Adding Additional Outlets at Time of Build

[Hawkwind]

Recently there was a thread about the adding additional electrical outlets to a home during the final options process of building your dream home. Here is something anyone considering building a new home and having a water softener installed at some point will want to add an outlet near where the softener will be located.

During my last stay in TV I stayed in a patio villa that had water softener and it was located next to where the water comes into the house from the street. This was on the left side of the garage with the golf cart area on the right side.

The closest outlet was on the opposite wall and the owner had to run a wire up and over the garage door frame to get to the softener. The softener used what some people call a wall wart power supply (think calculator power supply) and had to cut and splice the wire to add length. It worked but did not look that great.

Just something to add to your list of things to think about.

[getdul981]

Should have run conduit up the wall to the ceiling and run wire through it. Then across the attic to where the breaker box is. Back down throuh conduit to the box. Then it should have been put on it's own beaker. Outlet box could have been put at the WS then.

[Hawkwind]

Yes that is the way it should have been done but it was not. I have no idea if the owner corrected the wiring at a later date.

For all those new property owners that have yet to start building or have yet to spec out your new home you may want to consider having the additional outlet installed as it may cost a lot more after the home is completed.

[zcaveman]

When I built back in 2001. I had telephone and cable outlets put in each room (except the bathrooms) and had two of each put in my "computer room" so I would not have to share lines with the TV and the computer. I missed one telephone outlet in the living room and one TV outlet on the lanai but I decided that the cost of the post build install was not worth it. Although I am still thinking about the TV on the lanai if I ever decide to add A/C to the lanai.

[dsnrbec]

We signed a contract for a build job a few weeks ago and we were told we had no option to add additional outlets. Our realtor very cheerfully told us she knew a great electrician we could contact after closing! Of course, by then the process is a great deal more complicated and expensive if not impossible. As much as I'm sure we'll love living in TV, they are frustratingly inflexible at times.

[Mikitv]

I agree they are very inflexible at times. We were told same thing about the outlets and anything else we thought we would like to change. This is the package and that is it. That is why they can put a house up in 40 days.

[getdul981]

Well, that just sucks!! Since you can't put in extra recepticals, can you have them put in double outlets wherever they do put them? That would be 4 outlets instead of two at every location.

[mulligan]

My guess would be no. This would require the dreaded blueprint re-do, and a building permit revision. As was previously stated, this explains the short time to build. When I was involved with custom building in Naples, we usually had a 17 week building schedule, and rarely made the closing dates.

[Talk Host]

A word about the water soften installation. When we ordered our water softener, we were led to believe that they "the softener people" would install a receptacle near the unit. I was picturing the conduit and surface mount box and cover.

Well, they did as was described in the earlier post, ran the wire of a 12 volt power supply a long distance to the nearest plug. They didn't even attach it to the wall, the just let it hang.

When I called the salesman to complain, he said, "I told you we would run power to the softener. I didn't say it would be 110 volts."