Electrical Floorplan Tips
Did you know, rather than using your builder’s trade of choice, you can nominate your own electrician? That way you can liaise directly with us rather than try and make all your decisions at a 2 hour Prestart Meeting. Our electricians at Grand Elite Electrical have worked with almost all the builders in Perth, and can handle the nomination process for you. Just simply get in touch with us, and we can arrange it.
When building a new home, some things need to be decided at the very beginning. This list will help you plan your entire electrical needs before you finalise your floorplan.
Lighting
Where do you want lights and their switches for each room / area of your new home?
Your builder may likely provide standard bayonets in the centre of each room. If you want downlights at a later stage, you should ask to relocate the standard bayonet to a location where a downlight will eventually be placed. This will save you from having an unsightly hole in the center of the room to patch and paint once your downlights are installed. Get in touch with us if you want to nominate us as your electrician during your build rather than use their default electrician, so we can plan and arrange this for you!
Kitchen
Do you want feature pendants above your bar/island bench?
Do you want lighting UNDER a bar/island bench?
Do you want LED strip lighting or feature downlights under your cabinets or inside glass cabinets?
Do you want extra lighting over the stove?
Pantry - is the standard bayonet going to be adequate or do you need more lights? How about a motion activated sensor light?
Bathroom
Is your bathroom going to have heat lamps as well as traditional lights? Heat/Fan/Light combos are a popular option in bathrooms.
Try to avoid placing lights directly above the mirror(s) – this can add unhelpful shadows to your face which can interfere with efficient makeup application and more. If you do have lights above the mirror, try getting lights on an adjustable axis so you can point them at an angle that isn’t pointing directly down on your head.
Bedroom
What type of lighting will the bedroom have? Lamps next to the bed or lights that drop down from the ceiling, or sconces that are attached to the wall?
Are there any rooms that won’t get much sunlight? Do those rooms need extra lighting options?
Dining
Figure out where your dining room table is going to be and plan for a light to be placed so it is centred above. This may not necessarily be the centre of your dining room depending on the shape of your table and its placement in the room.
Garage
Long fluoro LED tube lights are a good option in the garage. Perhaps even motion activated ones!
Switch Locations
While you are mapping out where you want the lights, you can also plan out your light switches for each room.
Do any of your rooms have multiple entrances?
If yes, do these rooms need multiple light switches?
Where is the best / most logical place to put those light switches?
Do you want a dimmer switch anywhere?
Are there any specialised / multi-function switches you would like to have?
Will it also control a ceiling fan? Make sure to add a conduit to the switch if you’re installing fans later.
Ceiling Fans
If you’re adding these later, make sure to include conduits to the relevant light switches.
A lot of alfrescos are not complete without a ceiling fan. Make sure your ceiling is high enough to fit one, at least 28courses. This will ensure you’ve got room for a rangehood as well, for your bbq/outdoor kitchen.
Power Points – How many and Where?
First things first, if you’re at Pre-start and you really don’t know where to place your included double GPO, just put it on an internal wall at least. You can add powerpoints after the build to external walls easily, but if you end up wanting one on an internal wall, you’ll end up needing to have the wall cut with a saw and then patched and painted.
Kitchen
Island Bench - if you want to use any kind of electrical appliance on this bench, or even just plug in a diffuser, you’ll want to have a powerpoint or two on this bench. Even better – install power points with USB ports. This comes in handy for powering and charging laptops and other electronic devices.
Preparations need to be made for this before your concrete slab is poured, so make sure to make allowances for this in your floorplan.
Microwave - Is it going to be sitting on a shelf amongst your overhead cupboards, or down low amongst your pot drawers? Make note of this so you’ll have a powerpoint in the right spot.
Of course, your refrigerator and dishwasher will need a standard power point, so you’ll want to know where they’ll be located.
Oven - if you’re a keen baker and are inclined to purchase a rather high performance oven, make note of this on your floorplan as well, as it may will require more amperage than standard.
Two powerpoints per wall in a kitchen is a good guideline for your power needs. Remember you’ve got coffee machine, kettle, toaster, Thermomix, airfryer. Don’t underestimate how many appliances you may use simultaneously, especially on those Sunday morning fry ups.
Bedrooms
Master Bedroom - Work out exactly where your bed will be placed, and put a quad powerpoint or even a double USB powerpoint on either side. You’ll need power for bedside lamps, charging phones and watches, maybe your kindle and maybe a diffuser.
Will the Master bedroom have a TV? Make sure your powerpoint for this is located in a space where the TV will hide it if it’s mounted. You’ll also want some conduits for possible Foxtel boxes or ethernet cables.
If you intend to mount the TV completely flush to the wall, consider a recessed powerpoint.
Walk in Robe - You might want to have a device charging shelf in your walk in robe, if you prefer not to sleep right next to your smart devices. Think about where that shelf will be and install a powerpoint at that height.
Minor Bedrooms - Think about where the bed(s) will be placed and make sure there is a power point next to the bed. Again, look at getting a power point with a USB port to make phone charging as easy as possible.
Generally one more power point is all that is necessary in most children’s and guest bedrooms.
Bathrooms
In the ensuite and bathrooms, a double powerpoint on both sides of the vanity is useful for shavers, hairdryers, electric oil burners.
Something a bit different is to think about getting a power point installed in one of the top drawers of the vanity. This makes it easier (and safer) to use some of these electrical appliances near the sink. You can store those appliances in the same drawer as the power point and leave them plugged in for quick, easy access and use.
Living Room/ Theatre
The living room is usually the centre for entertainment in the home. Think about where your TV will go. Do you have a multi-media system (TV, stereo, amplifier, speakers, gaming console) If the TV will be wall-mounted, you will want to get a power point installed that is behind the TV, and extra conduits on either side for future Foxtel, ethernet, cables for ceiling speakers etc.
If you have a multi-media set-up it’s a good idea to get at least 3 more double power points (in addition to the one behind the TV) down near the floor.
Try to imagine where your couch will sit and be sure to place power points on either side of the couch as well. This ensures you have enough power for lamps and other electronics. Again, a power point with USB port is a great way to make charging phones easy and convenient.
It’s also a good idea to have an extra power point in the living room somewhere. This just ensures you have enough in case you decide to rearrange things a bit. Put it on an internal wall, because you can always add powerpoints to external walls later on.
Office / Study
Identify where you will place your desk(s) and install at least one power point on the wall in a spot that will be easily reached. Imagine sitting at your computer; you probably want a phone charger there, at desk height. If possible, get a power point with 4 sockets and a USB port to ensure you have enough power for all your office equipment and devices.
Garage
It’s always a good idea to have at least 2 power points on each wall of the garage. Try to space them out a bit here so it is easy to power tools at every point in the garage.
Do you plan on having a work bench in the garage? Install a row of power points so you can charge all your tools.
Laundry
Obviously you’ll need a power point placed near your washing machine and dryer.
It’s always a good idea to have at least one more power point on the wall next to the sink.
Consider the best location for powerpoints to charge those stick vacuums, robot vacuums or that fancy Bissel steam mop you can’t wait to use.
Hallways
It’s a good idea to have at least one power point installed near the floor and about half way down each of your hallways. Think vacuuming, diffusers, digital photo frames, LED candles.
NBN & Phone
Your NBN box will likely be installed in your garage. Think about where you would keep your modem. You want it to reach all the important areas of the home, but still be out of sight.
If you have a large home, you can get a wi-fi extenders so the signal is able to reach every corner of your home.
A good location for data and phone points are in the office.
Smart Home
If you wish to control the various lights, power points, appliances, electronic devices, security system, speakers etc in one central location, then you may want consider all that we discussed above be installed as a smart home system that will enable you to run all electrical aspects of your home from your smart phone, tablet or computer.
Home Security System
Are you going to install a home security system? Will it be an external system, internal, or both?
External Security Systems
How many Cameras will you need? You’ll need a Network Video Recorder with the same amount of ports.
Where will the cameras be placed? You’ll want to have some footage of the road as well as on your property.
Where will your motion activated sensor lights be placed?
Internal Security Systems
Do you want an intruder alarm system that is set when you leave and / or at night? You’ll want to designate a space near the front door or garage entry door for the keypad.
If you decide you want cameras inside the home as well, decide where these will be placed.
Heating & Cooling
Ducted System - Reverse Cycle: This system offers both air conditioning and heating. You’ll have to pick the type of vents you want. There are a range of different options and you’ll want to specify where they’ll be placed in case the AC installers place the vent in a location that interferes with your lighting.
Ducted System - Evaporative: This method of cooling draws the hot air from outside through saturated filter pads. The water vapour is then blown back inside the home through the ducts and vents. Therefore, the vents have to be near doors and windows for optimum efficiency. Evaporative cooling is a cheap option if you plan to use gas heating or oil heaters during the winter. It’s a great choice for those who want fresh air whilst still keeping cool. The cool does not compare with a reverse cycle however, so if you like to freeze the whole house during our 40 degree heatwaves, a reverse cycle may be a better option for you.
Wall-mounted Split System - Decide which rooms you want a system to be installed and where they’ll be placed. Usually you would place this on an external wall so the motor can be mounted directly behind it; this is the most cost effective installation and the condensation can drain out directly.
If this isn’t a suitable setup, the AC company can make arrangements to install extra copper pipe to lead to the motor, and a pump in the roof which will pump the water to the drain pipe, to enable you to have your split system on the wall you prefer.
If you are building a new home or renovating an existing home, please get in touch with the professionals at Grand Elite Electrical and we will create the perfect electrical plan with you.