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Pimping Out a New House
Jason Michael Perry writes "I just got pre-approved to buy some gutted property in New Orleans. A lot of the houses I'm looking at are blank canvases that need new wiring, new walls, new everything. I've always dreamed of a high-tech house that says my name when I walk in the door and now is my chance to get a close as I can with current technology. So I'm looking for ideas to pimp out a newly renovated house with all the best technology. If you had a blank canvas to start with, what would you do? Run CAT-5 or fiber optics? Build a closet for servers and A/V equipment? Build a 7.1 speaker system into the living room walls and ceilings? Install automated lights and intercom (with support for Apple equipment)? How about appliances, the kitchen, and other spots... what cool tech can I use there? My only rules and requirements are support for the four Macs I have in the house, and reasonable support for technology on the fringes."
Hey-- next time you want to go out for a steak dinner, give the money to a poor guy so he can eat instead. Don't buy any fancy clothes, a car, or a house, because that money would be better served being given to the poor.
In case you are still not understanding, what you have just stated is another example of the altruistic moralism fallacy.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Ask a professional! Here's the URL for 'Hubbell Automation Consulting'.
http://www.hubbell.biz/
Send an e-mail over to Jeremy, he will take your layout and create a fully Mac-based house. The systems he installs will allow one Mac-mini (or equivalent), to manage everything in your home. The lights will come on when it gets dark, some will come one at random when you're away, the system will water the garden when it gets dry, etc. etc. etc. You can go for better than CAT-5 cabling, and yes Apple will be adding new gizmo's sooner than you will be able to save the money to buy them all - but the smart money's on keeping things simple and adjustable. The house must be able to function even when the computer's are off - and this is where Hubbell's systems come into their own.
It's not just network drops though. Who knows when you'll want to adopt a whole house audio system and need to run speaker wire or when you need to install a new gadget that wants to have a wired network connection and isn't close enough to the existing drop. Not to mention the new and exciting possible changes in wiring of sorts that we haven't even considered yet.
Put a reasonably sized conduit down in every wall if possible. You never know when you're going to want to use it and if you don't need it it'll be a lot less irritating than if you realize too late that you want more than you have.
"Yes, put network and TV in your kitchen... the wife or girlfriend will thank you..."
Sexist much? I'm male and not only am I the one who does the majority of the cooking, I'm also the one who stays home. After getting remarried even my father does all of the cooking in his household.
Personally I've never been much of a fan of in-wall speakers. But I realize that everyone has their own preferences and to some looking unobtrusive is considered desirable (I'm lucky enough to have a girlfriend who has no problem with my desire to make my speaker set look like Stonehenge as long as it sounds good). I'm also told, though I haven't investigated them seriously (I live in the city and rent), that there are some decent-sounding in-walls finally on the market. Anyhow, if you don't demand that they be completely hidden allow me to suggest against going with in-wall speakers in favor of traditional speakers which tend to be of higher quality. Due to sonic reasons I'll admit I don't fully understand (dammit, I'm a biologist, not an acoustician!) in-wall speakers tend not to sound as good.
Instead my suggestion would be to pre-wire for sound. Like everything (though you should run conduits) run more cable than you think you'll need. Especially consider that future speaker systems may very well contain more speakers than you expect at the moment as well as the possibility of redecorating and needing to move things around. Wall plates terminated with high-quality banana plugs should make wiring and re-wiring a snap. Just label both ends of each connection (e.g. 1A/1B, 2A/2B) and you'll be set to put your receiver/pre-pro and speakers wherever you want. Don't assume in advance you know where anything will sit and you'll be rewarded with greatly increased flexibility.
While 7.1 is the upper standard for today, consider that the future will change. Future-proof things by over-wiring and as trends and technology change you'll be able to easily take advantage of it without a lot of re-wiring. For secondary rooms I'd consider running at least two outlets to your equipment closet as you never know when you'll want to put in a whole-house system. Outdoor speakers should probably be decided on in advance though as they are the one area where you'll want to avoid an exposed terminating panel and you'll need to do additional installation for the speakers making major configuration changes unlikely.
Do be certain that your cabling is rated for in-wall use. I'd suggest using either 12 or 14 gauge.