Hi,
About to have a loft conversion done, anyone have any suggestions/advice about cabling for lighting/power/networking before everythng starts? BAsically to future proof so as not to have to pull up boards etc for additional stuff later.
TIA
I doubt you will find many that can mind read here. Who knows what you might want to do in the future!
As far as electric sockets are concerned look at existing rooms in your house which have the same use as the conversion (bedrooms?) how many sockets are in use in each room? I don't just mean the sockets in the wall but all the sockets in multiplugs. Double that number (for an average room) and install that (large) number of sockets. I might even go so far as to say that it should be a separate ring main.
Other wiring is more difficult. I suspect many people will argue that wireless connections are the way to go and, if you don't already have CAT5 wiring elsewhere in the house, I'd probably agree with them. But you could also argue this is the perfect excuse to wire the house with CAT5 (I don't think you'll need CAT6 for a house but then again if you really want future proofing.....). I would probably install 3 outputs per room.
"Frank" wrote
Conversion to what? Bedrooms, bedroom with en-suite, home-office, hobby room......
Phil
Bedroom, bedroom/study and shower/toilet.
The way I did mine was:
Lighting - drill ceiling joists etc and lay in all wiring before plaster boarding.
Power lay in any wires that needed to run under the floor first, then floor it, then lay in the wall point wiring, and then plasterboard. I fitted dry lining boxes anywhere I wanted sockets and looped the wire through them at the time of fitting the plasterboard. Skimmed it next and then fitted all the sockets etc.
I took a couple of cat5s to each room (except bathroom) for phone/data as may be required. Terminated them at a modular wall unit in each room.
Where wires needed to pass along stud walls that were also to be insulated, I used a large router to cut a notch in the insulation and studs. This I fixed to a socket height standoff to guide it round the room. That way the power wiring is in contact with the plasterboard on one side which saves needing to de-rate its current carrying capacity so much.
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