This parts guide is broken up into two sections. The first is what you will need to run wiring during construction.
The second section covers what you need to complete your work. You do not necessarily need everything in this list,
and you may find some things listed here (like a pen) are really obvious. Still I listed them anyway because needing
a pen and not having one when you are 20 miles from home is no fun.
 | Step Stool | There are many reasons you will need a step stool or ladder, and the step stool is easier to carry around. You will need a stool for tacking up wires to run along beams in the basement, fishing wires through the ceiling, mounting motion detector wires up high... The step stool is more useful than a ladder because it is easier to carry around. |
 | 6' or 8' Step Ladder | Sometimes a step stool will not cut it. Remember that you may be running wires above the ceiling. In-ceiling speakers for the first floor will run along the second floor beams. If you have 9' ceilings, the first floor to the second floor is actually 10 feet (with 1' beams supporting the second floor). |
 | Cordless Drill | You will need a drill to make holes through studs and floors to run your wires. With a corded drill you don't have to worry about batteries, but you can't be sure that your house will even have power when you are wiring it. The wall outlets won't be completed until the dry wall is done, so at best you may have an outlet to use in the basement. |
 | 1" & 1/2" Drill Bits | Of course you need bits to go with the drill. A 1/2" bit will only allow a couple wires through and will not be anough for all situations. A 1" bit will work for almost (but not quite) everything. Flat wood drill bits (top in the picture) are cheaper when larger bits are needed but they can cause problems. Flat bits will get stuck easier and they make it harder to drill straight line which can be a problem if you are drilling through multiple studs. If you need to drill two 1" holes next to each other to run a thick wire (like a DVI cable) a flat bit will not work because it will always jam. |
 | Extension Cord | You will need power if you are going to recharge the batteries on your drill. You may also need power for lighting. If you do have a working outlet in the basement, the builder's contractors may already be using it. Bring an extension cord with multiple outlets or a power strip so both you and the contractors will have power. |
 | Cable Reel | A cable reel makes it easier to pull on the wires without them get the tangled. A cable reel can be as simple as an elevated bar and can hold multiple spools of cable. I've even seen people hammer a screwdriver into a stud and use that for a cable reel. It is important to note that the spool of wire must rotate as you pull the wire. If you just pull the wire off the top of the spool it will have a twist to it and make it very hard to run. |
 | Wire Staples | Wire staples serve 2 purposes. First, they prevent wires from accidentally being pulled out of an electrical box. Second, they keep your wires neat and tight up near the ceiling in the basement. |
 | Claw Hammer | You will need this to nail in the wire staples, assuming you don't own a staple gun. |
 | Wire (Zip) Ties | Zip ties can also used to keep your wires neat. You should get the 12" nylon variety. If you are running too many wires for a wire staple, you can use a wire staple to attach the zip tie to a beam and then run the wires through the zip tie. |
 | Wire Cutters | You will need a good pair of wire cutters to cut your wires, and you can also use them to cleanup the zip ties. |
 | Electrical Boxes | You local town's code may or not require electrical boxes, but it is best if you use them. Make sure it is OK with your builder first because the dry wallers will have to cut out a hole for each box. I prefer the blue plastic electrical boxes. They are easy to mount and run wires through and have notches indicating where it should be placed on the stud. Make sure you have a plan and know how many 1-gang, 2-gang... boxes you will need. |
 | T Square | Different towns might have specific requirements, but usually electrical boxes are mounted 12-16" above the floor. In my home the boxes were exactly 12" from the floor, and a 12" Square is a lot easier than a tape measure to measure box height, so bring one if you have it. Otherwise, you could use a tape measure and mark all of the electrical box locations up front. You want to make sure your electrical boxes are the same height as the builder's electrician's boxes. Sometimes, the electricians will just use the height of their hammer to make sure each box is the same height. |
 | Expanding Foam | Expanding foam (like Great Stuff) is used to fill in holes in electrical boxes to insulate the home and prevent drafts. Make sure you are absolutely sure that you are done wiring that box before you use the foam. Make sure the type of foam you get can be used for wiring in electrical boxes. The foam can expand to 10 times its original size, so before using the foam in an electrical box you should test it to familirize yourself with it. |
 | Flash Light | If you end up working late at night, you will wish your brought a flashlight. A flourescent flashlight will work better than a spot flash light. |
 | Halogen Light | If you know you have power in the basement, you may want to set up a halogen light down there. It gets dark in the basement quick without lights and that is where you will be doing most of your work. |
 | Sharpie and Pen | Don't forget to bring a pen and a marker/Sharpie. Use the Sharpie for marking studs and doing your labels. The pen is for taking notes. |
 | Labels | Once you move in, you are going to want to know where all those wires in your basement run to. I use standard computer labels to indicate which wire is which using a letter/number code. See my wiring projects for an example. I also label the wires in the electrical box if there is more than one wire of that type. |
 | Notebook | Use a notebook or a clipboard so it is easier to take notes. I've tried bringing just paper to write on, but homes under construction end up being really humid and the paper gets trashed. A notebook is better. |
 | Tape Measure | For any wire that is not in an electrical box (alarm, speaker, or garage door wires) you will have to go digging through drywall to find it. Have a tape measure to record where the wires are relative to the closest wall. Record the location of the wire and also indicate what side of the stud the wire is on. |
 | Digital Camera | If you have a Digital Camera, use it to take pictures of everything. Since all rooms look the same without walls, you should also record what room and what direction each picture is. You never know when this information will be useful (and not just for wiring purposes). |
 | Flathead Screwdriver | You might need a screwdriver to remove wire staples. |
 | Blank Electrical Plates | Your town's building codes will probably require electrical plates cover all electrical boxes to pass the electrical inspection before you close. I used cheap blank wall plates and then replaced them over time after closing. You could also use the proper wall plates and terminate everything before closing. Make sure your wall plates include screws or you will have to buy them separate. |
 | Safety Goggles | Whenever hammering wire staples or using expanding foam you should wear goggles. |
 | Mask | If you are working around insulation, or if the builders are installing the insulation while you are in the home, you should wear a mask. |
 | Gloves | The warning on the label says you should wear gloves when working with expanding foam |
 | Wire | And of course you need wire. Create your Wiring Plan to see how much and what kind of wire you need. Don't forget to count the vertical distance when measuring wire length, and always add extra to make sure you don't run short. Remember to get wire that is rated for in-wall installation across multiple floors. The example wire on the left is structured wire that contains coax and internet cables in one. This costs more than buying separate wires but is easier to deal with. |
 | Stud Finder | If your wires don't terminate in an electrical box (speaker wires), then you probably just stapled the end of the wire between two studs. Use a stud finder to make sure you know where the studs are before knocking holes in the wall or ceiling. You don't want to cut a template for a speaker and find that part of your hole is over a stud. |
 | Wire Cutters / Strippers | For stripping speaker wire or network cable. You could also use a razor blade for some applications. |
 | Coax Stripper | Coax cable must be stripped in a certain way which is covered in the Finishing section. This can be done with ordinary wire strippers, but it is a lot easier with a special coax stripper. |
 | Coax Crimper | There are special crimpers for coaxial cable. You should look for one that supports both RG59 and RG6 connectors. It should also be a ratcheting tool, meaning that the tool will not reopen until you have squeezed it tight enough. |
 | RJ-45/RJ-11 Crimper | You will also need a special crimper for Cat5e Data connectors (called RJ45) and Cat3 Phone connectors (called RJ11). Make sure to get a tool that can crimp both types of connectors. |
 | Face Plates | You can either get empty face places and snap-in your connectors, or get a pre-made face plate with connectors already on it. From your Wiring Plan, determine how many plates you will need, and how many holes in each, and then get them in bulk. |
 | Wall Plate Connectors | Get the connectors to go with the wall plates, again based on your Wiring Plan. |
 | End Connectors | You will also need RG6 (Coax), RJ45 (Cat5e Data), and RJ11 (Cat3 Phone) end connectors for your Wiring Panel. |
 | Wiring Panel | As you can see from my Sample Projects, I avoid using wiring panels. You may want to invest in one if you don't have a basement and your wires will be visible in a room or closet. I find that Wiring Panels don't support the large numbers of wires I want to run and aren't worth hundreds of dollars. |
 | Lumber | An alternative to a wiring panel is to mount everything to a board. You can now get 2'x4' boards which are just the right size. You can also use 2"x4"'s so that the board is not mounted directly to the concrete wall. That way, every time you screw through the board you are not hitting concrete. |
 | Mounting Screws | For a basement, you will need concrete screws or sinkers and a masonry drill bit. For a drywall installation, you will need dry wall mounts. |