Building in Marana or Dove Mountain? What to Run Before Drywall

There is a window of about two weeks in every new build where installing the infrastructure for a smart home costs a fraction of what it will ever cost again. It closes when the drywall goes up.

We get calls from Marana, Dove Mountain and Gladden Farms homeowners on both sides of that window, and the difference in what we can deliver — and what it costs them — is not subtle. So here is the checklist, free, whether you use us or not.

Run it even if you are not sure you want it

Wire is the cheapest thing in the entire project while the walls are open. The rule of thumb: if you might want it in the next ten years, run it now and cap it. A capped wire in a wall costs a few dollars. Retrofitting the same run into a finished block-and-stucco house costs hundreds and sometimes is not possible at all.

The checklist

Network

• Cat6 or Cat6A to every TV location, every desk, every wireless access point position, and the equipment rack.
• At least two access point locations on a single-storey home, more on two storeys or a long footprint. Ceiling-mounted, not a router shoved in a cupboard.
• Runs to any detached casita, garage or shop — and think about conduit rather than direct burial.
• A proper structured wiring location with power, ventilation and space to grow. Not a shallow box in a hallway.

Audio

• Speaker wire to every room you might ever want music in — kitchen, primary suite, primary bath, patio, ramada, pool deck.
• Surround pre-wire in the main living space even if you are starting with a soundbar.
• Subwoofer locations: run two, use one. The right position is not always obvious until the room is furnished.
• Outdoor and landscape speaker runs, in conduit where they cross irrigation.

Video

• Conduit behind every TV location — not just cable. Conduit means the next display standard does not require opening a wall.
• Power and signal to any projector position, plus a screen drop location.
• Outdoor display locations on covered patios.

Shading

• Power to the head rail of every window you might motorise, especially all west- and south-facing glass. This is the one people skip and regret in the first July.
• Large or high windows in particular — those are exactly the ones you will not want to operate manually.

Lighting and control

• Keypad locations at every entry, in the primary bedroom and at the garage door.
• Neutral wires at every switch box. Many lighting control devices require them, and adding one later means opening the wall.
• Panel space if you are going with a centralised lighting system.
• Landscape and pool lighting runs on their own controlled circuits.

Security

• Camera runs to every entry, the driveway or gate, and rear yard access — sealed penetrations, planned for sun angle.
• Door and window contacts, alarm panel location, and a keypad by each entry.
• Doorbell camera power and a run to any gate intercom.

Coordinate, do not assume

Builder-supplied "smart home packages" vary enormously. Some are genuinely well specified; many are a doorbell camera and a thermostat with a sticker on the box. Ask precisely what is being run, then compare it against the list above and fill the gaps yourself.

The other coordination issue is timing. Pre-wire happens after framing and rough electrical, before insulation and drywall. That is a narrow slot, and missing it is the single most expensive scheduling error in this whole process.

We will mark up your plans free

Send us your drawings. We will mark up what needs to be run for audio, video, network, shading, lighting and security, and coordinate directly with your builder. There is no charge and no obligation for that, and it is worth doing even if you end up using someone else — because the wire being in the wall is what matters.

We have been building in Tucson and the northwest corridor since 1994 and we are a licensed residential and commercial electrical contractor (ROC 349867 & ROC 364786), so we can handle the line-voltage side rather than handing half the job to a subcontractor.

Send us your plans or call (520) 999-3233.