Does anyone have any advice on available resources for learning to run wire in pre-existing homes? Any guidance would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

As soon as every house is built the same way with the same materials, I'm sure Wesley will come up with a Standard.

Until then, its a Bit of trial and error, Some Luck, and a whole lot of planning.

Look at Labor Saving Devices web site, www.lsdinc.com, they have some pages at the end of their catalog with recommended ways to use their equipment.

Bid high...

John

LMFAO @ Impaqt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nickster

If every house was built the same way...installation life would be easy. Boring, but easy. ;) haha

running wire is easy.

1) run 6 cat5e, 7 RG6, and 2 fiber- opticals evrywhere... hehe

2) don't let the bends in cat5e have a circumference that is less than a 25 cent piece

3) don't forget that if you don't do this to evry house you do, and that's all three houses you do every day, your customer's house won't be future-proof in 10 years!





(what other cliches can I throw in here besides a domo-kum...)

Give these guys a try. They specialize in technical pubs. [Link: samswebsite.com]

wow

I have another suggestion: come work for me. I have run wires in just about every kind of ceiling, wall, floor, attic, crawl-space, and open area there are.

It's all about having the right tools and knowing how to use them. I haven't met a job I couldn't figure out yet, and I have good drywall skills for the rest.

(Knock on veneer!)

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Is that American or Canadian?


Tim - is that you?

Larry has the best answer here.

You just have to start somewhere doing something.

Actually, I learned a lot when I worked for an A/V chain and was HQ's rep on the job. I had to be there; I knew lots about what they wanted the store to look like; I had enough sense to put the front door in the front; and I had LOTS of time to watch and see how the building was put together.

This "how it is put together" has been the skill I use every day in installing. Like the time I had to run a wire about three feet down a wall. I could run it about 30" down from a hole in the wall, and I could run it about 30" up, but I could not run it the whole way. Why? This was a 1930s house with 2x4 supports running down the wall at a steep angle, and one was pushing my wire sideways! I had SEEN that type of support before, and that made me able to figure it out.

Yep, the cat's out of the bag.

When I was 5, we moved into what was only the third house built on the block, so as I was growing up, I got to watch a dozen or so houses built from the ground up, and watch I did. Every day after school.

We're licensed for home and commercial improvement, and we do a lot more than just electrical work. Last year, we built a complete 400 sq ft addition, master bedroom and full bath, wall-to-wall closets, etc.

We did all of the framing, plumbing, wiring (of course), drywall, trim, painting, everything except the foundation brick & block (but we did dig the footing with a rented backhoe) and the HVAC.

Believe me, I know how to run wires in walls. There's no better way to learn than to do it. I'm a good teacher. My fiance (my ferret) and I are an incredible team when it comes to fishing in existing construction.

We're starting to wire a new house in Williamsburg in a few weeks. Everything: power, AV, networking, phones, probably whole-house vacuum. Anyone want a summer learning experience? Contact info on site, below.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Talk to an alarm installer ( a seasoned one) Those guys deal with pre existing solutions all day everyday. If the job is a serious reno, chances are the electrical component will also be getting a major upgrade in which case sections of drywall and ceiling will be coming out. work with the electrical contractor on what your requirements are

TeknoGuy, I see you're from MA. What kind of retro job are you talking about? I've done a lot out here and the old brownstones in Boston were the worst to deal with. I'll take a new house anyday. We used to do brownstones all the time and they really suck to get anywhere without lots of holes. The only advice I can give you is become the fish tape master. Eventually you will know where the tip of that snake is, and you will probably even know what is blocking you. When you get stuck, usually a 1" by 2" square hole at the blockage will help a lot. The biggest mistake I see most people make on retros is making huge holes when they aren't needed. Speaking of brownstone jobs...I was at a job off of Tremont st in Boston where some jackass cut a 4" X 4" hole on every stud acroos the entire 2nd floor to run one cat5. When all he had to do was drill down from each termination location into the ceiling below and run his feeds from there. The neater the job, the more happy the client is.

Wow! There's a lot of great information here and I really appreciate it.

Here's a wrench to throw into the works though...are there available resources for learning without pre-existing experience, like some quality books for example?

I was considering sub-contracting the wiring work to someone until I was able to learn from them, but this experience is not likely to provide me with everything I need to learn in a relatively short period of time. Plus, I don't know how keen the sub-contractor would be on having me asking tons of questions, etc.

Thanks in advance!