pawned79

I just bought a new-build house. Earth will be moved in a few weeks. I've gone through a fair number of homes under construction before, but I am still very green. Something has been really bothering me though: Why are the electrical and data lines not run cleanly and neatly through conduits? Why is the attic space rendered completely useless by a spiderweb of wires?

nealtw

Money is the answer to all your questions and if you have trusses your attic is completely useless anyway.

pawned79

*nods* Thank you, Neal.

tjacobson13

Sometimes Builders cut corners in order to make a profit. Especially in today's housing market there is far less profit involved with building homes now. If you haven't already done so I would have a point of sale inspection. If something is not up to code usually the inspector can require the builder or seller to bring that issue up to code before they are able to sell you the home.

speedy petey

CUT CORNERS????
Unless you are in Chicago, conduit is NOT required by code. Even there it is insane that they wire houses with the stuff.

Cable, NM or otherwise, is standard issue for wiring homes. I fail to see how having cables in your attic renders it useless.

If the place is that much of a mess then your contractor was sloppy, simple as that. Most guys will run cables square to framing and support as needed. If the cables are run diagonal it is highly likely that it is not a complaint installation.

pawned79

I have been through over a dozen homes under construction in the past few weeks, and not one performed any cable management. ALL wires were run "diagonal," that is directly from point A to point B.

CharlieO

With the price of copper today they try to reduce usage as much as possible.
Depending on the framing as to wether it is allowed, unless they have changed the code recently you are not allowed to run electric cable on top of a joist in walkable space.

TxBuilder

Every attic I have been in, the wires run within 3ft of the eve and NEVER on the ground where they can be stepped on. Stapled every 18 inches as well. Never seen it in conduit unless outside or an addition after the fact and they didn't want to bust up their walls.

nealtw

They try to run TV cables as short as possible for better performance and the only people complaining are the ones trying to use the attic for something they shouldn't.

pawned79

The house I am moving into is a truss, but the house I am in now has real usable attic space that isn't usable because of data and electrical cables running across the room, on the floor, in the air, everywhere.