When you’re building a house, there are hundreds of decisions competing for your attention.

Cabinets. Flooring. Countertops. Appliances. Paint colors. Plumbing fixtures. Lighting fixtures.

Technology tends to land somewhere near the bottom of the list.

That’s understandable. You can see the countertops. You can touch the flooring. It’s easy to imagine yourself standing in the finished kitchen.

It’s much harder to get excited about a network cable that’s eventually going to disappear behind drywall.

But after working in finished homes for years, we can tell you that some of the least exciting decisions you make during construction can have the biggest impact on how well the house works later.

The best time to think about home technology isn’t after you move in.

It’s before the walls are closed.

Start With How You’re Going to Live in the House

We don’t think the first question should be, “What technology do you want?”

That’s too broad.

Instead, think about what life in the house is going to look like.

Do you entertain outside?

Do you watch television in several rooms?

Do you work from home?

Do you listen to music while cooking?

Is this a lake home that you’ll want to check on while you’re away?

Are you planning a theater, golf simulator or game room?

Will you eventually finish the basement?

Those conversations tell us much more than asking whether you want a “smart home.”

Technology should be designed around how you live, not the other way around.

Your Network Is Infrastructure Now

If we could convince homeowners to think differently about one piece of technology during construction, it would probably be the home network.

Wi-Fi isn’t a luxury anymore.

It’s infrastructure.

Your televisions use it. Your phones use it. Your computers use it. Security cameras, streaming devices, thermostats, audio systems and smart home equipment may all depend on it.

And yet, network planning sometimes consists of putting the internet provider’s router in whichever room happens to be convenient.

That might work.

It might also leave you standing on the patio wondering why your brand-new house can’t stream music outside.

During construction, we can plan locations for wired wireless access points throughout the home. That lets us design coverage rather than hoping one router can push a signal through multiple floors, fireplaces, mechanical systems and exterior walls.

We can also think about garages, outdoor entertaining spaces and other areas that are often forgotten.

Run the Wire While You Can

We talk about future-proofing quite a bit, but it’s important to be realistic about what that means.

Nobody can predict exactly what technology you’ll want ten years from now.

What we can do is give the house infrastructure that creates options.

Cable is relatively inexpensive when the walls are open.

Running it after the home is finished is a completely different project.

That’s why we may recommend wiring locations even if you don’t plan to install equipment immediately.

You might not want outdoor speakers today.

You may not be ready for security cameras.

Perhaps the basement theater is a five-year project.

Running the appropriate cable during construction gives you the ability to make those decisions later without tearing into a finished home.

You don’t have to buy everything now.

You just want to avoid eliminating your options.

Think About the Television Before the Fireplace Is Finished

This is another one we see frequently.

The television location gets decided late in the process.

Unfortunately, fireplaces, cabinetry, electrical outlets and room layouts may already be determined by then.

If a television is going above a fireplace, we want to think about its height, viewing angle, power, wiring and where the connected equipment will live.

If you’re adding speakers or a soundbar, those need consideration too.

The goal is for the television to look like it belongs in the room rather than something that was added after everything else was finished.

The same applies to bedrooms, lower-level family rooms, bars and outdoor televisions.

A little planning makes the finished installation much cleaner.

Whole-Home Audio Is Much Easier Before Drywall

One of the features homeowners consistently tell us they use more than they expected is whole-home audio.

Music in the kitchen.

Speakers on the patio.

Audio in the primary bedroom.

Music playing throughout the house when friends come over.

The nice thing about architectural speakers is that they can almost disappear into the home.

But getting speaker wire into the right places is much easier when the ceiling is open.

Even if you’re unsure whether you’ll want speakers in every room, prewiring gives you the option.

That’s a recurring theme with new construction.

We’re not trying to convince you to install every possible piece of technology.

We’re trying to keep future decisions open.

Don’t Forget Security Camera Locations

Security cameras are another system that benefits tremendously from early planning.

Camera placement should be based on what you’re trying to see, not simply where it’s easiest to get power after construction.

We may want coverage of the driveway, entrances, garage, backyard, lakefront, dock or detached buildings.

With the house plans in front of us, we can think about those viewing angles before siding and ceilings make cable runs difficult.

Hardwired cameras also provide advantages for homeowners who want reliable continuous surveillance without depending entirely on Wi-Fi or batteries.

Again, the cameras themselves can come later.

The difficult part is getting the infrastructure where it needs to go.

Lighting Control Is More Than Fancy Light Switches

Lighting is one of those technologies homeowners sometimes don’t appreciate until they live with it.

A professionally designed lighting control system can simplify the walls, create scenes and make it much easier to control groups of lights throughout the home.

Instead of walking around at night turning off switches, a Good Night button can handle multiple areas at once.

An Away scene can shut down lighting when you leave.

Entertainment scenes can adjust several lights together.

Planning this during construction also allows the lighting designer, electrician and technology integrator to work together rather than trying to retrofit the system later.

Motorized Shades Need Planning Too

Motorized shades are another item that often gets added after homeowners see them somewhere else.

They can be added to many existing homes, but new construction gives us additional options.

Power can be brought to the windows before walls are finished. Shade pockets can potentially be incorporated into the architecture. Controls can be integrated with lighting and automation.

That makes the finished installation feel like part of the house instead of something attached to it later.

Give the Equipment Somewhere to Live

Here’s one of the least glamorous things we’ll discuss during a new home project.

Where does the equipment go?

Every home has networking equipment, AV components, automation processors and other electronics.

If nobody plans for them, they tend to end up wherever there’s space.

That’s how you get routers sitting on kitchen counters and piles of equipment stuffed into cabinets.

A dedicated technology location gives us a clean, organized place for the equipment and makes future service considerably easier.

It doesn’t have to be a giant room.

It just needs to be planned.

You Don’t Need to Automate Everything

This might be the most important part.

Planning technology before construction does not mean you need to build the world’s smartest house.

Maybe you just want really good Wi-Fi.

Maybe you want audio in the kitchen and patio.

Maybe security is your priority.

Maybe you want everything integrated through Control4.

There isn’t one correct answer.

Our job is to understand what’s important to you and make sure the house is prepared for it.

Good planning gives you choices.

The Cheapest Wire Is the Wire You Install Before Drywall

We sometimes joke that we’re asking homeowners to get excited about things they’ll never see.

But that’s exactly the point.

The network cable behind the wall isn’t impressive.

The speaker wire in the ceiling isn’t impressive.

The conduit running between floors isn’t impressive.

What is impressive is moving into your new home and having the technology work the way you expected it to.

Construction is your opportunity to get the invisible parts right.

Once the drywall goes up, those invisible parts become much harder to change.

So even if technology isn’t at the top of your new-home checklist, have the conversation early.

Your future self may be very glad you did.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I bring a technology integrator into a new home project?

Earlier than most people think. Ideally, we can review the plans before electrical and low-voltage wiring are finalized. That gives us time to coordinate with your builder, electrician and other trades.

Do I have to buy all of my technology during construction?

No. In many cases, it makes sense to install the infrastructure now and add equipment later. Prewiring can keep your options open without requiring you to make every technology purchase at once.

What is the most important technology to plan before building?

Every home is different, but networking and wiring are usually at the top of our list because so many other systems depend on them and they’re much harder to change after the walls are finished.