The northeast part of Midtown is buzzing with activity again, and houses in every stage of construction from excavation to siding.
The snow has mostly melted, and roofers have begun their work. Soffits and fascia are finishing things out. The house looks less like pieces of plywood and more like a real house!
Electricians have completed all the outlets, switches and wiring for lights. My dad impressed upon me the importance of documenting what’s inside all those interior walls before they’re covered with drywall, so I took some pictures. I was a little puzzled by what appeared to be electrical boxes in the ceilings – turns out they’re for the smoke detectors.
The low-voltage crew has also done the wiring for phones, data, cable, alarm system and speakers. We’ve got it wired for surround sound in the family room and master bedroom, as well as outdoor patio speakers.
I’ve done a lot of research on the surround sound. Most people put them in the ceiling, but you’ll get much better sound quality with drivers that point toward you from the walls – at least the front wall. So that brings up a host of new questions: Where will the TV be mounted? How high on the wall? Where will the center speaker go so it’s not blocked by the TV? And how big will the future TV be when we upgrade to 4K? All this has to be planned for now, before they do the drywall.
I asked that they move the front speakers from the ceiling to the wall. That’s how it was in the contract… and how I think it needs to be for the best sound.
It’s these little things that probably most homeowners never think of, but if we love Midtown as much as we think we will, we’ll be living there a long time. A lot can change in home entertainment in the next 20 years.