Preparing a New-Build Home for Automation Before the Walls Go Up

Every decision about automation is dramatically cheaper and cleaner to implement during construction, before walls are plastered and painted, than retrofitting afterward — this single timing decision has a bigger impact on eventual cost and quality than almost any specific product choice made later.

Conduit runs with spare capacity for future automation cabling, neutral wires at every switchboard (avoiding the retrofit neutral problem entirely), pre-wiring for wall-mounted access points to ensure good Wi-Fi coverage throughout, and a dedicated spot for a network panel or hub — none of which costs much extra during a build, but each of which is expensive to add later.

This planning genuinely needs to happen alongside the architect and electrical contractor during the design phase, not as a separate step after construction begins — bringing an automation partner in early, even before groundbreaking, is what actually captures this cost advantage rather than losing it by treating automation as an afterthought.