If you are planning a kitchen remodel, a basement finish, an addition, or a full gut renovation, there is a window of opportunity that most homeowners miss. And once the drywall goes up, that window closes, sometimes permanently, sometimes expensively.

The window is this: while your walls are open, you can run the wiring and infrastructure for smart home technology at a fraction of what it would cost to do later. Speaker wire, network cable, camera conduit, low-voltage wiring for motorized shades, all of it is dramatically easier and cheaper to install before the walls are closed.

But here is the thing most people don’t realize: you don’t have to install the actual devices right now. You just need to run the wire. That is it. The wire sits in the wall, ready and waiting, and you activate it whenever you are ready, next month, next year, or five years from now.

We tell clients this all the time: wire is cheap during a remodel and expensive after the walls are closed. The smartest upgrade is usually the one you don’t see yet.

This guide covers what to think about before your contractor swings a hammer, when to bring in a smart home integrator, and how to plan for technology without blowing your renovation budget.

Quick answer: The best time to plan for smart home tech is during the design phase of your remodel, before permits are pulled and long before drywall goes up. Pre-wiring for speakers, cameras, networking, and smart lighting during construction costs 10-20% of what a retrofit would cost later. You don’t need to buy every device now. Just run the wire so your home is ready when you are.

Why Renovation Is the Perfect Time

Let me put some real numbers to this so you can see why the timing matters.

Running a network cable from your living room to a utility closet during construction takes about fifteen minutes and costs roughly $50 to $75 in materials. Doing it after the walls are finished? You are looking at fishing wire through insulated cavities, cutting access holes, patching drywall, repainting, easily $300 to $500 per run, if it is even possible in some areas.

Multiply that across a dozen cable runs for speakers, cameras, network access points, and motorized shade power, and you are talking about the difference between a few hundred dollars during construction and several thousand dollars after.

That math is why every contractor and builder we work with in Columbia, Jefferson City, and across mid-Missouri tells their clients the same thing: talk to your smart home integrator before the electrician finishes rough-in. Not after.

When to Bring In a Smart Home Integrator

This is the question we get most often, and the answer is simpler than people expect: bring us in during the design phase. Before permits. Before rough-in. Ideally when you are still working with your architect or general contractor on floor plans and electrical layouts.

Here is why early involvement matters:

During Design (Ideal)

At this stage, we can collaborate with your architect and builder to plan cable routes, speaker locations, camera angles, touchscreen placements, and network infrastructure. We coordinate with the electrician to make sure low-voltage wiring is included in the rough-in schedule. Nothing gets missed, nothing gets duplicated, and the cost is built into the overall project budget from the start.

During Rough-In (Still Good)

If we come in during rough-in, while framing is done but before insulation and drywall, we can still run all the wiring we need. We may not have room to dial in every location, but we can still hit the important spots. This is the last easy window for pre-wiring.

After Drywall (Expensive and Limited)

Once walls are closed, your options shrink. Wireless solutions like Lutron and Sonos can still be added without opening walls, but anything that requires wire, in-ceiling speakers, wired cameras, network drops, becomes a retrofit project with drywall patches and paint touch-ups. It is doable, but it costs more and limits where you can place things.

The message is simple: the earlier you loop in an integrator, the more options you have and the less you spend.

What to Pre-Wire For (Even If You’re Not Ready to Install)

Here is a practical list of what to run while your walls are open. Think of this as future-proofing your home without committing to specific equipment right now.

Network Cable (CAT6A)

This is the single most important wire to run during any renovation. Period. Pull CAT6A cable to every room where you might want a wired device, your home office, living room, bedrooms, kitchen, and any media area. Run multiple drops to your living room and media room. Pull cable to every location where you might mount a wireless access point, typically hallway ceilings on each floor.

A solid wired backbone is the foundation of a reliable smart home. Wireless devices still need strong Wi-Fi, and strong Wi-Fi comes from hardwired access points placed strategically throughout your home. If you want the deep dive on this, our home network guide covers it in detail.

Speaker Wire

If you have even the slightest interest in whole-home audio, run speaker wire to the rooms where you would want ceiling or in-wall speakers. Kitchen, living room, master bedroom, covered patio, pool area, those are the most common zones.

Two-conductor speaker wire is inexpensive. Running it during construction costs almost nothing compared to the labor of retrofitting later. Even if you start with Sonos wireless speakers and don’t install ceiling speakers for years, the wire is there waiting for you.

Camera Cable

Identify the locations where you would want security cameras, front door, back door, garage, driveway, side yard, and run cable to each one. A single CAT6 cable handles both power (PoE) and video for modern IP cameras, so one cable per location is all you need.

Camera placement is something we plan carefully with homeowners. You want full coverage of entry points and property perimeter without blind spots. Doing this during renovation means the cables are hidden and the cameras mount cleanly.

Low-Voltage Wiring for Shades and Lighting

If motorized window shades are on your wish list, even someday, run a small low-voltage wire to each window location. Motorized shades need power, and the cleanest installations run a thin wire inside the window frame during construction.

For lighting, consider running low-voltage wire to locations where you might want a wall-mounted touchscreen or a scene controller. A touchscreen by your front door that controls your entire home is one of those upgrades that feels transformative once you have it.

Conduit for Future Runs

In areas where you can’t predict exactly what you will need, like a basement that might become a home theater someday or an attic that could become a bonus room, run empty conduit between floors. Conduit is a tube that you can pull new wire through later without opening walls. It is cheap insurance against future needs you haven’t imagined yet.

The Low-Voltage Plan: Working with Your Contractor

Your general contractor manages the overall project. Your electrician handles high-voltage wiring, outlets, circuits, panel work. But low-voltage wiring, everything we just talked about, is a separate scope of work that requires coordination with both.

Here is how we work with builders and contractors on renovation projects:

We provide a low-voltage plan. This is a drawing that shows every cable run, every speaker location, every camera mount, and every network drop. It tells the electrician and framing crew exactly where to leave space and where to drill.
We coordinate timing. Low-voltage rough-in happens after framing and before insulation. We work with your contractor to schedule our crew at the right time so we don’t slow down the project.
We label everything. Every cable gets labeled at both ends so that when it is time to install devices, whether that is next month or next year, anyone can identify what goes where.
We test before close-up. Before the drywall crew comes in, we test every cable run to make sure it is good. Fixing a bad cable at this stage takes five minutes. Fixing it after drywall takes hours.

If your contractor hasn’t worked with a low-voltage integrator before, that is fine. We have worked alongside dozens of builders in central Missouri and the process is smooth. Most contractors appreciate having the low-voltage scope handled by a specialist because it is one less thing on their plate.

Phased Investment: You Don’t Have to Do It All at Once

This is where a lot of homeowners breathe a sigh of relief. A renovation already costs a significant amount of money, and adding a full smart home system on top can feel overwhelming.

Here is the good news: you can phase your smart home investment. Pre-wire everything during construction (the cheap part), and then install and activate systems over time as your budget allows.

Here is what a phased approach might look like:

Phase 1: During Renovation (Budget: Wire + Network)

Run all low-voltage wiring (network, speaker, camera, shade)
Install a proper network with enterprise-grade access points
Install Lutron smart switches and dimmers (they replace your standard switches at a modest added cost)
Total added cost during a typical renovation: $3,000 to $8,000

This gives you a rock-solid foundation, smart lighting throughout the renovated areas, and every wire in place for future upgrades.

Phase 2: Six to Twelve Months Later (Budget: Audio + Cameras)

Activate the speaker wire with ceiling speakers and an amplifier, or start with Sonos in key rooms
Install cameras at the pre-wired locations
Add a video doorbell and smart lock
Typical cost: $3,000 to $10,000

Now your home has multi-room audio and a proper security setup, all running on the network you built in Phase 1.

Phase 3: When You’re Ready (Budget: Full Integration)

Add a Control4 or Josh.ai controller to unify everything
Install motorized shades on the pre-wired windows
Build out scenes and automations (“Good Morning,” “Movie Night,” “Good Night”)
Add a dedicated media room if desired
Typical cost: $5,000 to $30,000+

At this point, you have a fully integrated smart home, and you built it over time without any one phase being financially painful.

The critical thing is that Phase 1 makes Phase 2 and Phase 3 possible. Without the wire in the walls, the later phases either cost dramatically more or aren’t feasible at all. The upfront investment in pre-wiring is what gives you options down the road.

New Construction: Starting from Scratch

If you are building a brand-new home, everything we just discussed applies, but you have even more flexibility because nothing is constrained by existing walls, wiring, or layout.

For new construction, here is our recommendation:

Involve us from the blueprint stage. We can work with your builder and architect to dial in speaker placement for room acoustics, plan camera coverage for the full property, locate network equipment in a dedicated closet or utility space, and design lighting scenes around how each room will actually be used.

New construction also lets you run conduit to areas that might change use over time, an unfinished basement, an attic space, a detached garage or workshop. Conduit gives you a path for future wire runs without touching finished surfaces.

If you are building new and you have read our beginner’s guide to smart home automation, you already know the basics. A new build is the best possible scenario for getting everything right from the start.

Common Mistakes Homeowners Make During Renovations

We have seen these enough times to give you a heads-up:

Waiting until after drywall to think about technology. This is the number one mistake. By the time someone calls us after drywall, the easy window has closed. We can still help, wireless solutions cover a lot of ground, but the options are more limited and more expensive.

Assuming the electrician handles low-voltage. Most residential electricians are experts in high-voltage work, panels, circuits, outlets. Low-voltage wiring for audio, video, networking, and automation is a different specialty. Some electricians do both, but many don’t. Having a dedicated low-voltage integrator ensures it is done right.

Running the wrong cable. Not all cable is created equal. CAT5e is outdated for most smart home applications, CAT6A is the current standard and handles higher speeds over longer distances. Speaker wire gauge matters for the length of the run and the speakers being driven. Using the wrong cable now means replacing it later.

Not running enough cable. This is where “future-proofing” really pays off. It costs almost nothing to run an extra network drop or an additional pair of speaker wires while the walls are open. Running one cable to a room and wishing you had run three is a common regret.

Skipping the network. Some homeowners focus on the exciting stuff, speakers, cameras, lighting, and treat networking as an afterthought. But every single one of those systems depends on a reliable network. A shaky network means shaky performance from everything else. We address networking as part of every project, not as an add-on.

When to Call the Installer: A Timeline

Here is a practical timeline for coordinating smart home technology with your renovation:

8-12 weeks before construction starts: Contact an integrator for an initial consultation. Discuss goals, budget, and scope. This is the “what do you want your home to do?” conversation.

6-8 weeks before construction: Integrator delivers a low-voltage plan and coordinates with your general contractor and electrician. Equipment is specified and ordered if you are installing right away.

During framing: Integrator walks the job site to verify locations and confirm cable routing with the framing crew.

During rough-in (after framing, before insulation): Low-voltage wiring is installed. All cables are run, labeled, and tested.

After drywall and paint: Trim-out phase. Speakers, cameras, touchscreens, and other devices are installed and connected. The system is programmed and tested.

Before you move in (or move back in): Training session. We walk you and your family through everything so you are comfortable from day one.

If your renovation is already underway and you haven’t contacted an integrator yet, call today. The sooner we get involved, the more we can do within your existing timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does pre-wiring add to a renovation budget?

For a typical mid-Missouri home renovation covering three to five rooms, pre-wiring for network, speakers, cameras, and shade power adds roughly $2,000 to $5,000 to the project. That includes materials and labor during rough-in. Compare that to $8,000 to $15,000 or more to retrofit the same wiring after construction, and you can see why pre-wiring is one of the smartest investments in a renovation.

What if I’m only remodeling one room, is it still worth it?

Yes. Even a single-room remodel is an opportunity. If you are redoing a kitchen, run speaker wire for ceiling speakers and a network drop for a touchscreen or display. If you are finishing a basement, wire it for a future home theater and install network drops for gaming and streaming. Any time a wall is open, take advantage of it.

Can I do the pre-wiring myself to save money?

You could run basic cable, but we recommend having a professional handle it. Proper cable management, correct wire gauge, labeling, testing, and coordination with your contractor matter. A poorly run cable that gets pinched, kinked, or run too close to high-voltage wiring may not work when you go to use it. The labor cost during construction is modest, and getting it right the first time saves headaches later.

What if I don’t know exactly what smart home features I want?

That is perfectly fine, and it is actually the most common situation. You don’t need to know what devices you want. You just need to run wire to the locations where you might want something someday. We help homeowners think through the “where” even when they haven’t decided on the “what.” The wire doesn’t expire. It sits in the wall until you are ready.

Should I hire the smart home integrator separately from my general contractor?

Yes. Your general contractor manages the overall renovation, and the smart home integrator handles the low-voltage scope as a subcontractor or parallel specialist. We coordinate directly with your GC and electrician to stay on schedule. Most builders in central Missouri are familiar with this arrangement and welcome it because it keeps the low-voltage work off their plate.

The Wire You Run Today Is the Home You Live In Tomorrow

A renovation is disruptive, expensive, and stressful. We get it. The last thing you want is someone telling you to add more to the list. But here is the truth: the small investment you make in pre-wiring during construction pays for itself many times over by giving you options you would not have otherwise.

You don’t need to build a fully automated smart home during your remodel. You just need to make sure the wires are in place so that when you are ready, next year, three years from now, whenever, your home is ready too.

If you have a renovation coming up and want to talk through what makes sense for your project, reach out to us. We will look at your plans, talk through your goals, and give you a clear picture of what to wire now so you are set up for whatever comes next. That is how we do it at GreenieCo, straightforward advice and no surprises.

Remodeling? Here's When to Plan for Smart Home Tech