Totally agree with the “pay now or pay later” angle. Here’s how I looked at it when we did our build:
- Pre-wiring isn’t just about today’s tech. It’s about future-proofing. Even if you don’t use every drop now, you’ll thank yourself when the next upgrade rolls around.
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Couldn’t agree more. Conduit is cheap insurance. I ran it to a few spots I wasn’t sure about—ended up using every single one within two years.“If you can swing it during the build, even just running conduit for future cables is a smart move.”
- Wireless is fine for bedrooms or guest spaces, but for home theaters, offices, or anywhere you want zero lag? Wired wins every time.
- Fishing wires after drywall is up is a nightmare. I tried it once and swore never again.
If you’re building custom, I’d say don’t skimp on wiring in the main zones. You can always skip the less critical rooms if budget’s tight, but you can’t go back and do it easily later.
Totally get the “pay now or pay later” thing, but honestly, I had to pick my battles with the budget. We ran conduit in the main living areas and office, skipped the guest rooms. Two years later, I only regret not doing one spot where I ended up needing a hardwired connection—had to get creative with cable covers. It’s not perfect, but it works. Sometimes you just have to make peace with good enough and trust your future self to improvise.
I get where you’re coming from—budgeting for conduit everywhere just wasn’t realistic for us either. I mapped out every spot I thought we’d need, but still missed a couple. Ended up fishing cable through insulation in one wall... not fun, but doable. Honestly, unless you’re planning to run a ton of tech in every room, it’s probably fine to skip some areas. Just wish I’d left a few more pull strings for future upgrades.
Yeah, I ran into the same issue—mapped out what I thought was a thorough plan, but once the walls went up, realized I’d missed a spot or two. Fishing wire through insulation is a pain, no doubt. In hindsight, I probably would’ve prioritized conduit only in the main living areas and office, rather than trying to cover every possible scenario. Pull strings are a smart move, though. They’re cheap and save a lot of hassle down the line... wish I’d thought of that before drywall.
Pull strings are a smart move, though. They’re cheap and save a lot of hassle down the line... wish I’d thought of that before drywall.
- Totally relate—had no idea how much planning goes into just the wiring.
- Thought I was being thorough, but missed a few spots for outlets in the kitchen.
- Kinda regret not asking about conduit before we started framing.
- Pull strings sound like a lifesaver... didn’t even know that was a thing until after the fact.
- Next time, I’d probably focus more on where we actually use tech daily instead of trying to future-proof every single wall.
