Old timber homes on the hills
Murwillumbah has some of the best-kept older homes in the Tweed. There are high-set timber houses, weatherboard cottages and inter-war homes, many sitting on the slopes above town. They have plenty of character, and often wiring to match.
In these homes we regularly find:
- Old rubber or early plastic insulated cable, sometimes brittle and cracking
- Switchboards with ceramic fuses and asbestos-backed panels
- Few power points and a lot of double adaptors
- Light fittings and switches that have been replaced piece by piece with no plan
A full or partial rewire is often the right answer, but it doesn’t have to mean tearing the house apart. In timber homes we can usually run new cable through ceiling and underfloor spaces with little damage. We’ll start with an inspection, then give you a written scope so you can stage the work if you need to.
After the floods
Murwillumbah and South Murwillumbah have been flooded more than once, and the 2022 floods caused serious damage across low-lying parts of town and the valley. Many homes and businesses have been through repairs, and some are still rebuilding.
If your property was affected, any electrical equipment that has been under water should be inspected and tested before it is used again. That includes the switchboard, power points, switches, wiring in wall cavities and any appliances. Much of it may need replacing. During a rebuild it can make sense to raise the switchboard and power points, or run circuits from above, so the next high water does less damage. We’ll talk through what suits your building and what the rebuild allows.
Farms, cane land and acreage
The valley around Murwillumbah is full of cane farms, cattle country, and lifestyle blocks tucked into the hills. Rural electrical work here includes:
- Sheds, workshops and machinery sheds, including three-phase supply
- Pumps for bores, dams, creeks and tanks
- Power and lighting to second dwellings and studios
- Long underground runs, sized properly for voltage drop under AS/NZS 3008
- Electrical work alongside solar and battery systems
Access matters on hilly blocks, especially after rain. Let us know about steep driveways, causeways or gates when you book, and we’ll plan around them.
Main street businesses
The town centre has shops, cafés, offices and galleries in older commercial buildings. These buildings often need switchboard and lighting upgrades, emergency and exit lighting, and test and tag. We’re used to working around trading hours and heritage details.
NSW compliance and timing
All Murwillumbah work is done under the appropriate NSW licence, with a NSW Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work at the end. For smoke alarms, NSW requires at least one working alarm on each level, which is different from Queensland. And in summer we book in NSW daylight saving time, an hour ahead of the Gold Coast.