"Old" (existing) electrical work in any house is never that easy. By the time the electrician would be done, poor Reynardo would need to re-sheetrock/mud and pain that hallway. That would quickly run to 4 figures. Oh, and then someone would break the new fixture the next time a mattress is moved up/down the stairwell. Murphy's Law or something like that.

Yes, it was "fun" having my place totally rewired (including the meter and breaker panel) before I moved in a decade ago. Thank goodness my brother did that stuff back then, so I only had to pay for supplies. Oh and I got real lucky 'cause this was just before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Electrical supplies DOUBLED in price after that.