Is it worth pre-wiring for smart home technology during a Toronto renovation?

Absolutely — pre-wiring during a renovation is the single most cost-effective decision you can make for smart home technology, because running cables through open walls costs a fraction of retrofitting after drywall is finished. If your walls are already open for a kitchen renovation, basement finishing, or addition, adding smart home infrastructure at that stage is a no-brainer.

The cost difference is dramatic. Running a Cat6 ethernet cable through an open wall during renovation costs $50 to $100 per drop (cable and termination). The same run through a finished wall with drywall fishing, patching, and repainting costs $250 to $500. Pulling a neutral wire to a switch box during a renovation adds $30 to $50 per switch location. Doing it after the walls are closed means $200 to $500 per location. For a typical GTA basement finishing project with eight to ten low-voltage drops and a dozen switch locations, pre-wiring saves $2,000 to $5,000 compared to retrofitting later.

Here is what to pre-wire for, even if you are not installing smart devices immediately. Cat6A ethernet to every room — at least one drop per bedroom, two in the living room and home office, and one to each location where you might mount a security camera or wireless access point. Cat6A supports 10-gigabit speeds and is only marginally more expensive than Cat6 during installation. Neutral wires to all switch boxes — this is standard in new wiring under current Ontario Electrical Safety Code, but verify with your electrician that every switch box gets a neutral pulled. Empty conduit runs between floors and to exterior walls for future camera, speaker, or sensor wiring ($50 to $100 per conduit run). A central structured wiring panel in the basement or utility room with a dedicated 20A circuit.

For GTA homeowners renovating older homes in neighbourhoods like Leslieville, the Beaches, Bloor West Village, or the Danforth, a renovation is also the ideal time to address the neutral wire issue that plagues smart switch installation in pre-1980s homes. While the walls are open, your electrician can pull neutrals to every switch box in the renovation area, future-proofing those locations for any smart switch on the market.

Coordination is key. Your general contractor, electrician, and any low-voltage specialist need to communicate about cable routing before drywall goes up. Smart home wiring should be roughed in at the same time as electrical rough-in, after framing and before insulation. Make sure your electrician marks all low-voltage cable locations on the framing so the drywall crew does not puncture them with screws. Any electrical work involving new circuits or modifications requires an ESA permit — your electrician handles this as part of the renovation permit package. Need an electrician who understands smart home pre-wiring? Toronto Electrical Repair can match you with experienced GTA pros at no cost.