Prewiring Your Home Properly

It’s time for another installment in our ongoing series on building or remodeling your home. So far we have talked about the common objections builders have with involving HTP (Home Technology Professionals). We have also discussed the importance of involving us in the design phase of your building project. Today we will be looking at what is often considered the mundane first step of the installation and how we as HTP’s can make sure it is done properly and in a way to provide for your needs and reduce additional hassle and expense later.

What is pre-wiring, and what all does it entail? Pre-wire consists of running all of the low voltage cabling throughout your home before the sheetrock is installed. This can consist of any combination of cat-6 (networking/phone/surveillance), speaker wire (distributed audio, home theater) RG-6 coaxial cabling (TV/satellite distribution/surveillance).

You and your contractor might ask, “Can’t my electrician just do that?”. While they might be able to pull wire, think of it thisway. Would you want your family doctor to perform heart surgery on you or a loved one? They are both medical professionals and they both went to medical school, but the heart surgeon is specially trained and practiced in performing a specialized job. Did you know that running your speaker wire along-side electrical cable can cause major problems with your audio system? Problems that can end up costing you thousands of dollars to fix after the fact. Do you know what cabling you need to run to each TV location to make sure you are ready for SmartTV and/or control? Does an electrician know how many cables or the placement for the awesome new Dolby Atmos surround system you want in your new home theater? How about what type of HDMIcable is required for the newest native uncompressed 4k content coming in the next two-three years? Of course not. He is an electrical professional that knows how to properly wire a home for electrical services to ensure your needs are met as well as making sure all building codes are met to pass inspection. You might save a few dollars right now, but the cost you can incur down the road, whether in re-running wire or replacing cabling that isn’t up to spec, can be extremely high.

Can you imagine the difficulties in running audio or video cable around and through that beautiful stacked stone on your back porch for an outdoor TV or audio system? How about the added expense of pulling new speaker wire to your downstairs living room when there is not longer access without cutting sheetrock or removing crown moulding. All of these things can be done, but at a much higher expense than if they were done up front. Here at AV Enthusiast, our professionally trained and certified installers and designers know exactly what wiring you need to create the experience you are looking for. We know what cables are needed and we know where the cables need to go. We know what it will take to help future-proof your home. All these things not only make sure your end results are exactly what you are looking for, but can also save you thousands of dollars of the life of your home.

I hope this article has let you know the importance of working with a Home Technology Professional to make sure your home is wired for your current wants and needs, as well as the ones you might not even know you have.  If you would like more information on how we can help, please contact us here at AV Enthusiast and we can schedule a meeting and/or walkthrough to discuss and design a personalized system tailored to your exact needs. You can contact us at 256.882.5081 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to schedule an appointment.