▪Home low-voltage wiring is usually done just before insulation, which is then followed by drywall. Low-voltage includes wiring for phone, cable, security system, and any in-wall speakers. I find that there are few "low-voltage" wiring contractors, per se. Rather, you will probably need to find a security company that will wire for their security system and then also do the wiring for your telephones, cable ("catv"), and in-wall stereo speakers. Alternately, you might also find a stereo company that also does the other low-voltage wiring.

▪My preference is to find a local home security company that will do it all for me. When you get an estimate from one of these companies, however, you must be prepared with a few questions:

Most importantly, "Will I have to sign a monitoring contract with your company?" I would avoid getting locked into any long-term monitoring contract.

"Can your system be used by other monitoring companies if I decide that I or a future home owner does not want to use your company for monitoring?" Again, you don't want to locked into one company only that can do the monitoring.

"Do you have employees that do the wiring themselves, or will you be subbing or contracting this out to other subcontractors?" I much prefer to work with a company that has their own employees that will come and do the wiring.

▪Before I meet with the low-voltage contractor for an estimate, I decide exactly where I want my phone jacks, cable jacks, and in-wall speakers. Additionally, I have a pretty good idea of where I want the security elements to be: motion detectors, window/door contacts, glass break detectors, smoke/heat detectors, keypads, and sirens. To save time and ensure consistency among estimates, I like to write out the quantity of each item that I will need and have it ready to hand a copy to the estimator.

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University

Common misspellings: cabel, fone, lwo-voltage, electrical wring, security ssystem