For builders and designers
The pre-wire checklist, from framing to paint
One page per house. Hand it to your electrician, tick it off at each inspection and keep it in the job binder. Check it against your plans and your local inspector.
Step 1: Before framing
Send us the plan set, the lighting layout and the window schedule
Name each room and say who uses it and when
Agree who marks the walls: our installer or your electrician
Step 2: At framing
Keypad and dimmer boxes marked on the studs at the height the owner chose
Deep boxes where several dimmers share one wall
A neutral wire at every switch box
Shade pockets and header depths checked against the motor
Low-voltage runs kept apart from line voltage
Step 3: Rough-in
Home-run cable to one closet, with the network and control panel spaced for growth
Conduit stubs and cable paths for outdoor lights and the transformer
Cables labeled at both ends, with the labels on the plan
Step 4: Before drywall
Photos of every wall, taken square on and filed with the plan
A walk with your electrician before inspection
Access points marked, so a later change does not mean a new hole
Step 5: After paint
Devices set and engraved keypads fitted
Scenes and schedules programd in each finished room
A walk-through with the owner and a one-page guide for the house
Why framing
The cheapest hour to place a keypad is before the drywall
At framing a box moves with a drill and a minute. After drywall it moves with a saw, a patch and a painter.
One set of marks
Your electrician wires the line voltage and we run the control cable, from the same marked-up sheet.
Your schedule first
We book the rough-in and the walk around your inspection dates, not the other way around.
Builder questions
What builders ask first
When should a builder call you?
When the framing goes up, and no later than before the electrician's rough-in is inspected. That is when keypad boxes, shade pockets and low-voltage runs can still be placed without opening a finished wall.
Do you work with my builder, electrician or designer?
Yes. On most custom homes we are one of several trades. We take the plan set and the schedule from your builder, and we work from the same marked-up sheet as the electrician who wires the line-voltage side.
What do you need from me to quote a pre-wire?
The plan set, the lighting layout if there is one, and the window schedule. If a drawing is missing, we can mark up the floor plan on the first walk.
Send the plans
Ask for a pre-wire scope
Tell us the address, the framing date and who your electrician is. We reply in office hours.