New home: Low voltage wiring needs (Little Elm: hardwood floors, countertops, mortgage)

[luaby]

Hello everyone,

We're having a new home built in Little Elm. The builder uses HomePro for low voltage wiring but I think they charge a bit too much. They're charging about $500 for what they called "Local HDMI Bundle SSC". Has anyone worked with another company/shop for low voltage wiring? Helpful recommendations are appreciated in advance.

[Rakin]

Problem is adding it after you build the home is very difficult. This wiring needs to be done before the sheetrock is installed.

[luaby]

Thanks for the response. I'd like to know if the pricing is comparable to others. Also will the builder allow a third party contractor to install the wiring if I get one? Just looking for experience/recommendations.

[BongoBungo]

Originally Posted by luaby

Thanks for the response. I'd like to know if the pricing is comparable to others. Also will the builder allow a third party contractor to install the wiring if I get one? Just looking for experience/recommendations.

Not in my experience. Until you close on the house (usually when it's built), it's not yours, so you can't just hire anyone you want to install wiring. HomePro's prices aren't really that bad and are a bargain compared to what you would spend after the house is built.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by luaby

Thanks for the response. I'd like to know if the pricing is comparable to others. Also will the builder allow a third party contractor to install the wiring if I get one? Just looking for experience/recommendations.

Sorry but no, there isn't a builder out there that would let you work on the house while it's not yours. No matter how small the change you want to make.

I think the cost is pretty reasonable. HomePro has a pretty big monopoly with builders for LVW.

I think most buyers spent on average $1400-$1800 on LVW. The highest I've seen was like 12K going all out.

Naima

[Grainraiser]

It's been years since I had my house built but I had a landscaper friend who was going to do a better job than the builder. The builder said he had a landscape allowance for the home and I could use my friend as long has he did not go over the allowance. Anything over the allowance would have to come out of my pocket directly. I really don't think $500 is that much and going with another company may void the builders warranty for that item.

[nissan]

$500 being more/less expensive than doing afterwards depends on what is included in that HDMI "bundle." Do you have any more detail on what it is? You'll usually pay $100-$150 per drop for ethernet if doing it after close, but it doesn't sound like that's what this HDMI "bundle" is. In any event, it's advisable you just get it done now, pre-drywall vs. dealing w it afterwards to save hassle and your savings won't be much anyway. Interest on that $500 you roll into your mortgage is immaterial IMO.

[jdallas]

Pick your battles. This one isn't worth the trouble. You will save a lot more by going with base level countertops/flooring and bringing in your own after closing.

[luaby]

Thank you all for the responses. We ended up going with HomePro for the low voltage wiring. The total cost is about $2500. This includes the HDMI bundle (2 Cat 5e, 1RG6 and HDMI Outlet), entrance and exit camera pre-wiring, Structured wiring to about 5 rooms and lastly surround sound in the living room.

We chose not to do the alarm pre-wiring because HomePro required signing a 3-5yr contract. More-so, I found some wireless alarm providers out there that are much cheaper and don't require contract signing.

Thanks again!

[BongoBungo]

Originally Posted by jdallas

Pick your battles. This one isn't worth the trouble. You will save a lot more by going with base level countertops/flooring and bringing in your own after closing.

This can depend on the builder. DR Horton, for example, offers upgrades that are so cheap that you might as well just use them if you want things like hardwood floors, upgraded counter tops, or extra tiled areas. You might save slightly if you did it yourself, but I doubt it would be worth the hassle.