADD local ordinances. I have never seen a local authority OVERRIDE the NEC (they are much too risk adverse for that).
The law against using MC armor for grounding has been around a long time (maybe 20 years), so I doubt locals find it acceptable.
I most certainly have seen many many local authorities who FAILED to enforce the code.
In reply to Enyar:
Again, need more specifics on the house to say more: a floor plan, panel location and size, existing circuits, number of new circuits required, amount of wall demo needed, etc.
Finding contractors, getting bids and getting them all coordinated to do the work within a 60 day total timespan could be a challenge.
Thanks for the heads up. It does sound like a nightmare but I'm thinking it's not a reason to write off buying the home. Just something I need to factor in when making an offer.
I'll post a rendering of floor plan later.
If you used a contractor, they would probably estimate around $5,000 to do it. A small team of guys working on it would get it done in just a few days. It's not that complex, it's just a lot of fishing wires and climbing around in the attic.
Another question:
Do I want an electrician for this (if so, a certain type?) or some kind of contractor in case I want to do a couple other things (like fill that previously mentioned door or some new water pipes)?
Enyar wrote: Thanks for the heads up. It does sound like a nightmare but I'm thinking it's not a reason to write off buying the home. Just something I need to factor in when making an offer. I'll post a rendering of floor plan later.
About this: be sure to take into consideration the neighborhood analytics. he 1947 era house I mentioned was offered to me for $41k (circa 1990), the electrical upgrade, central heat and air, insulation, new sheetrock and paint, new kitchen cabinets appliances etc would have been about $25k and there were other things that needed doing which probably would add another $5k. So we would have had ~$71k in the house.
The average house within 2 miles would go from $43k to about $55k, so we would have effectively paid about $15k too much for the area. Since the GF and I did not have enough cash to pay for the extra work outright, we would have had to use other credit. If something happened and we needed to selll the house we would be screwed financially.
wbjones wrote: a small travel trailer in the back yard ….
True story: in 1962 our house burned down. While the new one was being built, which took about a year, we lived in a 12x56 mobile home in the back yard.
Enyar wrote: Another question: Do I want an electrician for this (if so, a certain type?) or some kind of contractor in case I want to do a couple other things (like fill that previously mentioned door or some new water pipes)?
It depends. There are a couple of ways to handle this. You can hire the various contractors yourself: an electrician for the electrical work, a mason/framer for the door fill-in. Or you can hire a General Contractor and have them do everything (essentially subbing out the various parts). The former is cheaper, but can be a lot of work and as I mentioned, coordination can be tricky. The latter is preferred if you have limited time, minimal experience and need everything done quickly and/or the house isn't near your current abode and doing stuff after work may be tedious/difficult.
FWIW, my ex-g/f took the cheaper route: hired a framer to do the foundation and exterior weather-proof shell. We did almost everything else (she subbed out having the A/C lines roughed in with the assumption the same guy would install and charge the unit later). A year and a half later, she still doesn't have a kitchen. Of course, dumping me (her main source of free labor) didn't help the schedule.
I can tell you from experience, after working a 9 hr day (plus my 1+ hr commute), coming home and framing walls, laying pipe, hanging ductwork, pulling wire or hanging sheetrock can be exhausting work.
Curmudgeon wrote:wbjones wrote: a small travel trailer in the back yard ….True story: in 1962 our house burned down. While the new one was being built, which took about a year, we lived in a 12x56 mobile home in the back yard.
a friend of mine did that (it's what made me think of it) … he built the house totally by himself (with deference to contractors for things that had to be inspected) … without any long term debt …
borrowed enough to do the excavation, paid it off … borrowed enough to pour the slab/footers, paid it off… borrowed enough to do the cinder block and sub floor … paid it off .. you get the picture ….
when he moved in he owed less the $5000 … granted it did take him a few yrs LOL
What Ian F said. You can use individual subcontractors for each job if you're patient and willing to coordinate each group and make sure each job gets done well. You can hire a general contractor if you want another set of eyes on it. It may not cost as much more as you think to get a general since they have vendors lined up to do jobs and a good GC (general contractor) can get good rates on jobs. But a bad GC can be a nightmare and charge ridiculous rates.
Thanks for the input everyone. We ran the numbers last night and decided the house needs anywhere from $25k to $65 k of work. There is a chance that we could lose our ass in this but it would be a great learning experience and there is a chance we make out pretty well. Looking at the numbers and what I think would actually happen I think it's worth giving it a shot so were going to make an offer in the next day or two. It's just really hard coming up with a value on this house because there is new construction right next door and across the street that's almost 3x the price of this house but then right behind you have houses that are probably work 100k. I'll keep you updated.
It's always best to have the cheapest house in the neighborhood. 
A good friend bought a small house through an estate sale for about $66k. Great location, it's in a historic district and the back of the property borders a marsh in Charleston. There was some vacant land across the street and also just around the corner, over the last 15 years or so houses ranging from $300k to over a million have ben built within a quarter mile. His property is now worth nearly three times what he paid.
I still don't understand why you want to rewire the whole house.
Zomby Woof wrote: I still don't understand why you want to rewire the whole house.
Because it has the original wiring from 1954 in most parts and it's the 2 prong non grounded kind.
In reply to Zomby Woof:
I can.
If dealing with a house that was first electrified in the 40's, there's a good chance it has received a series of hodge-podge upgrades and additions over the decades. 50+ years later, and it has wiring of various ages going all over the place in a seemingly random fashion in order to "just make it work."
Circuits have probably been tapped to add a receptacle or two that are nowhere near each other - so you shut off a breaker to work on something and a clock or light in another corner of the house goes off.
Then there are the likely code violations...
In the end, it's sometimes easier to just gut everything and start over.
Enyar wrote:Zomby Woof wrote: I still don't understand why you want to rewire the whole house.Because it has the original wiring from 1954 in most parts and it's the 2 prong non grounded kind.
If it's original, and not berkeleytarded, there's nothing wrong with that. It's worked that way for 50 years, and probably good for another 50. I moved out of a house like that when I bought my current place, and even on the 60A panel, I couldn't think of a good reason to replace it.
Another tangent: does it have aluminum wiring? It wasn't common at the time the house was built but if the addition was done in the late 1960's yes it is possible that aluminum wire was used there.
In reply to Curmudgeon:
Good call, I won't live anywhere with AL wiring.
My house was built in the 70s and had fuses and aluminum wiring. We rewired and brough it up to current code several years ago and I seem to recall it was well under $5k. Like cars, the parts aren't expensive but labor is. When my mother in law died, my father in law moved back into the house that she had basically destroyed (she was a hoarder and chain smoker who loved cats). He had both bathrooms and kitchen completely gutted and remodeled, one bathroom was taken back to the studs. He also had one of the bedrooms taken back to studs and redone. Added attic access, rewired the house (its a 1940 something farmhouse), redid the plumbing, redid all of the floors and painted every wall and ceiling. I think he invested about $60k, including furniture, but basically has a brand new house. A friend and I did most of the demo work though. Unfortunately property values are pretty stagnant where he lives but the house was essentially worthless before he started. The house does have a full unfinished basement and full stand up attic so access was not an issue. Shop for contractors carefully.
If wiring can be 'pulled' it's not that big a deal to rewire. That's dependent on a lot of things. I had some pulled in my last house to add a ceiling fan in the kitchen, there was plenty of room above the existing switch box to drill through the fireblocks, there was no insulation in that wall, etc.
Had this involved an outside wall with no overhead access, insulation in the wall etc it might have been a different story.
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