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Building a new house soon, looking for tips on convenient upgrades

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A

Artadius

Member
Specifically I'd like to wire the house for ethernet throughout. Anyone else done this and can provide some lessons learned in this process?

We're buying from a professional builder who is building up a large new subdivision and the homes can be built from a variety of pre-planned floorplans with various upgrades and options available. When I asked if I could upgrade certain things which weren't on their standard upgrade list, they said it was possible... and that we'd just need to give details about it at the pre-construction meeting (in November) so they can work that upgrade into the master plan etc...

I work from home so a stable / reliable internet connection is needed and wireless just usually doesn't cut it for me so I stay wired as much as possible. Being able to plug in anywhere is really convenient and I also see the benefits going forward for wiring up your home entertainment area as well. I'm thinking of requesting CAT6 to each room all going back to a central closet where a Router/Switch can be located as well as a cable outlet for the cable modem. I've heard some people will send more than one line to each room for redundancy / more equipment... but I'm not sure that's practical or not. I also don't want to spend an inordinate amount on this as all non-standard upgrades have to be paid in full before we close on the house (which will happen sometime around June/July).

Any advice on wiring CAT6 in a house or any other similar upgrades that I might be missing for a new home build?
 
Hari Seldon

Hari Seldon

Member
If you want to save money wire that shit yourself. It is super easy to do when there is no drywall up in the house. Just ask if you can do this. When my parents built their house we just strung up tons of extra lights and sockets ourselves before they put the drywall up. Plus we added a ton of extra interior insulation for better energy conservation.

Top upgrades though are extra plumbing. Even if you are not paying for a finished basement, at least get the plumbing for a basement bathroom put in because that is super expensive to add in later. Also, extra windows, and if they have an upgraded kitchen layout (not really the decoration stuff, but like a larger island or something). Also, personally I would sacrifice other upgrades for like the sunroom if available, as in plans i have seen that also adds to the size of the basement.
 
D

Davedough

Member
I'm actually doing the same exact thing, but more focused on my TV which is being hung above the fireplace. I'm routing everything within the walls so its completely clean on the wall and all of the equipment that connects to the TV is in a closet out of sight. An RF DirecTV remote will ensure that I don't have to have line of sight on the remote control.

I'm running, all from monoprice.com, converter outlets. They are HDMI on the front and then convert to CAT6/Cat5e on the back. I've run lengths of CAT5e throughout the home and enough to make sure that I have HDMI connections across the room, hidden in the walls for my DirecTV, PS3 and HTPC. Throughout the rest of the house, like you, I wired in regular ethernet so I can plug in in any room. I didn't bother with more than one connection.

I recommend getting one of those large rolls of raw cable if you're going to do your own house. You can find them for about $50 and as long as you know how to wire an RJ45 connector on (there are diagrams on the Internet) then you can wire your entire house pretty cheaply.
 
N

neocoder

Banned
I would suggest having conduit run between floors so it's easy to run cabling in the future because all cables will eventually become obsolete.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
I'd recommend planning ahead for solar PV & an EV charger. You may not want to put them in now but putting in the conduit and breaker box capacity to add them later is cheap and can save you or the next owner a lot of money if/when they are installed later.

neocoder said:
I would suggest having conduit run between floors so it's easy to run cabling in the future because all cables will eventually become obsolete.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Conduit is cheap and can save a lot of money for later upgrades.
 
B

BigBlue1974

Member
My new house is still being built, but here are a few things that may or may not be "upgrades" or additions on your house. This is the second time I've built. The first time I completely pre-wired my home for ethernet, satellite tv(RJ45) and phone. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed by the builder to do it this time as they quoted regulations which is probably BS, but not much I could do about it.

Upgrades to consider:
- All the wiring stuff which you'd already mentioned, but also think about potential for speaker wiring. - I did my master, living room and home theater with the wiring
- Insulated garage door - I live in a colder climate but the default is just a metal door, saves having to replace it down the line
- Plug on your soffit area for Christmas lights
- Natural gas hookup in your exterior/backyard. - BBQing but also good for a nice outdoor fire area
- Depending on the layout of your basement, steel girder which replaces some/all of the teleposts
- Water faucet in the garage area - Sometimes they are on the side, but on in the garage makes for easy cleaning of cars
- Ensure at least some windows on the front/back of the house open for easy cross ventilation
- Mentioned already, but stub-ins for basement plumbing
- Possibly a tankless hot water system, or if you have a large family, an upgraded size. 40 Gallons is standard.
 
S

SolKane

Member
You'll want a nice, noise-insulated and easy-to-clean space to use for the kill room. Make sure there's a drain in the center too and that the floor slopes evenly downward.
 
shira

shira

Member
Artadius said:
Specifically I'd like to wire the house for ethernet throughout. Anyone else done this and can provide some lessons learned in this process?

We're buying from a professional builder who is building up a large new subdivision and the homes can be built from a variety of pre-planned floorplans with various upgrades and options available. When I asked if I could upgrade certain things which weren't on their standard upgrade list, they said it was possible... and that we'd just need to give details about it at the pre-construction meeting (in November) so they can work that upgrade into the master plan etc...

I work from home so a stable / reliable internet connection is needed and wireless just usually doesn't cut it for me so I stay wired as much as possible. Being able to plug in anywhere is really convenient and I also see the benefits going forward for wiring up your home entertainment area as well. I'm thinking of requesting CAT6 to each room all going back to a central closet where a Router/Switch can be located as well as a cable outlet for the cable modem. I've heard some people will send more than one line to each room for redundancy / more equipment... but I'm not sure that's practical or not. I also don't want to spend an inordinate amount on this as all non-standard upgrades have to be paid in full before we close on the house (which will happen sometime around June/July).

Any advice on wiring CAT6 in a house or any other similar upgrades that I might be missing for a new home build?
Click to expand...
Bizzare. Those Ethernet plugs are going to look like ancient in a few years.
 
L

LosDaddie

Banned
Artadius said:
Any advice on wiring CAT6 in a house or any other similar upgrades that I might be missing for a new home build?
Click to expand...

It might be worth it for you to use a pro integrator for your smart home needs. You have the right idea of all the data cabling going back to a headend closet. I also recommend doing some minor lighting and HVAC control. It will cost more upfront, but it will save money (tons of it) over time. HVAC and lighting account for more than 60% of your energy costs.

Assuming your house will be a regular/middle class house, I recommend you look up Control4. Easy to upgrade the system to whole house audio & video, too.



shira said:
Bizzare. Those Ethernet plugs are going to look like ancient in a few years.
Click to expand...

:lol Why?
 
R

ReturnOfTheRAT

Member
Single runs of CAT6 to each room from the a central closet. Have accommodations for cooling in the closet where the switch and modem will be. Depending on the size of the room. If you are unsure about the layout of specific rooms you can multiple ports on opposite sides of the walls. But really, you can always put a wireless router at those location if hardwired cables aren't necessary.

The thing I've always wanted to do is to have a nice panel for speaker terminations. The same as above. Have a closet for receiver, amp, etc. and run the speaker wires to a set of nice speaker wall plates for a 5/7.1 setup.
 
T

The Mana Legend

Banned
My house is being built right now. I had to decide between modular (which, contrary to ignorant people here, is NOT the same as a mobile home/trailer) and a stick house. I decided on a modular home because they are much cheaper, look just as nice, and are much sturdier, which is what I need considering the wind here is pretty bad.

But yeah, of all of the stuff I've talked about with the contractor so far, I haven't talked about internet. So I don't know anything about that. I'm assuming you can talk to any electrician, and do your own research, and find out what's best.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Get conduit run, and lay dumb wire through them and tie off at each end. That way when you want to install cat 55 cable, or HDMI 4 in the future, you can tie it to one end and pull it through easily
 
Q

QualityPixel

Banned
Don't skimp on the insulation and get high efficiency windows. This should help with your energy bills a lot down the road.

People say LED light bulbs are awesome for energy savings, but I've never seen a good one in use.

Specifically I'd like to wire the house for ethernet throughout.
Click to expand...

This a must. It's also a good idea take into account where you will put your wifi router(s). My main wifi router is in the center of the house, but in my bedroom I had to put in a second router because the main router can't be picked up there.
 
W

Weenerz

Banned
Wire all main rooms for internet/surround sound wires so you don't have that shit all over the place later on.
Also, heated wooden floors are dope.
 
C

CFMOORE!

Member
CrankyJay said:
Oh yeah. Put in heated coils for for master bath.

Spending otter people's money is fun.
Click to expand...

lolotter-people.jpg
 
A

Artadius

Member
Heh, anything about basements or heating related will be ignored, though I guess still appreciated for other folks who might be interested.

We're building in South Texas right near the Gulf Coast.

Insulation is being put in at above standard and the windows are double paned and thermal friendly or something or other...

Energy costs down here are nuts because the AC runs so much. Since I work from home, I'm running it during the day as well. Hopefully with the heavy insulation and good windows, it'll do a good job of keeping the place cool during the summer.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
Artadius said:
Heh, anything about basements or heating related will be ignored, though I guess still appreciated for other folks who might be interested.

We're building in South Texas right near the Gulf Coast.

Insulation is being put in at above standard and the windows are double paned and thermal friendly or something or other...

Energy costs down here are nuts because the AC runs so much. Since I work from home, I'm running it during the day as well. Hopefully with the heavy insulation and good windows, it'll do a good job of keeping the place cool during the summer.
Click to expand...

Ok in that case make it hurricane proof.
 
G

George Claw M.D.

Member
Some great suggestions in here. I'll add one that's not commonly mentioned or even known about.

Central vacuum system. Don't need to lug around a standalone vacuum cleaner. Just plug a hose attachment into the wall.

CQ58p.jpg


8S6bW.jpg


Here are a couple of the first Google results, for some initial reading.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,232096,00.html

http://builtinvacuum.com/whybiv.html

---------------------------------------------------------------

Also, to add on to an earlier suggestion for an insulated garage door, you may want to consider full climate control for the garage, either as part of the main system or separate unit like a Mitsubishi Mr. Slim.

---------------------------------------------------------------

You may also have special power considerations. Will you need dedicated circuits in the house? Perhaps 240V outlets? You planning on building some high-end home theater with high-wattage components?

---------------------------------------------------------------

Possible wiring for external surveillance cameras.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Not related to wiring or ducting, but just mentioning epoxy garage floor coating as a consideration. Easier cleanup and very nice to look at.
 
E

ericexpo

Member
neocoder said:
I would suggest having conduit run between floors so it's easy to run cabling in the future because all cables will eventually become obsolete.
Click to expand...

this.
also this sounds stupid but i always recommend it when people gut a house, look into a internal vacum system. sounds stupid but they are just a hose and can suck up anything

edit: dammit already posted
 
N

NZer

Member
We have central vacuuming - while it isn't bad, it's hardly a huge difference.

Just wondering if there is suck a thing as putting a cavity behind a TV wall for all the wiring/power cables/dvd or cable boxes, etc. I've always struggled to find a truly elegant solution for hanging a TV on a wall.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
run a bunch of extra cat 6 through the house too, you can use that stuff for HDMI baluns and all sorts of handy stuff.
 
G

George Claw M.D.

Member
NZer said:
Just wondering if there is suck a thing as putting a cavity behind a TV wall for all the wiring/power cables/dvd or cable boxes, etc. I've always struggled to find a truly elegant solution for hanging a TV on a wall.
Click to expand...
Sure there is. A lot of new home central network closets are in-wall cavities where all the cat/coax cabling routes to. You could put one of these in the wall behind your TV. You could also build a false wall instead of cutting-up and fishing wires through your existing wall. A cheap/easy option, though not as elegant, is to use a cable raceway if you just don't like seeing the wires.
 
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