Forest Hill · Toronto Hydro service area
Replacing knob-and-tube wiring in Forest Hill homes
Many of Forest Hill's large homes went up while knob-and-tube was still being installed, and some still carry it on an upper floor or in an old wing. We find every live run, then replace it while protecting the plaster, millwork and finishes that make these houses what they are.
Forest Hill homes
Why knob-and-tube lingers in Forest Hill
Most of Forest Hill was built out between the 1920s and the 1940s, in Lower Forest Hill first and then further north. Large detached houses with three storeys, finished attics, back staircases and generous basements were common, and many were wired with knob-and-tube when they were new.
Houses like these are rarely rewired in one go. Owners update one area at a time, often during a major renovation, so the original wiring retreats to the rooms that weren't touched. A family can live for years in a house that feels completely modern without knowing an attic fan, a dressing room or a third-floor study still runs on wiring from the 1930s.
Around Casa Loma and in Chaplin Estates the picture is similar. The size of the house matters more than the street: the more rooms and storeys, the more places an old run can hide.
Protecting the house
Replacing wiring without harming the finishes
Original plaster, crown mouldings, panelled walls and hardwood floors are worth more than the wiring behind them. Our plan starts with routes that avoid them: up from the basement, down from the attic, through closets and service spaces, and along back staircases where finishes are plainer.
Where an opening can't be avoided, we place it where it is easiest to repair, such as behind a radiator, inside a closet or under a baseboard that comes off cleanly. Floors and stairs are covered, and work areas are kept as dust-free as the job allows.
Bigger homes often need more panel capacity once the old circuits are replaced. We'll tell you whether your current service can carry the new work or whether a panel upgrade in Forest Hill should be part of the plan. If the walls are opening anyway, a full Forest Hill rewire may be the better project.
- Full home inspectionEvery storey, the attic and any outbuildings
- Routes planned around finishesClosets, back stairs, attic and basement first
- Openings placed for easy repairAgreed with you or your designer in advance
- Grounded copper circuitsBuilt to today's code under an ESA permit
- Old runs disconnectedNothing original left powered
How it works
How the work runs in a Forest Hill home
Inspection
Every live knob-and-tube circuit found, room by room.
Plan with you
Routes and openings agreed, with your designer if you have one.
Permit
ESA notification filed by us.
Replacement
New circuits run with floors, stairs and finishes protected.
Certificate
ESA inspection and the Certificate of Acceptance.
More on the service
Knob-and-tube replacement across the GTA
Our knob-and-tube replacement page explains how to recognize it, why insurers ask about it and what affects the price. For the neighbourhood itself, see our Forest Hill electrician page.
Questions
Knob-and-tube replacement in Forest Hill: questions
Our house was renovated in the 1990s. Why would there still be knob-and-tube?
Large renovations often focused on the kitchen, bathrooms and main floor. Third-floor rooms, back stairs, closets and attic lighting were sometimes left on the original circuits. In a house this size it's easy for a few runs to survive two or three renovations unnoticed.
Can you work around our designer and other trades?
Yes. On larger Forest Hill projects we usually coordinate with a designer or general contractor. We agree where every opening will be and leave each one clean and ready for the plasterer and painter.
Does a coach house or detached garage need checking too?
Yes. Outbuildings were often wired at the same time as the house, or fed from it later by an old underground or overhead run. We include them in the inspection so nothing old is left powered.
What will our insurer receive at the end?
The work is done under an ESA permit, so you receive the Certificate of Acceptance once it passes. We also confirm in writing which circuits were replaced and that the old wiring is disconnected.
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