Is there a quick/easy way to estimate wire requirements?

[DotNetDog]

I went through my plan and counted the runs per wire type. Now I want to estimate the total amount of wire per type. Do you pros have a formula for rough estimating the amount of wire needed? For instance, do you say that the average run is XX feet and simply multiply XX times the number of runs for a given wire type?

I suppose I'm hoping that I can rough estimate it like this. I just need to figure out what the average run length is. Any suggestions?

By the way, it's a 2 story house plus a finished basement. Total square footage is a bit over 6000 sq ft.

 

[Neurorad]

I'd draw a rough, crude diagram with basic dimensions, and add it up. Shouldn't take you more than an hour or 2.

Don't forget to account for 'service loops', extra cable on each end. Depending on the wiring closet layout, you'll need 2-15 feet for each cable there. For example, if you have a free standing rack (or racks) you may need to route the cable to the floor level, across a raised floor, and up 6 feet into the rack (an extreme example, admittedly ).

Are you wiring this yourself? Get some cable quotes from local electric supply stores. If you're installing yourself, ask for wholesale/dealer pricing. The pro installers have this resource as a fallback; most of them buy locally, and if they run out of cable, not a big deal.

 

[DotNetDog]

I'd draw a rough, crude diagram with basic dimensions, and add it up. Shouldn't take you more than an hour or 2.

Don't forget to account for 'service loops', extra cable on each end. Depending on the wiring closet layout, you'll need 2-15 feet for each cable there. For example, if you have a free standing rack (or racks) you may need to route the cable to the floor level, across a raised floor, and up 6 feet into the rack (an extreme example, admittedly ).

Are you wiring this yourself? Get some cable quotes from local electric supply stores. If you're installing yourself, ask for wholesale/dealer pricing. The pro installers have this resource as a fallback; most of them buy locally, and if they run out of cable, not a big deal.

No raised floor. I haven't made the final decision as to who will run the wire (me or the builder's LV guy). Good idea to remember the service loops and extra wire at the homerun location.

 

[personalt]

You would have to estimate each runs lentgh and then multiple it by the number of runs. I dont see how you could have a magic formula based on sq feet of house. You just want to get in the ballpark and have a source close by for additional rolls. A lot depends on where you media closet and alarm panel etc are.

For most of these cables, small rolls of not efficient so your goal is only to get to the nearest roll. For the cheaper cables that doesn't even matter that much. Cat6 is I think $60 for 1000 feet of .05 a foot or $3.00 for a 50 foot run. No worries if you are off box on that..

I did some super rough estimates when I did mine but mostly what I did was start with 300 foot rolls of my more expensive/harder to get cable and ran that first. That way if I needed another roll I could get more while I did the rest of cat5/alarm wire.

I did my mini-rjb and dual coax/cat5 combos first. I ran one of each to each TV... If I were doing this again I would consider another two cat5s at least. I was going to cancel the coax but directv has some moca hardware which is basically a mini settop box that will fit behind the TV. Also you can get coax to RCA ends and use the coax as a RCA.

This is what I ran to each TV(plus 1 HDMI), but I think I got my cables on ebay. If doing again I would also consider more HDMI as HDMI cable is cheaper then cat5 balauns though they are getting cheaper.

This is my 'most expensive cable', the only one that I really estimated

http://cableorganizer.com/cables/mini-rgb-...ideo-cable.html
http://www.smarthome.com/868261J/2-Cat-5e-...ax-Cable/p.aspx

I did some super rough estimates using this simple formula.

10' from closet to ceiling
+ distance across ceiling. I made guesstimates based on plans for differnt rooms
10' from ceiling back down wall
+10 more feet if on the second floor.

For my HDMI cables I actually drilled the holes, pulled string, pulled string out and measured it with 100 foot tape measure. The reason for that is you dont field terminate it..

*** DONT FORGET CONDUIT **** Orange smurf tub for each TV drop up to attic or down to basement.. Then a big conduit from attic to basement or media closet.. No matter how well you plan you will miss a wire.

I just busted holes in my new babies room to run some extra wires.. I would easily have paid $10 extra for the low voltage conduit to have been at that drop rather then cut open the walls/ceiling..

 

[Deane Johnson]

Don't be skimpy with cable lengths. Someone on either this forum or another discovered some of their cables were a couple of feet short and had to inquire about how to splice more length on. It isn't worth it.

 

[alfaman]

I'd draw a rough, crude diagram with basic dimensions, and add it up. Shouldn't take you more than an hour or 2.

Don't forget to account for 'service loops', extra cable on each end. Depending on the wiring closet layout, you'll need 2-15 feet for each cable there. For example, if you have a free standing rack (or racks) you may need to route the cable to the floor level, across a raised floor, and up 6 feet into the rack (an extreme example, admittedly ).

Are you wiring this yourself? Get some cable quotes from local electric supply stores. If you're installing yourself, ask for wholesale/dealer pricing. The pro installers have this resource as a fallback; most of them buy locally, and if they run out of cable, not a big deal.

No raised floor. I haven't made the final decision as to who will run the wire (me or the builder's LV guy). Good idea to remember the service loops and extra wire at the homerun location.

Thanks helped a lot

 

[Neurorad]

I just busted holes in my new babies room to run some extra wires.. I would easily have paid $10 extra for the low voltage conduit to have been at that drop rather then cut open the walls/ceiling..

I've been pretty lucky, but I haven't needed to cut many extra holes to retrofit cables yet.

Except if I count the 7 in the garage ceiling/soffits.

Seriously, though, ff you have attic access above, or unfinished basement/crawl below, rarely a reason to cut extra holes.

I can usually run the cables from the new LV outlet/switch hole or speaker cut-in, and through the top or bottom plate.

I'll be keeping some of those holes in the garage for a long time - they'll be useful when I need to pull more ables.

Garage drywall holes are against code; one can use old work/retrofit junction boxes (all fire rated), covered with blank plates, to keep the garage to code. But only if that helps you sleep at night. I doubt most people would care.