Shoreline Knob and Tube helps buyers and sellers in Shoreline when a home inspection report mentions knob and tube or old wiring. We find out what is actually live, write a replacement scope you can take into the negotiation, and check which electrical permits are on record for the house.
The same help is available when homes change hands in Lake Forest Park and Edmonds, where older houses come up for sale alongside newer ones.
Home inspectors report what they can see, and a few knobs visible in an attic don’t show whether the wiring is still in service. Knob and tube is often partly disconnected after earlier upgrades, or still live and spliced into newer cable. An electrician can test which circuits are energized, trace where they run and connect, and separate abandoned wire from the circuits that really need replacing.
Inspection contingency periods are short, and a one-line note in a report is hard to negotiate from. A written scope lists the circuits to replace, the access needed, who patches and what the permit covers, and the estimate attached to it gives buyer and seller the same document to discuss. How long the work itself takes depends on access, the size of the house, and permit and inspection scheduling.
L&I’s online lookup shows electrical permits and inspection results, searchable by county and street address or by permit number, for permits bought from January 1, 2020 onward. If a seller says the house was rewired, that is one way to check. Earlier work, or work done without a permit, will not appear, and a missing record does not by itself mean old wiring remains.
Before your inspection window closes, ask your insurer in writing what it requires for a house with knob and tube, since requirements vary by company, and book an electrician’s evaluation early enough to use it. The evaluation and written scope give you something specific to negotiate from, whether that ends in a repair, a credit or a price change. Your agent or attorney advises on the contract; we cover the wiring.
Washington’s seller disclosure statement, known as Form 17 and set out in RCW 64.06.020, asks whether there are defects in the electrical system, including wiring, switches, outlets and service. It does not name knob and tube, and how to answer is a question for your broker or attorney. Getting an evaluation, or replacing active circuits before listing, are options rather than requirements. The form’s wording changes for statements used from January 1, 2027.
We are not aware of any Washington rule that bars selling a house with knob and tube. The seller disclosure form asks about defects in the electrical system, and lenders and insurers may set their own conditions for the buyer. A broker or real estate attorney can tell you how disclosure applies to your house.
A home inspection reports on condition; it is not a pass-or-fail test, so the inspector notes knob and tube rather than failing it. What happens next depends on the buyer, the lender and the insurer, whose requirements differ. An electrician’s evaluation clarifies what the note actually means for this house.
Have an electrician check. Testing old wiring means working close to conductors with aging insulation, often in a tight attic or crawlspace, and a wire that looks abandoned can still be connected somewhere else. An evaluation confirms which circuits are energized and where they connect.
An inspection that finds knob and tube frequently turns up postwar braided cable in the same house, and those circuits are covered on the cloth wiring replacement page. Shoreline Knob and Tube’s main page gives the wider picture.
Explain which side of the sale you are on, paraphrase what the inspector wrote about the wiring, and give the date your contingency or response period ends. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (425) 725-5719