THINKING ABOUT BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME—WORTH THE HASSLE?
I get the urge to plan every single outlet, but I sometimes wonder if people are overcomplicating things. I mean, yes, ripping up floors is a pain, but how often do you actually end up needing to move outlets once you’ve lived in a space for a while? Most folks I’ve seen just adapt with extension cords or power strips and move on. Is it really worth the extra stress and cost to try and future-proof every possible scenario?
I’m also not totally sold on floor outlets. In theory they’re great, but I’ve seen more than a few people regret them because of spills or just hating the way they look after a few years. Sometimes it feels like we’re trying to solve problems that might not even exist yet, you know?
Don’t get me wrong, planning is important, but maybe there’s such a thing as too much planning? At some point you have to trust you’ll make the space work for your life as it changes.
THINKING ABOUT BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME—WORTH THE HASSLE?
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from. Overplanning can drive you nuts, and you’ll never predict every future need. But here’s the thing—if you’re already building, it’s way easier (and cheaper) to add a few extra outlets now than to retrofit later. I’ve seen people regret not putting in enough, especially if they end up adding a home office or switching up furniture.
I’m with you on floor outlets though—they sound good until you spill coffee or trip over one. Have you thought about running conduit or raceways in key spots instead? That way, if you ever need to add wiring down the line, it’s not a total headache.
Curious—are you thinking about any smart home features or energy upgrades while you’re at it? Those can be a lot harder to add after the fact...
THINKING ABOUT BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME—WORTH THE HASSLE?
Totally agree on the outlets—never seems like enough once you actually move in. I went a little overboard with them in my last build, but honestly, no regrets. Smart home stuff is worth considering early too. Retrofitting is such a pain... learned that the hard way.
Smart home stuff is worth considering early too. Retrofitting is such a pain... learned that the hard way.
I get the appeal of planning all the smart tech during the build, but honestly, I found that a lot of it changes so fast. We put in a bunch of “future proof” wiring five years ago—half of it’s obsolete now. Sometimes waiting and just running conduit for later upgrades is less stressful (and cheaper). Outlets though, yeah, you can never have too many.
Sometimes waiting and just running conduit for later upgrades is less stressful (and cheaper).
Totally get this. I thought I was being clever with Cat6 everywhere, but now half my stuff is wireless anyway. Conduit was a lifesaver for adding things later—wish I’d run more of it honestly. Outlets... yeah, you can never have too many, especially in the kitchen.
