We are going to need to get the details sort out for the electrics so that we can organise the first fix (installing the wiring without any switches or sockets). We need to get the first fix done before any of the ceilings or walls can be plasterboarded. So getting the wiring sort is important.
However, it is not just the power and lighting that needs to be sorted out. What about the network points? telephone points? thermostats? PIR sensors for the alarm? TV points?
With this in mind, we had a go at marking all of the above on a floorplan. It gets messy very quickly. Don’t believe me? See below.
What did we learn from this process?
- You need to understand how each of the rooms are going to be used if you are going to put the services in the right place. e.g. where is a table/desk going to be placed in each room in order to get the sockets in the right place? Where would a TV go? And this might not be where you might put it, but where a potential new owner might place it.
- Lighting design really needs the input of an architect. This is creative process and isn’t simply a case of working out where the pendant light goes in the middle of the ceiling. I met with our architect this week and they had some good thoughts about lighting ideas.
- Plan the wiring in such a way to make it as flexible as possible. I will write up more on this later, but for example, bringing the telephone services in via a patch panel means that with a little bit of thought it is possible to “liven” up telephone services in different sockets. This is a much more flexible approach rather than hardwiring everything.
This shows the potential location for different services on the first floor. Legend: P=power socket, TV=TV point, E=ethernet, T=telephone, S=lighting switch. Where there is a number before the letter, this denotes the number of sockets.