Residential Electrical Wiring, Electric Codes, Smart Homes, Low Voltage & Network Wiring

As you prepare to wire your new house, addition, or basement office, be sure to think about the "standard" height at which light switches are typically placed. Most wall switch boxes are roughed-in at about 50 inches above the finished floor to the bottom of the box. However, at that height, the boxes are in the path of a typical 4 foot high drywall tape-joint. Not only does that mean that the switch boxes will be in the way of the drywall finishers, but they will also be located just about "picture level" on most walls. Do you really want your light switches to be a more prominent focal point than your prized Picasso? Perhaps most significantly, however, a light switch placed at "standard" height will be located just above the reach of most toddlers, who would otherwise be able to turn on the lights - all by themselves - in their big, dark, scary bedrooms.

So, why not consider roughing-in your light switches so that they are located about 36 inches above the finished floor. This lower height is the "standard" height at which switches are located in many handicapped accessible homes, but unless you are an NBA basketball player, this lower height makes sense for almost all homes. Since you won't know where any of the light switches are when you first move into your new house anyway, you might as well get used to the new height while you are trying to figure out which switch, in that group of six, operates the front porch light.

Try it! Use "sticky notes" placed about 36 inches off the floor at the proposed light switch locations to see if this is a realistic option for you and your family.

• Electrical Wiring: Residential
  - by Ray C. Mullin (14th Edition)
  Trusted resource for information on all aspects of house wiring, having been adopted as an essential component of numerous national training programs & is one of the best selling books on residential wiring on the market for more than a decade.



• House Wiring with the NEC
  - by Ray C. Mullin
  Excellent for both classroom work & home use. It covers everything from lighting branch circuits, to small appliance branch circuits, on up to large appliance circuits.



• Wiring a House
  - by Rex Cauldwell
  This book is full of practical tips & details that not seen in the basic books & heavy emphasis on mechanical tips, fishing, drilling, etc. which is usually the most challenging part.



• Safe Home Wiring Projects - by Rex Cauldwell



• National Electrical Code 2002 - by NFPA



• 2002 NEC Residential Pocket Guide
  - by Charles R. Miller, National Fire Protection Association
  Gain fast, easy access to the NEC® rules you need for residential work! Put the 2002 NEC into your pocket with this compact field guide providing select Code requirements for general residential work.



• McGraw-Hill Illustrated Index to the 2002 National Electric Code®
  - by John E. Traister, Dale Brickner, Scott Guthery
  A-to-Z illustrated guide which covering all the changes in the 2002 NEC, helps you to locate immediately the exact section of the NEC you need to solve any electrical construction problem, on-site or in the office.



• National Electrical Code 1999 - by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)



• National Electrical Code Handbook 1999 - by National Fire Protection Association, Mark W. Earley (Editor)



• Code Check Electrical: A Field Guide to Wiring a Safe House (3rd Edition)
  - by Redwood Kardon, Paddy Morrissey (Illustrator)
  Offers the straight dope on electrical codes in easy-to-understand language, with a clearly organized flip-chart format that has a durable finish for use in the field.
• The Complete Guide to Home Wiring (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) - by The Editors of Creative Publishing international



• Wiring 1-2-3: Install, Upgrade, Repair, and Maintain Your Home;S Electrical System - by The Home Depot (Editor)



• Electrician's Exam Preparation - by Michael Holt, Charles Michael Holt



• Master Electrician's Review
  - by Richard E. Loyd
  Concise and effective study guide for students preparing for an Electrical Master Contractor Licensing Examination. Based on the 1999 edition of the National Electrical Code, this book provides the most up-to-date information for electricians preparing for licensing examinations-especially nationally recognized exams such as the National Assessment Institute, SBCCI and Block and Associates Inc.



• Journeyman Electrician's Review: Based on the 1999 National Electrical Code - by Richard E. Loyd



• Old Electrical Wiring Maintenance and Retrofit - by David E. Shapiro



• Practical Network Cabling - by Frank J., Jr. Derfler, Les Freed



• Data, Voice, and Video Cable Installation - by Jim Hayes, Paul Rosenberg



• Home Theatre for Everyone: A Practical Guide to Today's Home Entertainment Systems - by Robert Harley, Tomlinson Holman



• Home Theater Design: Planning and Decorating Media-Savvy Interiors
  - by Krissy Rushing
  The book takes readers step by step through an examination of current technology, space planning, acoustics, functionality, lifestyle, and overall aesthetics with the goal of planning and designing an entertainment system that's right for you.



• Home Security: Your Guide to Protecting Your Family - by James A. Hufnagel, Better Homes and Gardens (Editor), Paula Marshall



• Home Automation & Wiring - by James Gerhart



• Smart Homes For Dummies® (2nd Edition) - by Danny Briere, Patrick Hurley