I hear you on the “future-proofing” debate. I’ve seen both sides play out on job sites over the years. There was this one couple who insisted on running conduit everywhere—like, every wall, every ceiling, even spots they weren’t sure they’d ever use. The builder joked their house was more “tube” than timber by the end. Fast forward five years, and they still haven’t used half of it. Meanwhile, their neighbor put that same money into triple-pane windows and a killer kitchen island, and honestly? I think they got more daily joy out of it.
But then again, I’ve also watched folks regret not leaving at least a little wiggle room for upgrades. One guy wanted to add surround sound after the fact and ended up with a patchwork of drywall repairs that never quite matched. It’s a tough call.
Personally, I lean toward your approach—prioritize what you know you’ll use and enjoy now. If you’re not a hardcore tech person or planning to turn your living room into a home theater anytime soon, maybe skip the extra wiring runs. Spend that budget on stuff like insulation or better flooring... things you’ll notice every single day.
That said, I do like to leave at least one or two empty chases in key spots—just enough to avoid cursing myself later if something big changes down the road. But yeah, there’s definitely such a thing as overdoing it.
Funny how building a house is just one long series of “what ifs,” isn’t it? At some point you just have to trust your gut and live with the choices you make.