If you are building a new home in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Apex, or anywhere in the Triangle, the single highest-return technology investment you can make is prewiring during framing. After 15 years of installing AV and smart home systems in both new construction and existing homes, the advice we give every new construction client is the same: wire now, decide later.
Why Prewiring During Framing Changes Everything
Once drywall is installed, running new cables through your walls costs 3-5 times more than doing it before. In some locations -- fire-rated walls, multi-story runs, finished ceilings -- it is not just expensive but nearly impossible to do cleanly. The wires are behind the drywall. Getting them there after the fact requires cutting, patching, painting, and often accepting compromised cable runs.
During framing, our crew can run cable anywhere in the house in a single day. The walls are open, access is easy, and the cost is a tiny fraction of what the same work costs later.
What We Prewire in a Raleigh New Construction Home
Our standard new construction prewire package covers:
- Cat6A network cabling: Every bedroom, office, living area, and media location. Plus extra drops at the primary TV wall, home office, and any planned Wi-Fi access point locations.
- Speaker wire: 14-gauge in-wall/in-ceiling speaker wire to every audio location -- kitchen, great room, master bath, guest bath, covered porch, pool area, garage.
- HDMI and AV: HDMI runs behind every TV location so cables disappear inside the wall instead of running exposed down the drywall.
- Security camera positions: RG59 or Cat6 to every exterior corner, front door, driveway, and back yard camera position.
- Smart home conduit: 1-inch conduit between the equipment rack location and major rooms (theater, office) for future fiber or specialty cable additions.
- Lutron prewire: Low-voltage conduit and rough-in for Lutron lighting keypads and occupancy sensors if Lutron lighting is planned.
Coordinating With Your Builder
We have worked with builders throughout Wake County for over 15 years. We know how to communicate with construction superintendents, show up in the correct phase window (after framing and MEP rough-in, before insulation), stay out of the way of other trades, and deliver a clean, documented prewire that your builder appreciates. Many builders in the Triangle have us on their preferred vendor list.
New Construction Prewiring in Raleigh, NC
Building a new home in Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Wake Forest, or anywhere in the Triangle? Call us before drywall. We will design a wire plan and coordinate directly with your builder.
Learn About Structured WiringWhat Does New Construction Prewiring Cost?
- 3,000 sq ft standard prewire (network, speaker, HDMI, security): ,500-,000
- 4,000-5,000 sq ft with theater, full audio, and outdoor zones: ,000-,000
- 6,000+ sq ft custom build with full smart home conduit: ,000-,000
Compare this to the cost of opening finished walls later: a single hidden cable run in a finished home often costs -,500. A full prewire retrofit in a finished home can easily run ,000-,000 for the same scope that costs ,000 during framing. The math is clear.
