Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was full of happiness and your Monday has started off well!
I am in need your help!!!
What has been/was your experience with moving cable outlet locations and adding electrical outlets? We know that everything is easier (and more cost effective) if you do your wiring before the drywall goes up right? The company responsible for our cable wiring is willing to do the pre-drywall install for a crazy inflated price.
To move the cable outlets to a different location on the wall there is a charge...I believe about $200. This is simply moving the outlet from the bottom of the wall to the middle of the wall for hanging a television. Add up each room with a television, and the costs will add up quickly. They are really killing me here! LOL
I would also like to add a few more electrical outlets, which I will willingly pay for. A couple I would like to add is one inside of a kitchen cabinet and one in the pantry.
Were you able to move things like cable outlets or add additional electrical outlest? How did you handle the requests?
I am not sure if the PM could help me get some of these items accomplished or not, but I will at least ask him...he can only tell me "No"!
xoxo
I understood the wall mount pre-wire as being an additional combo outlet (coaxial cable + electrical). The builder charged $95 for an additional electrical outlet, but i forget how much guardian charged for an extra low voltage outlet of any kind (e.g., cat 5e, coaxial, phone). I doubt the builder would move an existing electrical outlet (since the outlets need to be spaced according to code, moving one up the wall might not meet code anymore), but we were able to put our extra electrical outlets we purchased anywhere we wanted as long as it would pass inspection.
ReplyDeleteI don't see why the low voltage vendor wouldn't be able to move an cable outlet you paid for (or was included in the low voltage outlets you were allotted) up the wall to be adjacent to an electrical outlet as long as a stud is there. However, they won't bundle the electrical and cable so it's on a single wall plate unless you pay them extra.
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if adding a certain number of additional outlets require an additional circuit as well? Also, would moving an outlet vertically affect anything with regards to code? I thought the code was more concerned with outlets being to close proximity and also overloaded on on particular circuit?
DeleteOne last code question....does a low voltage outlet have to be attached to a stud? For instance they have the "wing-type" faceplates that give you flexibility in attaching your wall plate in the middle by gripping the back of the drywall.
Hey Eboni!
ReplyDeleteIn our experience we had to purchase all extra outlets, cables hookups, etc before our final choices meeting. Regular outlets were $95 a piece and cable hookups were something like $125. We worked all of this out ahead of time with our SR and Guardian. We weren't allowed to change anything after that. As for moving outlets, I know our PM wouldn't let us move any of the outlets (other than the extra we bought) because it's done by code (on their blueprint). I think they have to be located every 6 feet. If you move the outlets up it would increase that distance to more than 6 feet which would cause them to fail inspection due to not meeting code. They may be more lenient in your county than in ours so I would ask your PM. They may be more lenient with adding last minute things too. For this, I would speak to your SR and PM. They may allow you to buy extra outlets now even though it's later in the game. I hate that we couldn't add ANYTHING after the final change meeting because it's impossible to think of everything you'll possibly want/need before then! I hope they work with you!
Thank you soooo much! I agree that it was just too hard to think of everything so early on. I think I understand a little more now (sorry about of lack of knowledge on the topic)! I will ask our PM about what his thoughts are and go from there. If I can't add anymore...it will not be the end of my world. I will just have to manage! LOL Thanks again!!!
DeleteAgree 100% with what LauraLew explained. The builder/PM was reluctant to move outlets since they measure distance. We were allowed to put the 1 or 2 extra outlets anywhere we wanted. We ended up with 3 more outlets free to meet code (around the staircase, front door, and on a wall in the basement near the bathroom). When we met with Guardian, he didn't care where we put the cable or phone outlets (whether they be 1 foot or 5 feet off the ground) if we already paid for it. He just re-iterated that they would be on a separate faceplate unless we paid for a combo outlet. However, I guess we lucked out when they actually did wiring because they put the ethernet and cable on a single faceplate rather than having two separate ones.
ReplyDeleteAnother option would be to catch the electricians and see if they'd be willing to add outlets outside of the contract. We didn't go this route (wish we did and added outlets to the walk-in closets), but i noticed he missed adding 4 outlets based on the floor plan for our elevation, and he just went ahead and added them (I guess it would save him a trip later down the road). The number of outlets per circuit is per code too, so you'd only need a dedicated circuit if they already have the max allowed in the series. Pre-drywall, it's easier for them to add outlets on another series, so they may not even need a new circuit. For example, our 4th bedroom has the outlets on two different circuits (3 outlets with the third bedroom and one with the laundry room).
Thank you! I totally understand the distance aspect now. Hopefully we can luck up like you all! hahaha I was thinking if working with the electricians would be an option! That would be great because I really just want to add a couple. Mostly in the closets. We will be sure to check on all these items per elevation as well. Thank you so much again for the insight!!!
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