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What’s the Best Path to Structured Wiring?

Al Griffin  |  May 5, 2015

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Q I’m considering buying a home where the builder has options for structured wiring. The markup on this option seems a little high (a few hundred dollars to go from 16-gauge to 12-gauge speaker wire, etc.). I know the best time to run wire is during the construction process, but what is the best way to accomplish it: builder, custom installer, or DIY? One major concern is that the exterior walls will have spray-foam insulation, so once that’s in, I’m thinking those walls are hands-off.—Mike Sellers / Tomball, TX

A There’s no reason to not take advantage of a structured wiring option if the builder of your new home provides it. Cutting into walls to run wire after the fact can be complicated and costly—not to mention near-impossible if the walls are insulated with spray foam.

As for the choice between using a builder or a custom installation pro to run cable, keep in mind that your builder is likely to just hire an electrician to do the work. A custom installer, however, would ensure things like audio cables being separated from power cables, which could otherwise add hum and noise to the sound, and perhaps recommend additional HDMI or Cat5e/6 cabling to accommodate long HDTV signal runs, wired Internet feeds, or other future needs a builder will never think about. Visit cedia.org, the website run by the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, to find a CEDIA-certified installer in your area.

As for the price difference between 16- and 12-gauge cable, that step-up typically is a pricey one. Your best bet would be to run 16- or 14-gauge cable for whole-house audio, and to limit heavy 12-gauge to the in-wall/in-ceiling speakers in a dedicated home theater room.

COMMENTS
A guy in Saskatoon's picture
Submitted by A guy in Saskatoon on May 5, 2015 - 3:10pm

In the outside walls that are to be filled with spray foam you can add a length of PVC pipe (I used cheap central vac pipe) down to a low voltage outlet box that you install before the foam. Then in the future if you need to make changes you do not need to remove foam. I used this for all my major cables (HDMI) in my theater that may need to be changed or would be difficult to replace in the future. Make sure you leave extra in the upper rafter for easy access later. If you live in cold zone, seal the end with something (fiber insulation) that can be removed if needed.

jnemesh's picture
Submitted by jnemesh on May 5, 2015 - 3:55pm

A better choice would be to use conduit that is made for the task. It's less expensive than PVC pipe for central vac, and will be able to connect directly to the low voltage boxes already in place. Conduit is ALWAYS a good idea on a new construction home. You never know what kind of cable you may need to run in the future, and this gives you a "future proof" installation.

Oreo's picture
Submitted by Oreo on May 8, 2015 - 11:04am

I ended up going with Cat6 everywhere I thought I needed it, and conduit in all the places I knew I wanted to run wires later, but maybe not pay for initially. I'll probably buy some 12-gauge wire from Monoprice and switch out the smaller stuff later. Only the outside walls will be insulated, and that goes all the way up through the attic. The attic space will not have blown-in insulation, so all the interior spaces should be relatively easy to access. I'm really looking forward to getting into the house in a few months.

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