ᐅ Installing Additional Wiring (LAN, Coaxial, etc.) in an OKAL Timber-Frame Prefabricated House
Created on: 21 Jul 2022 14:53
F
filumost
Hello everyone 🙂
First of all, yes, I already searched extensively but haven’t found the exact information I need yet 🙂
My wife and I have fulfilled our dream of owning a home. On 08/31/22 we will get the keys and can finally get started 😉 The house was built in 2014 (first occupied in 2015) and is an Okal prefab house with a timber frame structure, a basement with a waterproof concrete tank, and is generally well planned. However, we have one problem! The house has almost no network outlets! This is actually a problem for me, and I want to retrofit duplex Cat7 cables in EVERY room (except guest WC and bathrooms). I personally have issues with Wi-Fi and only use it when absolutely necessary. Stationary devices like TV, PC, console, etc., in my opinion, should simply be connected via LAN.
My idea is the following:
Supply the attic via the loft space and connect it through a patch panel and a 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). Not every room will get 10Gbit, but for example the office will. Also, a Fritz Repeater 6000 is planned for the loft to cover the garden and the rest of the house. It has a 2.5Gbit Ethernet port.
The ground floor and basement will be supplied from the basement as well, also via patch panel and 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). A Fritzbox 7590AX provides the internet, and the Asustor NAS is connected with 2x 2.5Gbit links.
The connection between the loft and basement will run through a service shaft from the heating room directly to the loft using fiber optic cable. Additionally, a duplex Cat7 cable will be installed as a backup or as a telephone line for the fax in the office.
So far, no problem. I have run network cables through houses many times before, but only in solid masonry houses until now. How is it best to approach this in a timber frame house? The sellers explained to me that there is a concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, and all other ceilings are made of wood. My plan would be to drill a hole for the outlet and then a smaller one in the ceiling, drill through the beam to the loft, and try to pull the cable through the two holes using a pulling aid. I can easily imagine that cutting a groove in the wall like you would in solid masonry would seriously weaken the structure. But the question is, does this approach even work that simply? I don’t want to install empty conduits here because the cables would lie loose inside the wall, and if something ever breaks, the old cable can then be used as a pulling aid. At the same time, I want to retrofit coax cables for satellite in some rooms, as not every room currently has that. I will only do this where it makes sense. The heating room doesn’t need satellite 😀
As far as I know, the wall construction is as follows: plaster -> drywall -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall -> plaster.
It is important to mention that this concerns only interior walls. All other walls will remain untouched. The cables will also run vertically only and are not intended to pass through the intermediate beams.
I hope you can help us! We do not want to turn the house into a major construction site, but timing can be more flexible since we currently live rent-free. If we only move in next year, that’s fine 🙂 The main thing is that everything is done properly and according to our wishes, so we don’t have to tear up walls again in two years because we suddenly decide to hang a TV in the guest room and the network + coax is missing!
First of all, yes, I already searched extensively but haven’t found the exact information I need yet 🙂
My wife and I have fulfilled our dream of owning a home. On 08/31/22 we will get the keys and can finally get started 😉 The house was built in 2014 (first occupied in 2015) and is an Okal prefab house with a timber frame structure, a basement with a waterproof concrete tank, and is generally well planned. However, we have one problem! The house has almost no network outlets! This is actually a problem for me, and I want to retrofit duplex Cat7 cables in EVERY room (except guest WC and bathrooms). I personally have issues with Wi-Fi and only use it when absolutely necessary. Stationary devices like TV, PC, console, etc., in my opinion, should simply be connected via LAN.
My idea is the following:
Supply the attic via the loft space and connect it through a patch panel and a 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). Not every room will get 10Gbit, but for example the office will. Also, a Fritz Repeater 6000 is planned for the loft to cover the garden and the rest of the house. It has a 2.5Gbit Ethernet port.
The ground floor and basement will be supplied from the basement as well, also via patch panel and 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). A Fritzbox 7590AX provides the internet, and the Asustor NAS is connected with 2x 2.5Gbit links.
The connection between the loft and basement will run through a service shaft from the heating room directly to the loft using fiber optic cable. Additionally, a duplex Cat7 cable will be installed as a backup or as a telephone line for the fax in the office.
So far, no problem. I have run network cables through houses many times before, but only in solid masonry houses until now. How is it best to approach this in a timber frame house? The sellers explained to me that there is a concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, and all other ceilings are made of wood. My plan would be to drill a hole for the outlet and then a smaller one in the ceiling, drill through the beam to the loft, and try to pull the cable through the two holes using a pulling aid. I can easily imagine that cutting a groove in the wall like you would in solid masonry would seriously weaken the structure. But the question is, does this approach even work that simply? I don’t want to install empty conduits here because the cables would lie loose inside the wall, and if something ever breaks, the old cable can then be used as a pulling aid. At the same time, I want to retrofit coax cables for satellite in some rooms, as not every room currently has that. I will only do this where it makes sense. The heating room doesn’t need satellite 😀
As far as I know, the wall construction is as follows: plaster -> drywall -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall -> plaster.
It is important to mention that this concerns only interior walls. All other walls will remain untouched. The cables will also run vertically only and are not intended to pass through the intermediate beams.
I hope you can help us! We do not want to turn the house into a major construction site, but timing can be more flexible since we currently live rent-free. If we only move in next year, that’s fine 🙂 The main thing is that everything is done properly and according to our wishes, so we don’t have to tear up walls again in two years because we suddenly decide to hang a TV in the guest room and the network + coax is missing!
P
Pitiglianio22 Jul 2022 10:42For my first house, which I built using timber frame construction, there was a vapor barrier installed in both the exterior walls AND the intermediate ceilings. The interior walls did not have one. The house was built in 2001. If I were you, I would first get informed about this.
Interior wall construction like yours: plaster -> drywall panel -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall panel -> plaster.
Intermediate ceiling construction: floor covering -> dry screed -> chipboard -> vapor barrier -> wooden beams -> mineral wool insulation -> PE foil -> drywall panel.
Interior wall construction like yours: plaster -> drywall panel -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall panel -> plaster.
Intermediate ceiling construction: floor covering -> dry screed -> chipboard -> vapor barrier -> wooden beams -> mineral wool insulation -> PE foil -> drywall panel.
It also depends heavily on how the walls need to be protected. Right now, in an unoccupied house, opening up or cutting out sections of the walls (generously) and then closing them with new panels was definitely some work, but doable. If done properly, it won’t be visible later. It would look completely different if the house were occupied.
For that reason, I think the approach by @i_b_n_a_n is very reasonable. When in doubt, it’s better to open up a bit more, especially if you’re going to replace the entire wall anyway.
For that reason, I think the approach by @i_b_n_a_n is very reasonable. When in doubt, it’s better to open up a bit more, especially if you’re going to replace the entire wall anyway.
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