Getting Lit Without Getting Burned - New Construction Electrical Advice

"Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself."

- Desiderius Erasmus -

Phew!  Has it been this long since I have updated you on the farmhouse build?  Things seem to have been happening fast!  The electrical doesn't show a lot of progress (at least to my untrained eye) but man those guys were always working.  I guess it is a lot of work running all of those cables/wires...

Well, after some twists, turns, and moderate shocks (pricing-wise), we were able to settle in on a great electrical design.  Here are some details that we ran into and how we settled out.  Enjoy!

Contract advice

When we were reading our contract, it was difficult initially to know what was included in the electrical lump sum.  Almost all builders include something similar to 'electrical to code', but what the heck is code?  I was worried that I wouldn't know what was in, what was out, so I asked for a list of the electrical components to be included as an exhibit to the contract.  Without the specific pricing, the list looked something like:

     75 watt can lights - 86
     Single pole switches - 90
     Three-way switch - 54
     Entry fixture - 2
     and so on...

Looking back, I think that this was helpful but I needed to educate myself more about the terminology used by electricians that were not obvious to me (I was okay with figuring out "entry fixture", but this other stuff was Greek).  While not required, especially if you are building a spec home, I found it comforting to see exactly what was included in the base price and to see exactly what was an adder and (in rare cases) a deduct.  However, having a builder like J.S. Robinson made this task so much easier and (in hindsight) less necessary.  So, humor me by sharing some lessons learned :)  Full disclosure, the discussion below is made by a non-electrical homeowner.  Please forgive any inadvertent mistakes! 

Single pole switch - The pole is the light switch you use to turn on and off lights.  Something like:

     
Light switches with two poles would have two single pole switches combined.

Two-way, three-way, four-way Switches

Now, consider this:  you often want to have a single light that is operated off of two different light switches.  For example, we have a long hallway that we may want to have an on/off switch for the lights on either end.  This situation requires a special type of switch - a three way switch.

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Full disclosure - I read several websites trying to understand the anatomy of the three-way switch well enough to explain it on my blog.  Total.  Fail.  I leave you with the knowledge that if  you want to have a single light that is operated off of two separate switches, each switch will need a three-way switch.  Or if you have a single light operated off of three switches, then you would need three four-way switches, and so on.  

Receptacles

This is a trash can, right?  Not when you are talking electrical!  This is where you juice-up your phone!

If you want a four cord outlet, you need two receptacles:

GFCI Receptacle - A ground fault happens whenever electricity escapes the wiring it is supposed to be in and takes a shortcut to the ground.  People can be killed or seriously injured by electrical shocks from a ground fault.  Cue an engineer to save the day!  To prevent such accidents, Charles Dalziel, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, invented the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), in 1961.  A GFCI receptacle monitors the difference in the electrical current flowing into and out of an outlet. But when that difference exceeds 5 milliamps, an indication that a ground fault may be occurring, the GFCI shuts off the flow quickly.  GFCI receptacles are  GFCIs are required by the National Electric Code in all new kitchens, bathrooms, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and most outdoor receptacles.   Source  


Cut-in Receptacle - These are outlets that are "cut-in" to cabinets.  My parents were interested in having all electrical outlets installed in the bottom of the upper cabinets (to get a no-electrical-outlets backsplash look).  For each of those outlets, they much be cut-in the cabinets.

W.P. receptacle - The W.P. stands for weather proof.  These are your outdoor plugs.

Fixtures - The electrician will wire for your fixtures, Different fixtures require different wiring and complexity, therefore each is typically described differently.  Here is a quick cheat sheet:
  
     Fixture Standard Interior/Exterior - These are your typical ceiling flushmount lights (not can lights).  Something as cool as:

Frankfort Semi Flushmount

Edgar Flushmount

     Fixture Other Interior/Exterior - Think sconces!  These are typically wall-mounted lights.

     Keyless - Just your standard light bulb in a socket.

Electrical Design - Advice and Selections

It is extremely easy to go hit your budget, drive by your budget, then shoot for the stars :)  While there were many items that we considered, we had to be realistic and decline many cool things.  But that being said, we still got some great upgrades.  

First things first, most electricians will draw out code before you arrive for your electrical walk-through.  What that means is that they will draw, on the framing, where each switch/light/etc. is located (as required by code).  Then you walk through each room and consider light switch locations, additional lighting, etc.

Here is a list of the above-code considerations, and why we either decided to get them or not.

     Extra Outlets - "You get an extra outlet, you get an extra outlet..." Yes, okay, we went overboard.  But seriously, you need extra outlets!  Here were some of the locations that got outlet-ed: 

• Inside the bathroom cabinets - for toothbrushes, hair dryers, potential instant hot water heaters, etc.
• In the bedrooms, we located outlets to be where nightstands would be located.  To do so, you measure the width of your queen/king bed, locate them in the room, and then move outlets accordingly.  I hate when an outlet is behind a bed or piece of furniture...
• We added outlets in our closets for potential additional lighting, charging, etc.
• We added a lot of outlets in our mudroom area for charging iPads, phones, and other equipment.
• In the kitchen, we added an outlet under the sink for instant-hot.
• We added weather proof outlets in the roof eaves for Christmas lights.
• We added some electrical outlets higher on the walls for a fold-down ironing board, TVs, heated towel bar, etc.
• We added extra outlets in the pantry along the countertop for small appliances.
• There is now an additional outlet in the kids' playroom under the stairs for charging devices.
• There will be outlets in the floors for lamps/etc.
• There are also two sets of outlets on both fireplace mantles.
• In the garage, we added a lot more outlets (both an upper for a TV potentially and also just everyday tools).

     Sconces - My Mom and I are both fans of eye-level lighting, not top-lighting.  Can lights are great, but man, I'm really sure I don't look that old...

That led to a large quantity of sconces.  Huge.  To give you some idea (as long as you promise not to laugh), here is goes:

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Either side of the master bedroom beds - saves night stand space by eliminating a lamp.  However, this does require that you find hardwired bedside sconces with a switch or you will need the electrician to add a light switch next to each bed.  I wanted a cleaner look, so no light switch.  

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Master bathroom lighting was a struggle.  I wanted to make sure that we had lighting that was face-level (so as not to accentuate any wrinkles/eye bags).  Thus, the flanked mirror sconce was added!

Home Bunch

Laundry rooms need some love too!  I just swooned over this laundry room.  We are hoping to do something similar but have the sconces over the actual floating shelves.   

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We also added some above the floating shelves in our kitchens.

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The long central hall connecting our main house to my parents' house?  Yes, you need sconces too!

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Given that our fireplace extends upward two stories, we were encouraged to add some sconces that highlight the height.  Thus, fireplace sconces.

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Outside sconces are great too!  We added two on our entry pillars.

Okay, I see it now.  We have a sconce obsession.  Admitting it is the first step, right?  :)

     Can light vs. Standard Fixture - Can lights are expensive upfront, so it can be tempting to just get wired for a standard fixture.  But then, you have to buy the fixture.  Also, if you have can lights in a room (like your great room or master bedroom), you eliminate the need for a light kit with a ceiling fan (which can save a lot of money).  My initial temptation was to eliminate can lights, but looking back, I'm so grateful that Mitch (our project manager) talked us into keeping a lot of them.

     

     Puck Lights - These are the little lights inside of kitchen cabinets with glass doors.  The electrician wires for them but you purchase the actual light from a lighting store.

     Art Lights - Unbeknownst to me, there are special can lights you can purchase that sit flush with the ceiling and shine an art-friendly light at an angle.  We installed these in several places throughout the house where artwork will hang.

     Motion Light - We installed one on my parents' side pantry.  When you open the doors, LIGHT!  Apparently a motion light is better than a toggle switch (that opens when the door opens) because people will often have someone close the door after they enter.  The motion switch will keep the light on while you are in the pantry, deciding which carb to eat :)

     Heated floors - Our master bathrooms have heated floors, so there is special wiring and thermostats associated with that choice.  Cha-ching!

     Stair Lights  - Sigh, we are getting to things we passed on. This was a tough one for me.  But it was so expensive that we passed.  I have found some other options online that I will share later that will hopefully give the same effect without the cost.

 While I do feel like I forgot something, I hope that this gives you information on what to expect for your electrical walk-through on your new construction home.  As usual, J.S. Robinson was exceedingly patient in managing this process.  While some items are easy to pick out, electrical is just pretty overwhelming and takes several appointments for custom homes.  

Check out the attention to detail and the, dare I say, beauty of the electrical subcontractor's work...J.S. Robinson seriously has the BEST subcontractors in the business!  All of those wires so perfectly pulled and run...