Please advise on building a new home (1 Viewer)

[Michael Botvinick]

Advice on a new home:
Good news, my wife and I are buying a new home. It is in the process of being built. Has anyone recently gone through this and did they have speaker wire run before the house was finished? I will have a downstairs family room with a regular TV and maybe my older stereo that is Dolby pro-logic. Up stairs I WILL HAVE A DEDICATED HOME THEATRE ROOM finally!!!
If I pre-wire for speakers should I plan on wiring for four (4) rear channels. I have the Outlaw 1050 for upstairs. I could run at least two rears channels and one rear center. Should I prepare for the future and wire for more?
I would appreciate any advice as I know how a mistake could cost a lot later.
Thanks,
Michael
[email protected]

 

[Bob McElfresh]

You can hedge your bets by installing 2" conduit and running speaker wires & a pull-rope through it so you can always add more wire later.

I'd recommend running wires to the side of the room for possible side-speakers, and run an extra RG6 coax to the rear to drive bass-shakers for your couch.

Some people recommend running a SVideo and Component cable set of cables up into the ceiling where you might eventually mount a ceiling-mount projector.

Other things to try and specify:

- Put insulation on all interior walls to help sound-proof the room. Dont forget the ceiling/floor.

- Plan for extra electrical outlets, preferablly all on it's own circuit breaker.

You want your house wired for CATV & computer. There is a bundle of 2 RG6 coax cables and 2 Cat 5 network cables available called the "Smart Home" cable. You want to run this to every room to a central location in a "star" pattern. In the central location is where you will put a CATV amp and a network hub. This is also where you will put your cable-modem.

To this central location is where you want your CATV service to run to. You should also have a Dish/DSS installer come out and tell you where he would mount a DSS dish on the roof. Run dual RG6 coax from this place on the roof to the central location. Now you can put DSS receivers in any room and just jumper it at the central location.

Make sure this central location has a electrical outlet nearby.

Telephone: Run 4 telephone wires to every room and have them terminate at your central location on a punch-down block. Have the phone company install 6 phone lines from the local drop to your house, and run these to the central location as well. You only activate 1 or 2 lines now, but having the extra copper is a hedge against the future.

There is a LOT you could do, and frankly, the HT room is not the most important part. Getting Telephone/Cable/Computer Network service to every room will be more important in the long run.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

PS: There is a separate "Building a Home Theater Area" on this board that may give you more focused responses to how to pre-wire your room.

 

[Michael Botvinick]

Bob,

your response was perfect! Thank you! My wife and I spoke about networking the house already. We know that our future kids will have computers in their rooms. I apreciate the time you took to answer my questions. I also posted in the "building a HT" board.
-Michael

 

[DerekF]

I went throught this about a year and a half ago, and besides the excellent input you have already received, I would definitely stress constructing your AV "wall" with easy access from the rear.

Mine backs into the area under the stairs, and I built trap doors and integrated shelving for quick access to the rear of the components and TV.

Also, be careful to run CSA or UL rated in-wall wiring, or your inspection may not pass.

My only mistake: TVs are getting larger and more affordable than the opening I built!

Have fun!