Preparing for the future? What should be brought into the house during renovation?

[pallekuling2000]

Hello!
We are about to renovate a bathroom, which has led to an extensive pipe replacement in our villa. The villa has 2 floors plus a basement, and now essentially a large wall will be demolished on all floors in the middle of the house. My question is, in what ways can I be a bit forward-thinking and plan for future needs? What is smart to do while we're opening up between 3 floors anyway?

Two things I've thought about are:

1. Install an extra pipe for a potential future central vacuum system?

2. Install one (or more?) VP-pipes for potential network cables for computer/TV?

More tips and things to consider are warmly welcomed!

 

[mattiasp]

How about ventilation ducts? Do they already exist? Is a flue needed?
By the way, it's very wise to think it over when you have such an opportunity.

 

[kabanja]

It might be a good idea to run conduits to places where you might want to have wireless access points, sensors, alarms, etc.

 

[Demmpa]

The pipes for central vacuum cleaners come in at least two different sizes depending on the manufacturer/brand.

 

[pallekuling2000]

Mattiasp: There are plenty of ventilation ducts in the house, but what do you mean by imkanal? Nice that someone agrees it can be smart to think it through. My partner mostly thinks it's "unnecessary" stuff

Kabanja: It's a wireless access point I have in mind since I have the modem for the internet in the basement. An alarm was a good tip, I'll think about it. Any other sensors?

Demmpa: Well, that's a bummer... I guess I have to decide on a potential future brand for the vacuum then :/... Do you know if there's one that's most used or fits most types?

 

[Demmpa]

What I know is that CanVac and Electrolux are not compatible with each other. Not sure if there are adapters between the different sizes.

 

[mattiasp]

A ventilation duct is what is used for kitchen hoods. They should be fire protected in at least class E15, which corresponds to 30 mm of fire protection mat. They are not fun to install afterwards. Moreover, they are never particularly fun to install.

 

[pallekuling2000]

Demmpa: Then I'll check if it's possible to cover everything. Like if there are transitions from one to the other or vice versa as you mentioned. I assume both are powered by some low-voltage current as well. Something to consider, perhaps.

Mattiasp: Ah, I understand now. That was indeed a very good tip if you're really going to plan properly. It might make it a little easier for some to change the layout with a new fan duct, etc. Avoid having to install a carbon filter fan, for example. I'll think about that a bit...

 

[palun]

When we built our new bathroom (completely new part of the house), we installed a conventional water toilet. In hindsight, I've often thought it would have been wise to be a bit foresighted and leave space in the crawl space for possible other solutions in the future - like composting toilet, urine separation, or whatever it might be. Another thing I missed was installing channels for the network, possible speakers (for the sauna), etc. A water tap on the outside wall would also have been good to have... Once you've installed a moisture barrier and tiled from floor to ceiling, it becomes tricky to change anything afterward. It would have been smart to think ahead. (And it costs so little to prepare.)

 

[hakan_o]

I would have installed several electrical conduits (VP-rör) just in case. You don't need to know today what they will be for, but one day a need will arise for something, and then it's invaluable to have pre-installed conduits to move between the floors.

 

[Tiny Trolli]

Participated in planning a house a long time ago. We doubled the electrical boxes and conduits so that every wall in every room got an extra box. Over the years, these conduits have been used for telephone lines, low voltage cables, speaker wires, antenna cables, network cables, and broadband networks. It has been of great help for 40 years.

 

[fredrix]

Completely agree regarding VP pipes. They are cheap, so lay a bunch of them. I've personally added extra channels when renovating the house, and in several cases, they've come in handy afterwards.

My wife also thought I was crazy at first, but now after a few years, she's seen that it actually has its benefits and no longer protests if we renovate something and I want to lay extra pipes

 

[Skogsbullen]

Thick conduit for HDMI cable to TV?

Overall, it's better to install 20mm conduit/hose than 16mm.

 

[kabanja]

Large conduit for HDMI cable to TV?

Overall, it is better to run 20mm conduit/hose than 16mm.

Absolutely right! Then you might also consider running separate conduits for power and signal to avoid interference with, for example, low-level cables.