Question for people who have bought a new construction home... (Taylor: homes, option to buy)

[Desertspiritsteve]

Is the builder prewiring the house for the alarm system wires, tv antenna wires, phone lines etc.?

Cox will do some wiring for you, I think. Better yet you can call Dennis Sage for consultation very inexpensively. Dennis was the orchestra manager for the Phoenix Symphony in the early 80's and left to start this home entertainment business. Several of the musicians have had Dennis do sound systems in their new homes. Dennis is the son-in-law of the late Lou Grubb. He is very well liked and knows what he's doing.

Pulte may have an arrangement with Dennis already.

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Profile: Dennis Sage, Dennis Sage Home Entertainment - Phoenix Business Journal

This link is for a coupon for a $125. consultation

http://www.ultimate-box.com/dennis-s...ent-inc/ps-77/

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

The reality is the big builders will say no to adding your own wire or hiring your subcontractor. Therefore, tell your builder you want to add conduit for future wiring. Hire their contractor. The key here is the conduit should not be run in parallel with the house wiring or "cross coupling" will happen. That's a fancy word to mean you will hear 60 HZ buzzing. The wires can run perpendicular all day long. Later, go with 14 gauge wire (not 16 or 18 gauge wire). Buy it from monoprice.com . They cannot be beat. Personally, I like to use 12 gauge wire.

From there, have the conduits run to a central area where you plan to put the electronics. A closet, laundry room hanging cabinet etc. The reality is it's going to be a lot cheaper to hire another smaller contractor versus theirs per run.

Expect to have some holes cut in the sheet rock to run the wires to the exact spot. The conduit helps you make less sheetrock cuts. Unless you have laid everything out perfectly, you will still be needing to make future cuts. The conduit also helps to run wires 10 years from now.

At the job, get to know one of the finishing sheet rockers. That way they can easily replicate the knockdown pattern when you patch. It seems every person who does knockdown makes it look different. I've hired a few people who claim they can match it and it looks way too different.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by Desertspiritsteve

Is the builder prewiring the house for the alarm system wires, tv antenna wires, phone lines etc.?

Yes, they are doing a bit of wiring already...CAT5 lines to different rooms, speakers on the patio..but not speaker runs anywhere else since it was too late by the time we decided we wanted to add those as well.

I guess I can ask and see what they say, if they say no, then I have a company I've used in the past when we had our alarm installed that can do the work, just figured it would be a much easier and cheaper to have done now.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

The reality is the big builders will say no to adding your own wire or hiring your subcontractor. Therefore, tell your builder you want to add conduit for future wiring. Hire their contractor. The key here is the conduit should not be run in parallel with the house wiring or "cross coupling" will happen. That's a fancy word to mean you will hear 60 HZ buzzing. The wires can run perpendicular all day long. Later, go with 14 gauge wire (not 16 or 18 gauge wire). Buy it from monoprice.com . They cannot be beat. Personally, I like to use 12 gauge wire.

From there, have the conduits run to a central area where you plan to put the electronics. A closet, laundry room hanging cabinet etc. The reality is it's going to be a lot cheaper to hire another smaller contractor versus theirs per run.

Expect to have some holes cut in the sheet rock to run the wires to the exact spot. The conduit helps you make less sheetrock cuts. Unless you have laid everything out perfectly, you will still be needing to make future cuts. The conduit also helps to run wires 10 years from now.

At the job, get to know one of the finishing sheet rockers. That way they can easily replicate the knockdown pattern when you patch. It seems every person who does knockdown makes it look different. I've hired a few people who claim they can match it and it looks way too different.

Conduit could be good but how do I fish the wires through the conduit later? Also, at one point Im sure the speaker wires will need to be parallel to the house wiring so is there a certain distance they should be away from the house wiring?

I have no idea where the heck I would run all the wires to...wasn't really thinking of running them to a closet but more to where the TV will be in the great room. I was imagining the setup like this...

[RCR]

Originally Posted by EDnurse

Check your contract. The day I selected all the "options" I was told I couldn't change anything from there on forward. But, upon reading the contract up close, I found a clause that stated any changes will incur a fee of 250.00.

I wouldn't go in there behind their backs.

The changes you would be charged for are those you request the builder to make. They aren't going to bill you for things you do on your own.

It is always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission!

[Roger427]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Part of the problem with asking is if they say no, then you are actually going against what they said, which isn't good. If you don't ask and just do it, no one ever said no.

I wasn't thinking about doing it before the electricians, I was thinking after the drywall was already up but before they blow in the insulation into the attic...crawl up in the attic and lay out the wires.

I can understand why they said we can't add it on, it would of probably delayed the finish date and they need to stay on schedule...otherwise why wouldn't they want more money from us, right? There shouldn't be any liability issues, there are just speaker wires, no electricity or anything running through them.

That's what I did. I tied big washers to the wires and meticulously measured and diagrammed location. Then after I onwned it, used a good magnet an found my wires easily. Don't ask, just do it. Only problem was I didn't get all of it done before doors and locks went in. But I was able to get my speakers in the patio very easily.

[mjd2k]

Not sure about here but I "broke" into the house I had built in Canada and did some work. They had made an arched nook above the fireplace. I measured and saw my tv would not fit. I asked and they said it was a couple hundred to take it out. I went in and knocked it out myself one night. No one noticed. I also ran all the speaker wires. No one is going to rip it out. I also prewired electrical around the perimeter wall of the basement before they insulated. No one cared or noticed. I did the basement later and took out a permit. Depends on your builder and you of course. Dont' become a problem and they will probably look the other way. Sometimes its better to beg forgiveness than be denied permission!

[mjd2k]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Conduit could be good but how do I fish the wires through the conduit later? Also, at one point Im sure the speaker wires will need to be parallel to the house wiring so is there a certain distance they should be away from the house wiring?

I have no idea where the heck I would run all the wires to...wasn't really thinking of running them to a closet but more to where the TV will be in the great room. I was imagining the setup like this...

Thats a lot of wiring but really.... if they can put in conduit, they can put in wire. Much, much cheaper an faster. (ps, you put a pull-wire in the conduit for later). I dont' get why they would ever say no. Many stereo joints will install the wiring professionally. I gave the builder 10% of the cost (or whatever makes it worthwhile for him) when I did work directly for their customer (wasn't wiring). That way I could have my installs done before the customer took possesion. Was a common practice.... Unless it really is too late.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

I snuck in a did a few things during my construction phase HX_guy. Yours is a bit difficult with the wires but, you need to time it right. Here is the key - you have a pre drywall inspection. Put if off until a Friday, say your busy until a Friday (this is an important step). Then you have Saturday and Sunday with nobody working in the house to do your dirty work, after the sign off. Monday a drywall guy will come with no idea those weren't suppose to be there, nor will he care and there ya go.

Don't tell anyone I told you this info. lol

This is the answer right here. Once electrical inspection is done nobody is going to look at any wires. The biggest thing to remember is have a plan when you show up to do it, don't dink around you don't really have a bunch of time to play. One thing you want to watch out for is the sales person in the model home. If that person tends to go out to show homes AND they happen to see you it may cause a problem.
"Technically" you don't own the house yet and entering could be considered burglary (not trying to scare you but being realistic) so you want to stay as inconspicuous as possible. Get more parts that you think you'll need and take back what you don't use so you're not going in and out all the time, take water,lunch etc and avoid being in there after dark. If you have a friend that has a clue take him with you it'll go faster.
I guess you could also bring a radio and tune it to 88.3 and it'd give you some cover.

[backtochitown]

Shea homes let us run our own wiring for audio systems.