Wiring

Structured wiring is the concept of having multi-use cables run throughout a home
or business. These cables could include multiple runs of Coaxial Cable (RG6
Quad-Shield preferred), twisted-pair (CAT5 or better) and possibly Fiber-Optic
cable. Several manufacturers offer all-in-one bundles with various groupings of the
cables mentioned.

At a minimum, it is suggested that two each of the CAT5 and Coax cables be run
from a central location to each major area in a home. This would include rooms
that you do not currently plan to use for any particular purpose. Some rooms often
overlooked include the Master Bathroom, Laundry Room, Kitchen, Garage, Attic
and Basement. Other cables may include those used for security cameras, front
and rear door phones with cameras, pool or hot tub control interfaces and
temperature sensors. The reason for this is to allow for future flexibility within all
areas of the home. Should you ever move, potential buyers will most likely be
more attracted to a house that has been fully wired.

The central location where all of the cables start from (the "Head-End") should be
an area where distribution panels can be mounted to walls or freestanding
equipment racks can be placed. Both have benefits, although if any type of whole-
house distribution of standard sources is to be used, an equipment rack will allow
the components to be safely installed. Many rack enclosures are also available
with casters, which will let the rack be moved as needed during the connection
phase.

If there are areas where you know wiring changes will happen, or special cables
will be required that cannot be run inside walls, the use of electrical conduit may
be the solution. These pipes are run from one point to another where they are
usually terminated with an outlet box of some type. When needed, new or different
cables can be run within the conduit.

The costs associated with wiring a house in the construction phase will vary based
on the size of the home and the amount of cable pulled. But overall, the price will
be much, much lower than trying to run the same cables after the walls are up.