Low-voltage entry and garden lighting controlled with a timer.

Absolutely go the "hide a hose" route for central vac system!!!

Hardwire all security doors and windows.

Outlet near fireplace mantle for decoration.

Outlet on both sides of front porch and inside door for decorations.

Ditch rope lighting in master tray for LED strip lighting.

Stair lighting?? LED

Conduit from attic to basement/crawl

Make sure boxes are plastic and large enough for smart switches and signal to get out.

Loving the ideas. Why do you pick hardwired security?

Security. wireless is vulnerable and dependent on batteries It's cheap and why the box store boys sell it. Hard wire it. If you are building, there is no reason to go wireless when walls are open

If you plan to hardwire security on the windows make sure to check if/how that might impact your window warranty.

Are hardwired sensors compatible with any of the newer systems like Frontpoint or even a self managed system like SmartThings?

Why do you recommend plastic outlet or switch boxes? We always see metal boxes around here in new builds (even high end ones). Please let me know the advantages of plastic.

At some point I would like to add smart switches (lighting controls). I want to be sure before closing up the walls, I have planned for future adding of lighting controls. What do I need to put in place to add it later? I would add it now, but they are expensive.

Carol

Here is a link to a wiring guide for LV wiring. It is an excellent reference to wire types, quality (not all CAT5/6 is the same) as well as tip for future proofing.

Wiring your new house 101

What I plan on doing is pulling wire EVERYWHERE while the walls are open. Wires for future:

Blinds, Tray ceiling LEDs, under counter LED, Baseboard LED, TV, Network, Audio, Alarm, Surveillance cameras, etc.

Once we are in the house, I can take time to connect things to the wires. Smart switches can replace existing switches later on. Motorized blinds can be installed and connected to a central panel to close at sunset and open at sunrise (based on day of the year).

The Guide offers great tips to avoid ever using an extension cord.

Here is an excerpt

• Make sure you have a neutral
  at all switch locations. Most
  high-quality switches require a neutral.
• Always use deep electrical boxes for outlets and
  switches. Most of the remote
  controlled switches are larger than their non-remote counterparts. You will need the extra room. An alternative to deep boxes is to
  install larger (4”x4”) square boxes, and then install a single-gang-mud
  ring.
• If you plan
  on using RF switches in the future, such as Z-wave, or ZigBee, try to go
  with non-metallic boxes, since metal ones could interfere with reception.

--Russ

Thank you Russ for this helpful info. I will download the link tomorrow. I find it hard to find information on low voltage wiring. So it seems from your advice the deep boxes and plastic boxes are very important for wireless lighting controls (so glad to know that now). What if you are able to hard wire for lighting controls (because your walls are wide open). Would you still recommend the deep and plastic boxes I was thinking about the wired system by Centralite or perhaps Lutron (the former being less expensive). We just have to figure out how to wire the house now to allow the switch over to hard wired lighting controls later.

Carol

There are lots of technologies:

X10, Insteon, Z-wave, UPB. Most of these use some form of wireless technology.

I'm not sure I'd want to do a hardwired system.

You really need to plan really well. If you have good vision to know where you want controls and remote switches, I guess it has benefits.

I don't expect to know how we will use lighting controls until we are living in the house. Do I want to be able to turn lights off from my smartphone in bed. Dim them. Close the garage door. All questions I think you have to be living in the house to learn the answer.

I plan on doing standard switches and replace them later with smart switches and controls.

Hardwiring also binds you to that company.

Our family got an Amazon Echo for Christmas. This thing has great home automation possibilities. It's a voice activated device (similar to smartphone Siri) that can be connected to a smart home. Say "Alexa, turn living room lights on" and voila they are turned on.

Home automation can be overwhelming. So many possibilities and decisions.

My plan is to pull wire and figure it out later. CAT5 is cheap by the box. Pull plenty of cable. A cable to a blank plate for a future audio distribution control or alarm panel. Pull speaker wire to each room ceiling, mark it and let sheetrockers do their thing and I can cut speakers later.

Once the house is built and we are living in it, I'll research switches and controllers and pick a technology and replace the switches.

Read that document. It has LOTS of ideas. Such as running a dedicated circuit to a home theatre or an exercise room to power treadmills etc.

eg:

Interesting Electrical Options

These
are items that you might want to consider in preparation for future
projects. Some are not really HA/HT
related, but just nice to have. Of
course, making your home more enjoyable is the reason for HA, so maybe they are
HA related.

• Holiday
  lighting
• Put switched
  outlets under the eaves and in a few places at ground level around the
  outside of the house for decoration.
• If you have a
  large Christmas tree, or use lots of lights, consider a dedicated circuit
  for it. If you have a large room,
  also consider putting receptacles in the middle in the floor. These can provide power for a tree or
  lamps in the middle of the room, without having to run extension cords.
• Make sure
  there is an outlet (preferably switched) near the front door for a wreath,
  or similar lighted options.
• Be sure to
  include spare outlets in attics for an ultrasonic pest repeller and
  such. It also allows you to plug in
  a fan when working up there.
• Consider
  switched attic lighting, so when you go up there you can flip a switch and
  see.
• Code requires
  a minimal number of outside outlets on the house. You might want to have an outlet on each
  side of the house so you don’t have to run an extension cord all over the
  place to power the hedge clippers.
• If you plan
  on having security cameras, consider the power needs for the type of
  camera you intend to install. Some
  units require power at the end destination, while other will require it at
  the camera location.
• Do you intend
  to have a fishpond, fountain, or other outside water attraction? You might need power for pumps, lights,
  etc. How about a birdbath
  heater? Note: There are extra code requirements
  whenever you mix water and electricity (or more accurately, whenever you
  DON’T want to mix them). Make sure
  you do things correctly.
• If you plan
  to have decorative yard lighting (either LV or HV), you will need power
  for them, and some way to control them.
  If you plan one controlling them from a plug-in module, try to
  locate the module someplace protected from the elements.
• If you have
  a larger yard, consider running power to other spots on the property. These additional outlets can be used for
  decorations, yard work, or someplace for the kids to plug in their boom
  box.
• Plan for task lighting/floodlights outside. These lights should be mounted high on
  the sides of the house, and can be either halogen or regular
  spotlights. If you plan to control
  them remotely, make you stay within the switches power limits. Spotlights, especially halogens, add up
  quickly.
• Look around
  for places that you MIGHT want electricity in the future, either for
  electrical appliances, or lighting. Some suggestions that require either a
  switch, or receptacle are;
  • Lighting for picture
    frames or artwork
  • Lighting for cabinets
    holding collectables
  • Bannister lights
  • In the kitchen
    • * Under cabinet

lighting
* In cabinet lighting
* Above cabinet
lighting
* Kick-space lighting
* Decorations
* Do you want a fan
over the kitchen table?

• On the deck/patio
  • * Lights on/under the

railing
* Accent lighting
* Task lighting over
the grill
* Decorations

• In the bedroom
  • * Do you want a

ceiling fan?
* Up lighting in a
tray ceiling
* Task lighting around
the mirror

• In the living/great
  room
  • * An outlet near the

fireplace mantle for decorations or lights
* Spotlights on the
mantle
* If you have a
“stone” chimney, consider putting lights on the ceiling, around a foot
from the chimney. These lights
will bring out the texture of the chimney
* Ceiling fan(s)

• Consider putting lights in the closets. There are in-expensive switches that can
  be put in the doorjambs that will automatically turn the light on and off
• Depending on
  how much you plan on installing automation, you can wire the house without
  3-way (or 4-way, etc) switches.
  Then install the loads in out of the way locations and put
  multi-button remote control at the locations where you normally would have
  had switches. When you do this, it eliminates the "switch banks"
  that normally crop up around the doorways, especially exterior doors. Very
  versatile, and it removes a lot of visual clutter.
• In some
  locations, increase the size of the box by one space (i.e. 1 single gang
  is replaced by a 2-gange, a 2-gange by a 2-gang, etc.). The extra space can be used for a
  multi-button remote control.
• Plan for
  future LCD/Plasma installations. If
  you know where they would go, you should power for them now. Don’t forget the LV connections either.

If it’s a large house, consider installing power
for a high-speed hot water recycling pump, such as THIS (gothotwater.com). This will provide hot water

--Russ

What an awesome post above, Russ. Thanks!

Carol