ᐅ Electrical Planning On Site: Tips and Warnings

Created on: 2 Apr 2021 15:54
T
Tolentino
Dear forum community,

The electrical subcontractor from my general contractor has now reached out, saying he would like to finally discuss the electrical planning on site (at the construction site). I know that normally it is recommended to plan this trade from the very beginning, but that was not possible with my general contractor and the subcontractor; they explicitly wanted to do it only once the shell is finished.

Now, I would like to tap into the forum’s knowledge and your experience for general tips regarding electrical planning.
First, the standard equipment from my general contractor:
[QUOTE=Scope of work from the general contractor]
You will receive the complete electrical installation according to VDE standards including
meter cabinet, distribution panel, equipotential bonding, circuit breakers, and residual-current devices in the building.
Standard switch program and sockets (Elso, Berker, Jung or Busch/Jaeger) — white. Connected load of the
house: 14.5 kW. Battery-powered smoke detectors will be installed in all required rooms.
For underfloor heating, all rooms will have room temperature sensors. CAT 7 network cabling consisting
of one RJ45 double socket in the living and bedrooms and a patch panel in the utility room.

Hallway
1 lighting point
1 two-way switch
1 double socket outlet
1 doorbell system with chime in the hallway
1 external lighting point

House connection room
1 lighting point
1 off switch
1 double socket outlet
1 connection for outdoor temperature sensor
1 socket for the washing machine

Kitchen
1 lighting point
1 off switch
4 double socket outlets
1 socket for the refrigerator
1 socket for the dishwasher
1 cooker connection outlet
1 socket for the extractor hood

Living room
2 lighting points
2 two-way switches
4 double socket outlets
1 antenna empty conduit
1 telephone empty conduit
1 lighting point for the terrace

Guest WC
1 lighting point
1 off switch
1 double socket outlet

Each additional room
1 lighting point
1 off switch
3 double socket outlets

Bathroom
2 lighting points
2 off switches
4 socket outlets
[/QUOTE]

Furthermore, it is clear from my side that I need deep flush-mounted boxes for the blinds and shutters. I plan to equip these with Shellys for centralized control (probably at a later stage).

Other thoughts we have already considered:
- We do not want spotlights
- If in doubt, rather one double socket outlet and a power strip than banks of quadruple outlets
- We have already purchased square and rectangular LED panels (a total of 7) which will provide basic lighting, but we have absolutely no idea about specialized lighting concepts. Indirect lighting is already a familiar term.
- We cannot afford professional lighting consultation.
- I am interested in automatic lighting control with motion/presence sensors. Is this easily retrofit-able in a conventional electrical installation? Can such systems be time-controlled? For example, in the hallway, the light turns on via motion sensor, but after 10 p.m. (22:00) only dimmed and after midnight (0:00) not at all? Additionally, overridable by a switch?
- My wife likes cold, very bright light, while I prefer cozy, warm light. The aforementioned LED panels are adjustable. Are there alternative options for this?

From your perspective, what are the most important things to consider? What practical solutions have you implemented beyond the standard equipment that you would not want to miss?

Anyone is welcome to make concrete proposals. My floor plans can be found here (please ignore the furniture shown):
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/lage-stadtvilla-oder-efh-auf-500-m2-rechteck.33505/post-409926

Thanks and best regards,

Tolentino
M
Mike29
4 Apr 2021 10:33
I like the Dyson. Sure, they are expensive, but the other vacuum cleaners we tested with family and friends didn’t compare in terms of suction power. Even the test vacuums we tried at home gave up when dealing with our dog’s fur on the carpets and rugs. Only our two Dysons (1 cordless, 1 corded) can handle it.

However, I also know many people who don’t like Dyson – it really depends on individual needs. With our dog, who seems to shed a full coat every day, these vacuums are priceless for us.
H
hampshire
4 Apr 2021 10:51
ypg schrieb:

We have a nimble AEG CX7 – my husband regularly picks up an incredible amount of dust with it (where the vacuum finds it, I don’t know).

My wife uses exactly the same model: a bagless AEG cordless vacuum with stubborn dirt removal thanks to my husband.

If you choose well when selecting switches, you’ll get nicely and ergonomically positioned outlets. I prefer outlets near the floor since cables hanging down from higher up bother us. Also, in our chosen switch program from Gi Gambarelli, the outlets were outrageously expensive (the same price as the rotary switches). We opted for discreet Berker R outlets, placed below the switches independently, because we like their round design and the fact that they are white and unobtrusive.
Y
ypg
4 Apr 2021 12:28
hampshire schrieb:

My wife uses exactly the same combination: bagless AEG cordless vacuum cleaner with intensive emptying by husband.
Well spotted 😀
M
motorradsilke
4 Apr 2021 16:23
pagoni2020 schrieb:

Really??
I thought I was being picky because I don’t like a lot of things, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind as long as the switch or socket looks neat. I guess I’m more of a Bauhaus fan, following the idea of "form follows function," in case anyone ever assigns me a project like that.
Tsk tsk... these young folks, no idea about age-related issues... planning a 3-meter (10-foot) turning radius throughout the house for a lowered walker in old age, but then you have to bend down for the socket. Did you plan for staff to help you back up again?

No, but I have a robot vacuum. Plus the Dyson vacuum, which I’m very happy with. Unfortunately, I can’t run the robot vacuum in the living room anymore since there are various rugs there. You just can’t have it all 😉.
11ant4 Apr 2021 19:59
motorradsilke schrieb:

Unfortunately, I can no longer run the robot vacuum in the living room since various animal hides have been placed there.
Animal hides and robot vacuums just need to get used to each other, then they can coexist peacefully.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Y
ypg
4 Apr 2021 20:01
motorradsilke schrieb:

Unfortunately, I can no longer run the robot vacuum in the living room since several animal hides were placed there.
Live animal hides? Just shoo them away 😀