Renovating an old Wynnum house
Houses from the early estates were built long before most of what we plug in today. Over a century, most have had wiring added in layers, and some still have old cable hidden in the roof or under the floor. Before you open walls or lift floors, have an electrician check what's there, so any old wiring can be replaced while it's easy to reach.
Queensland also stops a licensed electrician doing new installation work in a home that has no approved safety switch for the power points, unless the job includes fitting one or an exception applies. In an old house, expect the safety switch to come first.
Wynnum's story, and what it means for wiring
Railway estates
Wynnum was sparsely settled until the late 1880s. The Wynnum Station Estate was sold in 1890 and the Wynnum Sports Ground Estate in 1914.
Heritage on Bay Terrace
Wynnum has many places on the Queensland and Brisbane heritage registers, including a string along Bay Terrace such as the former post office and Cranleigh Lodge.
Units as well as houses
At the 2021 Census, 70.8% of homes were separate houses, 12.8% townhouses or semis and 16.2% flats or apartments. 34.6% were rented.
Brisbane City Council and Energex
Wynnum is in the City of Brisbane, about 19.6 km by road east of the GPO. Energex supplies it: outages on 13 62 62, fallen lines on 13 19 62.
What you can do in an old house, and what you can't
You can
- Press the test button on each safety switch, which is allowed without a licence in Queensland.
- Change a light bulb or plug in an appliance.
- Unplug things one by one to find what's tripping the power.
- Fit wireless smoke alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Anything behind a switchboard or meter box cover.
- Replacing old cable, power points, switches or light fittings.
- Hardwired smoke alarms, which must be replaced with hardwired ones.
- Moving circuits during a renovation.
If it were our Wynnum renovation
We'd book the electrician before the builder starts, not after the plaster's up. A rewire is far easier with the walls open, and you can plan the extra power points, the fans and the outdoor lighting in the same pass.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.