How to Plan a Whole-House Smart Wiring Upgrade During a Renovation

Why Now Is The Right Time

Pulling wire is cheap when the walls are open; it is expensive when they are not. A renovation that exposes studs across multiple rooms is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to add structured cabling, additional power and data drops, and conduit runs that will quietly support technology decisions for the next 15 years. The marginal cost during framing is often a tenth of the retrofit cost.

Start With A Whole-House Plan, Not Per-Room Decisions

Before you talk to any contractor, sketch a wiring plan with three layers on a single floor plan: AC power (outlets and switches), low-voltage data (Ethernet, coax, fiber), and lighting control (smart switches, dimmers, scene controllers). Mark a central distribution location — typically a closet or utility room — where everything terminates. Without that central hub, you will end up with a tangle of dead-end runs and incompatible systems three years from now.

Cat6A As The Default, Plus Conduit

Run Cat6A Ethernet to every TV location, every desk, every wireless access point, and every smart device cluster (a kitchen island with a hub, a media room with a receiver, a security panel). Add two extra drops per room as insurance. In key wall runs — especially from your network closet to the attic and basement — install a 3/4-inch flexible conduit even if it is not immediately needed. The conduit alone will save you the cost of opening walls again in five years.

Plan For Power Where Devices Live

Smart devices need power, and the right outlet is often in a non-standard location. Add USB-C and standard outlets behind nightstand positions, under desk grommet holes, near TV mounting heights, and inside cabinets where smart appliances will live. Specify tamper-resistant, AFCI/GFCI-protected outlets as required by current code, and consider a dedicated 20-amp circuit for the network closet so a vacuum does not trip the hub.

Lighting Control That Will Last

Choose a lighting control system you can buy parts for in 2035. Lutron Caseta, Lutron RA3 and Diva, and Leviton Decora Smart all have a long product lifecycle and good interoperability with Matter and Apple Home. Avoid bulb-based lighting control for primary fixtures — switch-based control keeps existing dumb bulbs and dimmers working when guests turn off the wall switch.

Coordinate Trades Carefully

The order of operations on a wiring upgrade is critical: rough electrical and low-voltage runs go in after framing and before insulation. Most generalist electricians can handle the AC power, but low-voltage data and structured wiring usually require a separate integrator or low-voltage subcontractor. Have both onsite together for a single walk-through during framing so they coordinate before drywall closes the walls.

Document Everything Before Drywall

Take photos of every wall before insulation and drywall, with a tape measure for scale, and label every cable at both ends. Save the photos and labels to a single home file you can hand to a future installer. The documentation is what turns a one-time investment into a lifelong asset.