Serious question, why do builders still run wires before drywall is up?

I was talking to my electrician Frank last week during a rough-in for my place outside Phoenix. He said he loses about 3 hours every job just fixing wires that get pinched or cut when drywall guys are working. It made me wonder why we still follow this old order of running everything before the walls are closed. Has anyone tried doing all your low-voltage runs after drywall instead? I'm thinking of switching my whole build plan around for the next house.

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_young1310d ago

Wait, have you actually tried running low-voltage after drywall? I did that on my last build here in Phoenix and it saved me so much headache. My electrician buddy Mike warned me about the same thing your Frank deals with - he's always fixing crushed cables after the drywall crew leaves. I just ran my Cat6 and speaker wires after the walls were closed, threaded them through the attic and popped out wall plates. Took a little more patience fishing through studs, but zero damaged wires. Your mileage may vary with your local codes though.

jordanc3210d ago

Yeah man the "your mileage may vary with your local codes" part is the real kicker. I think a lot of guys skip checking because they figure low voltage is low voltage but some inspectors here in AZ are really cracking down on having everything tagged and visible even if its just cat5.

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nathanj5610d ago

Yeah but did you have any trouble with your local inspector? I keep hearing different things about code requirements for low voltage in the wall cavities after theyre sealed up. Some guys say its totally fine as long as you use plenum rated cable and others act like youre breaking some sacred rule by not running it before drywall. Franks always going on about how the inspection guys here in Maricopa County get real picky about having everything visible during the rough-in. I feel like the time savings from zero damaged cables would be worth it but not if Im gonna get a red tag and have to rip open walls anyway. What did your buddy Mike say about the inspection side of things?