Constructing or repairing data cabling costs

If you want to be able to use a telephone line or an internet connection at multiple locations in your home, you’ll have to install a data cabling network. These networks connect different rooms to a central location in your home. At the end of the cables there’s a socket where you can connect the device. This is useful if you don’t want to rely solely on Wi-Fi. And wired internet is still faster than Wi-Fi. This obviously comes with some costs, and you can read about these here.

The costs

The price you pay for installing a new cable is generally not very high, especially if your home already has empty lines that can be used for this purpose. Replacing an old cable often comes at only a small extra cost. This also includes the costs for the socket. If you do not have an empty line, then the cable will have to be laid in the old-fashioned way, through the walls or the floor. This is more expensive. You will find the costs for the laying and repairing of data cabling in the table below. These include installation and material.

Removing old cables and installing new ones: if you only want to have your cables replaced, excluding the socket, you pay about $60 – $75 for the first cable and $35 – $65 for each cable thereafter.

Laying two new cables using empty lines: if you have one or more empty lines in your home, you can use them to extend your cable. These are empty lines that have been installed by the electrician during the construction of the house. The costs for laying two cables including a socket will be around $220.

Having five cables drawn via an occupied line including socket: if you have five new cables drawn, including sockets, through an occupied pipe, you will pay about $500 – $650.

The price structure

The way the price is structured will tell you a lot about where you can save money. When it comes to installing or replacing data cables, the majority of the price is paid for labor costs, which amounts to 70 percent. The remaining 25 percent is for call-out costs (5 percent) and materials (20 percent). This means that you can save as much as 75 percent on the total costs if you do the job yourself. But keep in mind that is a fairly specialist job that’s not for everybody. Some knowledge of wiring definitely comes in handy. The following diagram shows this price structure once again.

Choices influencing the price

The end-price you pay for the installation or repair of your data cabling depends on a number of choices and factors. Here are some of them.

• The type of cable: laying a Cat6 cable is more expensive than laying a UTP or Cat5e cable. there’s usually a small surcharge per 3 foot.
• The laying method: if the route for the cables is easy to find, like via an empty line or via the wall and ceiling, you pay less than if the end point is difficult to reach. You can have a cable laid to your garden house, but you’ll have to pay a little extra as the distance is longer.
• The electrician: the costs per specialist may also vary and this usually depends on experience, quality of service or quality of the parts.

Interesting savings tips

Having data cabling laid is not expensive, but you still need to make that investment. You can keep the final cost as low as possible by using the following tips.

• Choose a local professional: if you can find a professional in your area to lay the cables for you, which means you won’t have to pay for travel costs or at least you’ll be able to reduce them considerably.
• A big job: if you can offer the professional a big job, you’ll be able to negotiate the price. If you have more than one job, or if your neighbors are also interested, you might offer him several jobs at the same time, resulting in a lower price.

Compare quotations

The best way to save money is by requesting quotations. If you want to have a few cables laid, you don’t have to use the services of an expensive certified specialist. Use our comparison tool here, receive a number of free and non-binding quotations and then compare them on items that are important to you. This will help you find the best specialist for your specific job.