Install some cabling before closing? (Houston: sale, new house, transfer)

[meilton]

My new house is still under construction. Everything is wide open, no sheetrock has been installed yet. I want to install a few CAT5 network cable runs myself (which I've done before), and it's so tempting to do before closing. It's much easier to drill the holes in the beams and run the wiring when you can actually see what you're doing.

Of couse, I initialed a document with the building overseer that says I cannot perform any work until the house sale has been closed. I assume this is for liability purposes.

Have any of you done something like this yourself before closing and what were the results? Did you just get slap on the hand from the builder, or something more? What's the worst that could happen? (besides me falling from the ceiling and breaking my neck)

[chris_ut]

I suppose the worst would be that they rip out all your unauthorized work and charge you for effort.

[tdhg566]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

I suppose the worst would be that they rip out all your unauthorized work and charge you for effort.

Actually, invalidating your warranty could be much worse. Slippery builders and tradesmen could claim all sorts of collateral damage from your efforts. As a fellow DIYer I fully understand the temptation you're experiencing.

My builder had an (overpriced) option that included wiring to a standard set of jacks, which I purchased. You don't say whether your builder included that option and you declined, or whether it wasn't available to you.

You also didn't mention whether it was a one or two story. I have a one story, so adding additional jacks is 10,000% easier for me than if I had a two story.

Net net, your best bet is to approach the builder and try to negotiate some (probably overpriced) arrangement where they do a minimum amount of wiring (e.g. just cable, but maybe not wall terminations or central wiring panel) to avoid you having to drill holes later.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by meilton

My new house is still under construction. Everything is wide open, no sheetrock has been installed yet. I want to install a few CAT5 network cable runs myself (which I've done before), and it's so tempting to do before closing. It's much easier to drill the holes in the beams and run the wiring when you can actually see what you're doing.

Of couse, I initialed a document with the building overseer that says I cannot perform any work until the house sale has been closed. I assume this is for liability purposes.

Have any of you done something like this yourself before closing and what were the results? Did you just get slap on the hand from the builder, or something more? What's the worst that could happen? (besides me falling from the ceiling and breaking my neck)

Why bother? I'm not saying that condescendingly, but with wireless devices being as cheap as they are today, I cannot find any reason why anyone needs CAT5 wiring in a house anymore. You get a wireless router for the source, and a wireless bridge for devices that need wires. For example, my cable modem is wireless, but my Audo/Video components need CAT5, so I use a wireless bridge in the living room and hook them up.

FYI, those rules about perfoming your own work are about 1% liability, and 99% to protect union jobs.

[RCH99]

Union jobs?

........please elaborate on your knowledge of organized unions within the home building industry here in Houston, Texas

[kreeyax]

When I was having my last house built I asked the building manager about it. He basically told me I wasn't really supposed to, but he wasn't going to stop me from pre-wiring some speaker cables. Maybe you can talk to your building manager and see if he'll let it slide.

As for wireless, I can see a few reasons to avoid it. If you are a gamer you may have some latency issues. Also if you work from home sometimes wireless connections can be a bit flaky with VPN, whenever I go wireless with my laptop I lose the wireless connection every once in a while. But when my laptop is in my docking station (which is hard wired), I never lose my VPN connection.

[RVD26]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Why bother? I'm not saying that condescendingly, but with wireless devices being as cheap as they are today, I cannot find any reason why anyone needs CAT5 wiring in a house anymore. You get a wireless router for the source, and a wireless bridge for devices that need wires. For example, my cable modem is wireless, but my Audo/Video components need CAT5, so I use a wireless bridge in the living room and hook them up.

FYI, those rules about perfoming your own work are about 1% liability, and 99% to protect union jobs.

CAT5 connections on average provide much faster speeds than wireless connections. They are also much more reliable.
I have my DVR, Blu-ray player, desktop PC and Xbox 360 hard wired, rather than with wifi connections.

As for unions, they are virtually non-existent here in Texas.

[paradizecityz]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Why bother? I'm not saying that condescendingly, but with wireless devices being as cheap as they are today, I cannot find any reason why anyone needs CAT5 wiring in a house anymore. You get a wireless router for the source, and a wireless bridge for devices that need wires. For example, my cable modem is wireless, but my Audo/Video components need CAT5, so I use a wireless bridge in the living room and hook them up.

FYI, those rules about perfoming your own work are about 1% liability, and 99% to protect union jobs.

Yeah, wireless is only for convenience but as far as reliability, security and speed..it's better for him to go wired. He didn't post what he needed it for but what if it's for some job that he is trying to do at the house.

Yesterday, I was transfering a file for my dad from his laptop to his desktop wirelessly, it took about an hour to do so. Something happened that I needed to redo it so I hooked it up wired and it took 10 mins....I'm just saying...

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Yes, you are right about Texas and unions, but contractors get around that by their action through lobbying. Ask any politician.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by paradizecityz

Yeah, wireless is only for convenience but as far as reliability, security and speed..it's better for him to go wired. He didn't post what he needed it for but what if it's for some job that he is trying to do at the house.

Yesterday, I was transfering a file for my dad from his laptop to his desktop wirelessly, it took about an hour to do so. Something happened that I needed to redo it so I hooked it up wired and it took 10 mins....I'm just saying...

I have an N network, I don't see any difference, but people's mileage may vary.