Winter 2009-2010
After framing was complete, it was time for electrical. This is where having a friend with an electrical engineering degree really paid off.
Actually, let me rephrase: this is where we got more things right than wrong, which for this build was a massive victory.
The Friend Who Actually Knew What He Was Doing
My friend went to school for electrical engineering. He had the knowledge and skills to wire the house properly. He just needed a licensed electrician to inspect the work and sign off on it for code compliance.
This was one area where we had the least issues or concerns. The wiring was done right. The work was solid. The licensed electrician inspected and signed off without major corrections.
This was actually a win.
What We Got Right: Running Wire Everywhere
One of the smartest decisions we made was running wiring initially, even to spaces we wouldn’t finish right away.
Where we ran wiring:
- Basement (unfinished at the time, still unfinished now)
- Attic (unfinished at the time, still unfinished now)
- All walls before they were closed up
- Tech wiring (Cat cable) throughout the house
- Conduit where entertainment setups might go
The philosophy: wire it now while walls are open, because adding it later is exponentially more expensive and difficult.
This was absolutely the right call. Even 15+ years later, we have electrical where we need it because we planned ahead.
The Tech Center
We set up a tech center in a little nook at the top of our basement stairs. All the tech wiring runs from this central point.
This was 2009-2010, so we were thinking about:
- Hardwired internet (Cat cable)
- Potential for whole-house audio
- Central distribution point for all tech
We used the top-end wiring available at the time without going for the just-released bleeding-edge stuff. Technology moves fast—we knew whatever we installed would eventually be outdated, but we wanted it to last as long as possible.
Looking back in 2026: The wiring still works. Yes, WiFi has gotten much better and handles a lot of what we thought would need hardwired connections. But having the option is worth it, especially for reliability and bandwidth-heavy applications.
We’re glad we ran the wiring.
More Lights Than You Think You Need
We added more lights than the minimum. The idea: you don’t have to turn them all on, but as you get older, you find you need more light more often than not.
This turned out to be prophetic.
When we were younger, we loved dim, moody lighting. We installed dimmer switches on most of our living space lights so we could have that warm, atmospheric feel.
Now that we’re older? We need it brighter. A lot brighter.
The dimmers let us have both—turn them down when we want atmosphere, crank them up when we need to actually see what we’re doing.
But here’s what we got wrong: We should have wired for even MORE ceiling lights. Even though we didn’t plan to install them initially, we should have run the wiring.
There are rooms now where we wish we had ceiling lights. We didn’t install them 10 years ago because we didn’t think we needed them. Now we want to add them, but the wiring isn’t there. Adding it means opening walls, running wire, patching, repainting.
Wire for lights you don’t plan to install yet. Run the wire while walls are open. Install the fixture later when you want it. The wire is cheap. Opening walls later is expensive.
What We Got Wrong: The 240V Regrets
This is where we got short-sighted.
Kitchen: We Got This Right
- We have 240V in the kitchen for our dual fuel stove
- Gas cooktop, electric oven
- Needed the 240V, ran it, works great
Second Floor Laundry: We Got This Wrong
- We ran a gas line for the dryer
- We have a gas dryer
- We did NOT run 240V at the same time
Why this was short-sighted:
- Gas dryer works fine
- But we have no option to switch to electric if we ever wanted to
- The walls were open
- Running 240V at the same time would have been easy
- Now if we ever want an electric dryer option, we’d have to run wiring through finished walls
We should have run BOTH gas and 240V. It would have cost maybe $200-300 more in wire and a breaker. Now it would cost thousands to add.
What we should have done: Wire the kitchen, laundry, basement, and any outbuilding for 240V. Even if you’re using gas appliances. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it. Run the wire while walls are open.
The Whole House Surge Protector We Didn’t Install
My friend didn’t think we needed a whole house surge protector.
We didn’t install one.
This was a mistake.
Whole house surge protection is relatively inexpensive (a few hundred dollars) and protects everything in your home from power surges—lightning strikes, utility issues, etc.
We’ve been lucky. We haven’t had a major surge event that fried electronics.
But we should have installed it anyway. The cost is minimal compared to replacing computers, TVs, appliances, HVAC controls, and everything else with circuit boards.
Listen to the internet on this one, not your friend’s opinion. Install whole house surge protection. It’s cheap insurance.
What We Didn’t Plan For: Backup Power
We didn’t wire for backup power initially. No generator hookup. No thought about load splitting. No conduit to the box for future runs.
We also didn’t think about solar panels at all. Didn’t consider roof slope or direction in relation to solar potential. Didn’t plan for where an inverter or battery backup might go.
What happened later:
We eventually ordered an 11KW Generac generator from Ziller Electric and had it installed. There was an issue with a loose wire during installation that took some time to resolve—the generator would run fine but would shut down generating power once a load was put on it. Eventually got it fixed.
We also added solar panels last year (2024-2025).
Looking back, if we were doing it today:
- Plan for backup power from the start
- Run conduit to the electrical box for future additions
- Wire so the load can be easily split for generator use
- Consider solar panel potential (roof slope, direction, placement)
- Plan for battery backup location and wiring
- Add whole house surge protector (especially important with solar)
The technology and economics of solar and battery backup have changed dramatically since 2009. If we were building today, we’d plan for it from day one even if we didn’t install it immediately.
The Licensed Electrician Inspection
The licensed electrician came to inspect my friend’s work and sign off for code compliance.
He found minor things to correct—the kind of detail issues that always come up in inspections. Nothing major. Nothing that indicated the work was done wrong.
He signed off.
This was a huge relief. Having your friend do electrical work is only a good idea if the work is actually correct. The licensed inspection confirmed it was.
The Long-Term Verdict
Fifteen years later, the electrical system works. We haven’t had major issues. Circuits don’t trip randomly. Nothing has caught fire. The wiring to unfinished spaces means we have options.
But we have regrets:
- Wish we had 240V in the laundry
- Wish we’d wired for more ceiling lights
- Wish we’d installed whole house surge protection
- Wish we’d planned for backup power from the start
- Wish we’d thought about solar potential
None of these are disasters. All of them would have been easy and cheap to do during initial wiring.
This was one of our better outcomes. The electrical work was done right. We planned ahead more than we did in most areas. We just didn’t plan ahead quite enough.
Grade: B+. The electrical work was solid—friend with an actual electrical engineering degree, licensed inspection signed off without major corrections, no fires in 15+ years. Running wire to unfinished spaces and a central tech distribution point still pays off today. The regrets are all about opportunities we missed when walls were open: no 240V to the laundry (gas dryer works, no electric option), not enough ceiling-light circuits (we keep wishing we had more), no whole house surge protector (my friend said we didn’t need it; he was wrong). Wire is cheap during construction. Everything is expensive later.
Next up: Part 9 — Plumbing: PEX, Paying Twice, and Poisoned Septic Tanks. In which we discover that mixing friend labor with paid contractors costs you twice, that single water supply lines are stupid, and that softener backwash will poison your septic if you let it.
Even that's Odd 
Leave a comment