Not too long ago, electricians had a fairly easy job when planning electrical options for a new home. There might’ve been a single light fixture in the entire room in addition to a few scattered electrical outlets. In older homes, there is not much of a choice of where you can place televisions, lamps, and furniture – it’s all dependent on your electrical layout. Today, all of that has changed. In a custom home, not only do nearly endless options exist for illuminating a room, but it’s likely that you’ll want specialized electrical options that make your custom home truly designed to your lifestyle.
When you build with KRM Custom Homes, we work with you to design a personalized electrical plan, asking questions about the technology you use while also considering future possibilities. Building a custom home is your chance to have your electrical options exactly the way you want them. With KRM Custom Homes, you’ll complete a walk-through of your home alongside the electrician, internal project manager, and superintendent during the mechanical stage of building. During this walkthrough, the ins and outs of everything that was in the original plans and specifications documentation will be discussed. In addition, the electrician will go over other items that are commonly put into other custom homes that you may benefit from but have not yet selected at this point. We’ve put together a few questions you may want to bring to the electrician during your walkthrough:
- What will my exterior electrical requirements be?
During your electrical walkthrough, you’ll go over any recessed lighting in the soffits as well as outlets and lighting options in the garage. However, depending on your family’s needs, there are other exterior electrical options you may want to consider such as a Christmas circuit, which allows for an interior switch to control holiday lights. If you’d like a garage heater or have other power requirements in your garage, you should bring those up as well. You may need to factor in electrical options for a shed or outdoor kitchen as well.
- What specialty electrical options can I get in my Master suite?
Your electrical walkthrough will go over the television and ethernet locations in the Master bedroom as well as the lighting options of the Master bathroom. Do you want a bedside switch to control all of the bedroom lighting or a ceiling fan? What about a dimmer switch? You may want specialty outlets to charge electronic devices, or outlets placed strategically inside bathroom drawers. In the bathroom, you’ll need to consider your lighting options and needs for an exhaust fan, which will be low noise and high CFM to efficiently exhaust steam.
- What options do I have for my kitchen and dining area?
You should review the placement of recessed can lighting and go over the amount of lighting you’d like to have in your kitchen and dining space. Often custom homeowners are adding LED backlighting or specialty lighting to glass cabinets. Do you want to have an in-wall vacuum system? A popular option today is a motion-activated light in the kitchen pantry, plus strategically placed outlets around the entire kitchen such as underneath the cabinets.
- What should be considered for my lower-level bar or recreation space?
The electrician will go over any specialty lighting for bar cabinets, tv and ethernet locations, and areas for recessed lighting or sconce lights. Switch placement and options for wall-mounted TVs will be discussed in these areas as well. If you’d like a home sound system, now is the time to talk about your options! If you’d like to have a home gym, you’ll want to let your electrician know as many pieces of equipment such as treadmills have specific electrical needs.
- Are there any other specialty options that I’m missing?
As you walk through the home, imagine yourself living there. Think about where the furniture will go and where other items that need electricity will be placed. Do you want other motion-activated lights in closets or attics? Do you want stairwell lighting? If you plan on having a high-tech home security system, that will likely have electrical needs, in addition to any fire and carbon monoxide alarms. If you have small children, you may want a doorbell that can easily be turned off during naptime. If you have wall-mounted cleaning items, such as a stick vacuum, where will those go? Want a fancy toilet seat bidet? Then you’ll want an outlet near your toilet!
The options are endless, but that is the joy of building a custom home. If you are considering a custom home, contact KRM Custom Homes today, and let’s discuss your options.
