Structured Cable - Wiring Meeting

Today we had our 14 day appointment and wiring meeting. To prepare for the meeting we reviewed our original purchase order agreement and the master selection sheet/options that was originally signed when we "purchased" our Ryan Home.  What I'm learning is that the original purchase agreement changes frequently as you navigate each step of the building process.  So if you have a budget in mind for an overall purchase price, keep in mind that your base home does not include all of the sometimes exciting--and--sometimes necessary "bells and whistles" that are often a feature of building a new home.  So let's start with the "wiring meeting."

This meeting lasted approximately 1.5 hours.  We met with Chris at Structured Cable.  He was filled with energy and extremely knowledgeable about the Ryan building process and what would be a good fit for our home.  What I appreciated about Chris is that he didn't try to sell us on any product. It was more of an informational meeting where he allowed us to make decisions on what products would fit best for our lifestyle.  Some of the choices included:

      -Additional phone and cable outlets

     - Data Networking

     - Security Systems

     - Surround Sound

     - Music throughout the home

     - Professional TV installation (Wall mounting of customer provided or TV’s

        purchased through us)

     - Central Vac  & Hide-A-Hose(Dirt Devil)

     - Intercom systems (Greyfox)

Dwight and I went into this meeting with an open mind.  However, we did not want to spend a huge amount of money on technology/electronics that we rarely use.  Therefore, we focused mainly on cable and internet options.  Before going into this meeting you should know that Ryan Homes only provides a total of only 4 free phone/cable outlets. This was slightly disappointing if you are building a larger home with 4 bedrooms and multiple living spaces.  One would think that homes are built with cable outlets in each room and internet capabilities would be thought out and planned at no extra cost for customers as would heating and cooling (Ryan Homes plans heating and cooling/zones based on square footage of home). After selecting our 4 free areas for hookup (4 bedrooms) we added additional jacks in the basement, morning room (phone), and spare bedroom ($150 each). We also upgraded to a 28" distribution can for the basement.  This essentially means that whenever we are ready to mount a television in the basement, the data networking, wiring, and outlets will be prewired into the home.  This upgraded added an additional $788.  Finally, we upgraded the family room so that Structured Cable would mount our current television above the fireplace.  This feature also includes a "media closet" where cable and other equipment will be hidden at the bottom of the coat closet and away from the family room and mounted television.  Although this featured was a whopping $1149, I would highly recommend that you utilize this service to have a clean, sleek, and finished look in your family room that includes a mounted television without cords or cable equipment. 

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures while at the office of the upgrades.  However, the good news is that you do not have to look at pictures of wires :)