Which cables to install during large house renovation?

[[FnG]magnolia]

Hi,

We have a two storey house which is going through substantial renovations. At the moment the framing has been done but the gib/walls have not gone up. Now appears to be the ideal time to install data cables but I'm not sure what I want which is driven by ignorance of what is available. What are the obvious things I should be thinking about having fitted?

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Pull 4 Cat 5/6 cables from every room to a central point.

Maybe 8 from your front room.

Why?

On the basis of house building books I've read, what is your purpose in fitting data cables? Is it for your own desire with the long term plan of living there or for value when the house is sold on. It's just unless it's something you really want you need to control the costs because buyers following you may not place the same value on it.

We're not selling our house, the refurb is for us to live here for a considerable time. The truth is I don't know what the purpose is - I almost don't know what I don't know. It's possible that I don't even need them. Several friends and our builder have all mentioned how now is the ideal time to fit cabling because the house is so open and easy to fit.

What sort of ceilings will you have, solid or suspended?
Can you conduit around the place happily?

Shielded cabling, or not intertwined with electric supply is best.
Cate 5e, or cat 6, one has more flexibility in the amount of bend iirc, less placement intensive.
Either terminate into faceplates or into room hubs. Will you have a central server?
How is NZ TV delivered, cable, satellite or aerial?

Upstairs flooring sits on top of steel beam-supported floor joists and it's very easy to conduit around the entire house right now - it's basically a shell until the walls go up. We have aerial and satellite TV.

The more I type the more I think the problem is that I don't know what I want. Maybe my question is : given complete access to your entire house, what would you fit while you had the chance?