The best part of building your own home? All the customization possibilities. Worst part? All the customization possibilities. It sounds crazy, but sometimes having total power and freedom is overwhelming. No matter how many recommendations you receive or how many hours you spend reading Pinterest, you will surely forget something. So let’s make it a little easier by turning our attention to one aspect of your new home: electrical. We’ve got some nifty new home electricity ideas that will get you going to your electrician. Not only are they cool and creative, but they will also make your home incredibly convenient and efficient.

The basics

1. Before installing drywall, take pictures of the walls after you’ve installed the wiring. These images will be vital for years to come when projects require you to take advantage of existing cables. Your future electrician will thank you.
2. Decide how you will arrange the rooms before the house is complete and approve every last point of sale.
3. Do you like to decorate for the holidays? Think about where you will put the holiday lights and where you would like to turn them on. You can install an outlet along the eaves below the roof line that connects to a light switch in a more convenient location such as the garage or next to the front door.
4. Add extra cables for cable and phone capacity. You may need them later and are cheaper to install during the construction phase.
5. Place an attic light switch in the hallway below so you don’t have to wander through your dark, steamy attic looking for the switch.
6. Place a light switch next to your bed so you don’t have to get up to turn off the light.

The amazing

1. If you and your electronics are hip-hooked, consider including a “charging station” in your new home plans. It will eliminate messy cables and lost electronics and work to charge everything from phones and iPods to cameras and tablets.
2. Add outlets inside your pantry and closets. These can be useful for appliances that need to be charged for use (like a cordless vacuum cleaner) and for appliances that don’t come out of the closet (like an iron, perhaps).
3. Also think about adding sockets inside bathroom drawers and cabinets to plug in devices like electric toothbrushes, razors, and hair dryers.
4. Install audio cables in the backyard that can be turned on from both inside and outside.
5. Make your bathroom hot and toasty in the winter months by adding heated floors and towel racks.
6. Place plugs in places where plugs can protrude and disturb furniture, such as behind bookshelves and beds.
7. Add a surge protector that can be pulled out of your countertop and used to plug in appliances that don’t live there permanently.

These new electrical home ideas will add a new level of comfort to your dream home and hopefully minimize some of the stress.