Prewire vs Retrofit for Atlanta and Lake Homes
Open walls get the wire first. A finished house is a different path.
If the walls are still open, prewire first. SoulCraft Systems plans network, TV, speaker, camera, doorbell, and shade runs before drywall and brings them back to one rack. In a finished Atlanta or lake house we still do the work, usually through the attic, the basement, and small openings so the patching stays limited. The difference is access, time, and how much can be hidden. Theater, whole-home audio, and whole-house lighting are quoted after we see the house.
When prewire is the right job
A new build or a remodel with the walls open is the time to put the wire where it belongs. We mark the plan while a TV, a speaker, an access point, or a shade can still move. The same people pull the wire and come back for the equipment. Builders can start with the low-voltage prewire page and the prewire checklist. Homeowners planning a house that is still in drawings can use the free Prewire Planner.
Before the drywall
- Mark every TV, speaker, access point, camera, doorbell, shade, and the rack on the plan while those marks can still move.
- Settle that layout before electrical and low-voltage are set, so the trades are not guessing after the walls close.
- Pick one ventilated rack location. A closet that holds heat is a bad home for the equipment.
- Add a spare run or a conduit to rooms that will change. The cable is cheap now. Opening a finished wall later is not.
- Get shade pockets and TV backing in before stone and trim lock them.
- Rough-in comes after the electrician. Trim comes before move-in.
On a new build the first proposal is the wire, including the network cable. The TVs, speakers, and the rest of the gear are a later proposal, once those choices are made. See prewire and design.
When the house is already finished
We still do the work. The path is the attic, the basement, and small openings, and the patching stays limited to what we actually open. A wireless house still needs wires to the radios and the TVs. That is covered in why a wireless home still needs wires.
What usually still has a path
- Access points, once we can see the attic or a closet ceiling.
- TVs, when there is a path from the attic, the basement, or a nearby low-voltage box.
- Many cameras and a doorbell, using the eaves, the soffit, or an existing opening.
What is harder
- Speakers in a ceiling that is already finished. A cut-out is sometimes the honest answer. Sometimes the speaker belongs on the wall instead.
- Shade pockets after stone, trim, or a finished header. If that opening was never framed, a shade may stay a surface mount.
- A promise of invisible wire in every room. We will not make that promise until we have seen the attic, the basement, and the rooms.
What we will not pretend
A finished house can be wired. It is not the same job as a prewire, and it is not automatically the cheaper one. Access and patching change the work. We quote it after a walk-through, or from plans when the walls are still open.
Electrical work from this company is generators, EV charging, and surge and grounding. House wiring, panels, and general electrical work go to an electrician. Those three add-ons are on generators, EV, and surge.
SoulCraft Systems was founded in 2010. The people here have more than 25 years of combined experience. Georgia low-voltage license LVT305289. North Carolina license SP.FA/LV.37584.
How a quote is built
On a new build we write the prewire first, then the electronics once you have chosen them. On a finished house we walk it, because the attic and the basement decide what can be hidden. Theater, whole-home audio, and whole-house lighting stay custom quoted. We do not publish a package price for a prewire or a retrofit.
The published service-call rate is on the pricing page. That rate is not a prewire price.
A short list for the walk-through
- Which rooms need a TV, music, Wi-Fi, a camera, or a shade.
- Whether the walls are open, or we are working in a house you live in.
- Where the rack can sit and stay cool.
- Which openings are acceptable if the house is finished.
- What can wait for a spare run instead of being installed now.
Our work
These are SoulCraft rough-in photos, not finished rooms and not manufacturer shots. Two published jobs: the Lake Rabun prewire and the Rabun County new-build prewire.
Questions
Open walls and finished houses. Atlanta is (404) 590-7685. North Georgia and the lakes are (706) 982-3327.
Can you wire a finished home, or only a new build?
Both. Open walls are cleaner. In a finished house we use the attic, the basement, and small openings so the patching stays limited.
When should a builder call?
While locations on the plan can still move, and before electrical and low-voltage are set. After the stone is up around the TV, the backing and the shade pockets are already set. Rough-in is after electrical. Trim is before move-in.
What do you prewire?
Network and Wi-Fi, TVs and surround, whole-home audio, cameras and doorbells, Lutron lighting and shades, and outdoor runs, brought back to one ventilated rack.
Is a finished-home retrofit cheaper than prewire?
Not as a published package. Access, patching, and what can be hidden change the work. We quote after we see the house or the plans. The service-call rate is on the pricing page. It is not a prewire price.
Do you serve lake and mountain houses?
Yes. Metro Atlanta, North Georgia lakes, and Highlands and Cashiers. Atlanta is (404) 590-7685. North Georgia and the lakes are (706) 982-3327. Georgia low-voltage license LVT305289. North Carolina license SP.FA/LV.37584. SoulCraft Systems was founded in 2010. The people here have more than 25 years of combined experience.