Installing electrical outlets afterward in a timber frame house

Hello everyone,

I am still in the decision-making phase whether to build "stone-on-stone" or with timber frame construction. I have already read a lot here about the advantages and disadvantages or differences of the two construction methods (ultimately it is probably a matter of taste...) - but one question the good old internet could not answer to my satisfaction:

If it turns out after construction that I have forgotten an outlet (or Sat connection, ...) in one place - and sooner or later I think everyone faces the problem that exactly where you need an outlet there isn’t one - how can I then retrofit an outlet in the case of a timber frame house? With "normal" masonry it is clear to me: the wall is channeled, the box is set, conduit laid, plastered, painted - and if everything is done properly no one notices in retrospect. But what do I have to do with a timber frame wall? Remove wall panels? Drill a hole? What do I do with the vapor barrier?

Hello, The timber frame structure is designed so that on the inside of the exterior wall a so-called installation level is arranged, usually 60mm thick, in which the installations (heating, sanitary, electrical) are housed. The airtightness layer (vapor barrier or retarder) lies behind it and is therefore not damaged. Also when installing a socket afterwards not. So you can dismantle, reassemble or drill through your cladding as much as you want. The main thing is that you get the construction sealed again afterwards. Regards

hello bonagel,
with the wooden frame that should absolutely not be a problem: in ours we simply had so-called tension wires installed in EVERY compartment, which were pulled from the floor to the ceiling behind the wall. it didn’t cost anything extra and went smoothly. the wall doesn’t even need to be dismantled for that, so theoretically you can do the electrical planning even when the house is already built.
best regards!

Thanks first of all for the answers. What exactly are pull wires? Something like a placeholder wire that helps me pull new wiring into the wall (but then why are they laid from the floor to the ceiling)? Basically, with a prefab house or timber frame house, it’s like with a solid house: empty conduits are installed in the wall and later the wiring is pulled into the empty conduits? Or is the wiring in a prefab house "exposed" inside the wall?

Hello,

In principle, with a prefabricated house or timber frame house, it's like with a solid house: empty conduits are installed in the wall, and later the wiring is pulled through the conduits? Or is the wiring in a prefabricated house "exposed" inside the wall?

It depends on how "FINISHED" your house is. I am not a prefabricated house expert, but the wall elements are probably erected without an installation layer. That means they are only assembled on the construction site or not at all. However, that would be bad because then you have the problem with the airtightness layer, which is located directly behind your cladding and must not be damaged. Therefore, retrofitting sockets becomes a dangerous undertaking.

My tip: build exterior walls solid or with an installation layer.

Regards

Hello,
You don't need empty conduits, but you can also pull them over the wires. The classic wall construction in a prefabricated house looks like this (from outside to inside): plaster-thermal insulation-wood board-beam and insulation-foil-wood board-drywall. The wires are between the foil and the inner wood board. If you now drill a socket, only the drywall and the board behind it are drilled through. Ideally, the foil remains undamaged. Now you tie your cable (or empty conduit) to the wire below and pull it up to the drill hole. If the foil should ever be drilled through: in the exterior area, only "windproof boxes" are to be used anyway (available at electrical suppliers).
Regards
Markus