Replies

1. 
   G80104 | Sep 20, 2003 12:50am | #1

   Dalewood,

                       Is this price before or after drywall is installed? $25.00 per box at time of electrical rough-in in my parts. Blank cover at trim.

2. 
   4Lorn2 | Sep 20, 2003 08:27am | #2

   Depends.

   Do you want a jack tapped into an existing jack or line or do you want a new home run going back to a central phone connection? The later is the preferred structure but if you just want the phone to ring and talk, not to be used for a net or internet connection, taping off an existing line can save money. Some times even the data speeds are not too bad in these cases. A crap shoot this so plan on a home run for data.

   Once you know what you want the big problem is how difficult to get a wire from location to location. If you don't object a phone cable can be run along baseboards rather than through walls. If the drywall is not up most runs are easy. If you object to surface runs and there are not chases or service access, attics, closets and crawl spaces help greatly, it can become an ordeal. A simple telephone line running through reinforced concrete, once ran wiring into a shielded radiation vault, can be quite expensive.

   Of course you might be able to save in a difficult situation by going wireless for net or telephone connections. Prices on these units and the ease of installation has greatly improved in the last few years. It is considerably less secure but if it is just junior visiting Teltubbies.com or hubby drooling over Bustybabes.com and there is no sensitive information on your computer this isn't much of a problem.

3. 
   G80104 | Sep 20, 2003 05:31pm | #3

             One other thing to think about is you might want to run you phone & cable in the same box. With todays pay per views on tv systems its nice to have you phone & tv wires to 1 outlet. The finish cover plates cost a bit more. I know of some builders that run phone, (cat 5) 2 cable & speaker wires all in one the wire for this runs about $1.10 per ft. The cover per opening is large = to a 4sq. box.

1. 
   dIrishInMe | Sep 21, 2003 04:54am | #4

   I don't really know how pay per view works, but I'm guessing the cable box dials the phone so you can get charged.  I do know that I managed the construction of a neighborhood that came with structured wiring with phone and cable TV in the same jack in each bedroom.  People wanted a phone by their bed and the CATV on the other side of the room.  I would have thought it wouldn't have been an issue with all the cordless phones these days, but boy did I get the complaints.  After the first batch of houses, I made a point of discussing it with the homeowners before sheetrock, rather than just letting them pick their locations.  An extra jack was $35 (before sheetrock).  On a few, they wined and cried so much, that I just gave them an extra phone jack (had one of my guys put them in rather than the low voltage guy) since I thought the whole setup was screwy anyway.  Matt

1. 
   BobKovacs | Sep 21, 2003 01:51pm | #5

   Here in cetnral NJ, the pay per view works directly thru the digital cable- doesn't need to dial the telephone.  I'm pretty sure it's the same elsewhere.

   Bob

4. 
   CPopejoy | Oct 07, 2003 06:54am | #6

   Around here (Northern California), in a high end tract home, an additional phone jack runs about $125 (if installed at the time the rough wiring is being done).

   That's high enough that many people will pass on the option, and maybe have a handyman install a jack once they take possession of the house.  The advertised rates for this are $40-50 for a jack, but I don't see how anyone can do it for that and make a living at it.

   Cliff Popejoy

1. 
   Dalewood | Oct 07, 2003 02:13pm | #7

   Thanks for the responses.  It is interesting to see all the various prices for different areas.  The unusual thing about this 1900 sq ft. spec house is, that the contractor wants 14 phone jacks in the house.....6 in the master bedroom alone!!!!. He even has them by each toilet. I guess he has forgotten about cordless phones.  In my house that is all we use. Anyway I usually just put in a few jacks as courtesy at no charge, but 14 plus 3 satellite jacks..... thats another story.  Dalewood