When building your dream home, there are many decisions to be made from your house design, internal and external colours, tiles, carpet, tapware and cabinetry. Then will come the electrical plan.
The electrical plan will specify where all the lights are to be positioned. It will also indicate the number and position of the power points around the home. This is an important task, which will result in making your home, function properly. It is imperative you put some time and consideration into this job, so here are a few tips to consider. To make it easier, we have broken it down, room by room.
Kitchen
This is the room where you will probably have the most power points. There will be the obvious ones for the fridge, dishwasher, microwave and kettle. You won’t need one for the stove as it is usually hard wired into your electrics. But don’t forget you will need power points for things like coffee machine, toaster and blender. If you use these appliances every day and you store them on the bench top, you will want to have them plugged in permanently.
Also, think about installing power points on the side of the island bench. This will come in handy if you are preparing meals there which require using an electrical appliance. They are also useful for charging your phone! If you are lucky to have a butler’s pantry you will certainly want to have power points, positioned here as well.
Bathroom
There is nothing worse than having your morning routine interrupted by too many people wanting to use the bathroom power points all at the same time. To ensure you correctly position the power points around the home, don’t forget how important it is to have enough points in the bathroom. Here you may want enough power points for the electric shaver, hair dryer, straightener and electric toothbrush. In both the family bathroom and the ensuite, you may need at least two double power points. To keep all the family happy, position your power points each side of the vanity near the mirror. This will give easy access for at least two people at the same time.
Lounge & Media
In these rooms, the obvious power points will be for the television, stereo, and other gadgets that your family uses. Think about the gaming console, Blu Ray, and home amplifier as well. Then you may also have a floor lamp and even a lounge with electric recliners. It is also important to position the power points around the home, where you can get easy access. Behind furniture is quite cumbersome to get to, but it does mean that the unsightly cords can be hidden. If you want to position your television on the wall, having a power point in that position will hide the cords from view.
You will also want to plug in the vacuum cleaner, electronics and maybe even charge your phone. This is where easy access to the power points is really important.
Bedrooms
Power points in the bedroom are usually positioned beside the bed. This gives easy access to plug in bedside lamps, phone charges etc. Don’t forget you will also want to plug in the vacuum cleaner so a power point positioned in the centre of a wall will make it easier for you. Again, you don’t want to be undoing lights to charge up your phone, so ensure you install adequate power points for all your everyday needs.
Office
If you are lucky to have a dedicated office or even a study nook which are popular now, then the position of the power points in this room is vital. Again, for easy access, install these points above the top of the desk to save you getting down on the floor to use the plugs. There are so many things that will need power – computer, printer, lamp, phone or iPad, so think about how many points you will need here, to ensure your office runs efficiently.
Other places you will need to position the power points around the home
- Hallway – for easy access for your vacuum cleaner or steam mop, maybe even a lovely floor lamp
- Laundry – Washing machine and dryer. You may also want one for the iron.
- Outside terrace or undercover entertaining area – Maybe for a drinks fridge, perhaps a pressure cleaner and don’t forget the Christmas lights!
- Garage – you will want to charge up all those power tools to keep your dream home looking beautiful!
So now you have some idea, about how many and where to position the power points around the home. You should also consider whether the power points are single or double. I guess with the number of electrical appliances we all have these days, it makes sense to install double power points. However, you should also think about installing power points which also have a USB charge incorporated. These are especially handy for the kitchen, bedrooms, lounge and office.
