Take a digital camera and photograph each and every wall cavity before insulating and closing things in. It'll help tons when you have to go back later and fix something that you forgot, etc.

We used some sound barrier insulation between our bathroom/laundryroom and kitchen as well as between the 2 upstairs bedrooms. It's decent... you can't hear the washer when the door is closed now.

If you are really concerned about noise transmission. An extra layer of drywall with acoustic "glue" or rubberized tape does wonders. the best way to minimize drain noises (toilet flushes) is to use cast iron pipe not plastic (and not just on the straight section - plastic elbows attached to cast iron pipe defeats the purpose). It is an excellent idea to put some flexible conduit in the walls for future wiring. However, with all the new wireless technologies being developed, I'm not sure that you will ever really need to run additional wiring.

I ran PVC from the attic to the "basement" (pier and beam crawlspace). I have since filled that PVC with TV antenna cable and telephone lines. Also, after I dusted the base, I came back with boric acid and applied that dust into the walls. That will keep the roaches, ants, and termites out of the walls.

Seal any holes or leaks with Tyvek and Tyvek tape. Seal the door jambs and the window frames. Seal around pipes - every penetration. Then insulate.

Even if you photograph the walls, you will not have enough photographs. First you take all the pictures you think you'll need. Then hand the camera to someone else and ask them to do a complete job of photographing every feature. Then hand the camera to someone else and repeat. I am nearing the end of a remodel and have used the photos a LOT. And I wish I had taken more and more close-ups.

My walls just got drywalled this week and I wish I took more pictures. This is what I did:
- install structure media wire box, run CAT5e & RG6 cable from every room to this box. Bring outside telephone line and TV source to this box. Run flex conduit from attic to box for future expansion.
- run PVC pipe from attic to dead space on main floor for future wire runs.
- run audio, video (s-video, DVI, HDMI, component RCA) cable from game room wall to 3 gang ceiling box in center of room. (might want a projector some day)
- run 16-4 audio cable to every room from the structure media box and pre wire ceilings for surround or audio sound.
- do the same for the front and back porch.
- prewire for a wired security system.
- photograph where all these wires are so when you want to install security boxes, switches, volume controls and speakers you can find them.
- sprayed 4" foam insulation in all exterior wall, under roof deck and under the floor of the game room on 2nd floor. If I do this again I would spend a little more money on closed cell foam insulation vice open cell to get a better R value.
I would also run phone and coax to the exterior where I might want to have a camera or two.

We did a similiar thing as Robert in our house. Hired an electronics team to come out and wire the house for sound, using 3 zones in the great room...kitchen, library, and living room. Had cable, acoustic wiring, and super heavy adjustable bracket put in for the 55 inch plasma tv over the fireplace. Wiring put in for the rear speakers in the ceiling of the living room, and in the ceiling of the kitchen.

We redid the insulation completely in our 1978 house, except for a few walls that were hard to get to. All new wiring and plumbing throughout, upstairs and down. We took pictures of the bare walls to have a record of where all the wires and pipes are.

One thing to make sure of...put metal covers over all studs where pipes run thru them. It's standard procedure for plumbers, but ours goofed up and forgot one. Would you know it, it was the exact spot that our carpenter drilled to attach a bathroom vanity, and he busted a pipe. Luckily, he knew what to do in the moment, and later on our plumber came back, tail between his legs, to patch in a new pipe and pay for the new drywall.

We also put in sound insulation around all bathroom walls. It was the idea of our insulation contractor, and only cost about 150 per wall. The guest bathroom shares a wall with the dining room, so he said we should give our guest their privacy when going to the bathroom, LOL.

Also, being in a 30 year old house built on the side of a hill, we fixed any wall studs that were off-plumb, putting shims in to allow for a straight installation of the drywall. We also beefed up any supporting wallstuds to bring them up to newer codes, and replaced any studs that were dryrotted or cracked. Houses tend to settle quite a bit over the years, especially if on the side of a hill.

I just inspected our 2nd story for final outlets, switches, phone/satellite cable, toilet paper holder placement, ceiling fans and light boxes. Added several outlets and changed locations of some switches. But the major thing was adding a sconce in each bathroom to replace the plug in night light. Plug-in night lights are so ugly and take up outlet space.

Blocking. Blocking for cabinetry makes installation easier, especially corners.Blocking for curtains, blinds, towel racks,t.p. holders, etc.We even blocked out for an art collector to hang heavy works of art.Dressing mirrors,anything you might have pre planned for hanging on walls or cielings, you might consider getting some extra blocking in.

Forgot to add,when doing a bath remodel, block areas around tub/shower/toilet for grab bars, as well as hallway blocking for future handrailing. We are not getting any younger, im already older than dirt, so im going to install blocking in these areas on our build as it's going to be the house we live in forever. Even at that, blocking could be considered a good selling point if not your forever house.Block till you drop!

Regarding blocking: Put a target on the blocking and use a large magic marker to write the distance in inches from the ceiling and nearest wall. When you take pictures of the wall pre-sheetrock you will have a permanent record of the exact location of the wood. You could do the same thing with the studs themselves.

If you live in Houston, sprinkle Roach powder inside the walls before closing them up...