Best Approach for Whole House Wiring?

[geteh]

Hello everyone.

I’m in the early planning stages of wiring a new home and want to make sure I do it right the first time.

My main priorities are future-proofing energy efficiency and smart home integration.

I’m considering a mix of Cat6 for networking, dedicated circuits for high-power appliances, and a solid grounding system. What are the best practices for laying out electrical, networking, and low-voltage wiring in a new build?

Any recommendations on conduit use, panel placement, or things you wish you had done differently?

Looking forward to hearing from those with experience!

 

[geteh]

Hello everyone.

I’m in the early planning stages of wiring a new home and want to make sure I do it right the first time.

My main priorities are future-proofing energy efficiency and smart home integration.

I’m considering a mix of Cat6 for networking, dedicated circuits for high-power appliances, and a solid grounding system. What are the best practices for laying out electrical, networking, and low-voltage wiring in a new build?

Any recommendations on conduit use, panel placement, or things you wish you had done differently Metairie electrician?

Looking forward to hearing from those with experience!

thanks in advance for any help

 

[workinonit]

My house has CAT 6 running everywhere and none of it is used anymore. I wouldn't pull any except where I needed it for routers. I made home runs with LV wiring back to my equipment room for home automation. Not much need for any of that any more with all the wireless lighting options. My house has a central vac which I would never do again because it just doesn't get used after Mr. Dyson invented his battery powered vac. I probably would pull some fiber for future use.

 

[Racer4]

Even cable tv wire isn’t really needed anymore. I have one line to the modem that is used. The tvs have streaming boxes from the cable company that connect via WIFI now.

Another thought is to run a few extra 12/2 wires from you panel box to the attic, in case you ever need an extra circuit.

 

[LittleBill21]

Run pvc tubes between floors, so you can switch from cat 6 to fiber if the need arises. run cat to different points in ceilings on different floors to mount access points to ceilings.

I still have in wall for network everywhere, but I hardwire everything I can. think about where you want your isp to come in and plan for that as well. automation is mostly wireless now, different protocols but no wires.if you want camera's inside, think about the wiring for that as well.

also plan out your network closest for your home runs. if your doing PBX, most of that is still cat wired.

if you have a large property, run cat for the roof. I have a AP on my roof to cover most of my outside.

 

[Carl_NH]

Along with what Racer4 said, run a few extra 1" conduit runs to junction boxes in the attic, basement or other areas so you can pull in more circuits later. Installing a backup generator eventually, get the transfer switch, pad, wiring and gas lines in now.

The latest breakers can be smart devices but can cause nuisance trips. I agree with the CAT 6 comment too - pull in several lines to where routers may be placed, also wire outside outlets in the soffit for home alarm cameras etc.

Sound system wiring is optional as most are wifi now, but having ceiling speakers wired in is better and pick your AV systems components carefully then plan for obsolescence and replacement in 10 years or so

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I also do not use any of my Cat6 wiring. I have it ran from the center closet in the house to all the TV outlets, I don't expect I will ever even terminate the ends. What did work out well was that I wired a run of Cat6 from the outside of the house where the power comes in, to the center closet in the house. That is where my router lives and would have been a lot of trouble to add after the fact. The ISP just hooked to it outside.

I would plan at least a few receptacles with USB plugs. I'd put a couple in the kitchen, a couple in bedrooms and bathroom vanities. We put outlets in bathroom vanity drawers where the girls get ready. They are a hit. They keep their hair tools in the drawers plugged in and it keeps the counters less cluttered. Plugs in the eves for Christmas lights. The majority of my lighting is LED puck lights. They are similar to recessed lighting, but without the big cans in the ceiling. They are probably around an inch thick and mount to a standard 4x4 box. All of my lighting is LED, no incandescent at all except for 2 fixtures that my wife got for the 1/2 bath. They do have replaceable bulbs and I'll change them to LED when they start blowing out. We have plugs in several of our high window sills for Christmas decorations, also above our fireplace mantle. Plugs behind the wall mount tvs. I guess what I'm saying is, if you can reach a plug everywhere in your house without taking a step, you may still want more plugs...

Where the power comes into my house I had a sub panel with about 10 circuits put on the outside with the main disconnect feeding my main panel inside on the other side of the wall. I pulled wire from that sub panel, underground, to my shop instead of having to run an additional service. It will also allow for easy addition of a generator if I decide to add one later.

Decide what outdoor lighting you want. I have covered porches so I have wall sconces, puck lights under the overhang, and flood lighting pointing out to the yard. All are independently switched. We also have the low wattage down lights from the eves that we have on a timer switch.

 

[Topzide]

If I were to build a new home, I'd run liquid-tite conduit in the walls. That way, I could add and delete as needed! Liquid-tite makes running conduit easier, but adds more cost.

For the ethernet and coax cables, have them drop in from attic space or have an unfinished basement run from there. Enev with a finished basement, you could have boxes with covers that run to upstairs walls for those boxes.

This is my dream wiring setup!

 

[EddieWalker]

Wireless for the internet has become so good that there isn't a need for running any wires for it in your house. If you are going to have an antenna for TV, then get a good quality cable for that. We prefer using an antenna for local stations.

In some areas, I'm told they won't allow 14 gauge wire in a house. Here, it's allowed and used for the lights. Copper is so expensive that it's nice to save a buck where you can, and 14/2 is so much easier to work with then 12/2.

I get a few jobs every year from clients that want me to put an outlet higher on the wall for their wall mounted TV. I also put in a 2 inch PVC pipe inside the wall so they can run cables from the TV to a stand below it, without having to see the cables.

In my garage, and in our utility room, I have outlets at 4ft. These are used a lot more than the outlets that are just 1 foot off of the ground.

Ceiling fans usually get 14/3 so I can have a switch for the light, and a dimmer to adjust the fan speed. In rooms where I have a 3 way switch for the lights, I have just one dimmer for the fan at the switch we use most often.

When wiring lights, I bring power to the box with the switch, and then run the line to the light. In older homes, it's very common to bring power to the light, and then down to the switch. Having power at the switch means you can change the light without having to turn off the breaker. It's a small thing, but it's something you appreciate when you change lights as often as I do for clients.

The biggest thing that I wish I had done differently, and something that I'm going to have to deal with, is wiring my house for a generator.

Something that I did with my garage addition was adding a 50 amp outlet so we could get an electric vehicle. I really don't want one now, and probably will never buy one, but I still want the outlet there in case technology and pricing improves. The idea of having a car that doesn't have to stop at the gas station and is used just to run into town for short trips might be nice to have.

Will you have a separate workshop? How will it be powered? You can run a sub panel to the shop from your main panel, or you can have a second meter installed for the shop.

You mentioned energy efficiency. Since you didn't say where you are in the country, I'll limit my reply to my area of East Texas. Here, we focus on the heat and humidity. Winter isn't very bad and doesn't last very long. Our minimum R value for ceilings is R45, but if you add a little more, you can max it out at R60. I think that the best return on money in a house is attic insulation. Second most important thing is air sealing the walls. Windows are where the most air gets into the house since they are rarely sealed properly. House wrap needs to be taped, but Zip System with Zip Tape is even better.

Something I really hate is when the HVAC system is installed in the attic. Once insulation is blown into the attic, you should never, EVER, go up there. Every time somebody walks, or crawls through the insulation, it's like cracking a window and leaving it open. HVAC systems need regular attention. Some have the filters on the unit in the attic that need to be changed. All of them require bleach in the drain lines every month to keep them clear from sludge building up inside the lines. There is a time when people get too old to climb into their attic to do this, and that's usually when somebody like me gets called in to repair the ceiling because the drain line is plugged, and the pan overflowed and destroyed the ceiling inside the house.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Do you live in a place with code enforcement? A house that is compliant with the NEC is going to be well-wired. A lot of the stuff in the code now is really about convenience even though it's supposed to be about safety.

I'm not a big fan of "future proofing," nothing is harder to predict than the future. In 2003 I moved into a new home where every room was wired for telephone, cable TV and ethernet. It was basically all a waste. If you know where things are going to be, wire for them. Otherwise, it's really not that hard to add wiring after the fact, especially in new construction. If you know where they're going to be, I like to