I am just finishing the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems (all DIY) in an old victorian that I took down to bare studs.

I’d like to pre-wire for just about everything you can think of before the foam insulation and drywall are installed. I’m thinking whole house music, HD video, home automation, security, networking, etc.

What wires should I pull (and why)?  I’ll have a wire/control closet on the 1st floor over a crawl space.

Any good sources to research would also be appreciated.

thanks
brian

Brian,

You’ll find some discussions about what to pre-wire a house with if you poke around these forums.  Basically here is what I can say in a nut shell.

1) This isn’t a DIY forum.  So it isn’t really setup and designed to be the Wikipedia of how to do amazing cutting edge electronic design yourself.

2)  As with any custom service it is nearly impossible to suggest one cookie cutter answer.

3)  The advice I offer is to find a reputable integration company near you and get them on board.  If you want to do the work yourself, find one that will step in to consult.  Expect to pay for these services, but in the end - as with anything - you can get what you pay for if you find the right company.  You could use the Cedia finder service as a starting point.  http://www.cedia.com right on the main page, just plug in your zip code.

4)  The only completely future proof solution is to have conduit that you can pull wire into.  This can be challenging, but you mention a crawl space - so perhaps with some forethought conduit drops into the crawl and into the attic could give you access where you need it - as well as a big pipe from the crawl to the attic via the control closet.