How to futureproof electrics / lighting

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Buying a house that we need to replumb and rewire... what would be your ultimate wish list for the electrics and lighting in your home, if you could start from scratch?

Considering...

• plenty of sockets - where?
• dimmer switches - ditto
• wired-in 'feature' pendant dining table light
• under-counter kitchen lighting
• multiple switches - eg. either end of hallway

Plan to buy in a bunch of switches soon online (brushed stainless steel, probably) so need to know quantity.

Also not high tech or exciting but echoing lights in cupboards - we have lights that come on when you open the airing cupboard doors and I'd like to do the same in the understairs/coat cupboard as OH is a bugger for leaving that one on.

I'd have low level motion activated lights in the bathroom for nighttime trips.

Personally I'd also have some option for very low level lighting in the kitchen, as a shift worker I want very little light when I get in off a late shift but enough to make a cup of (decaf) tea - I would want warm/soft lighting not blue/white light.

Yes to dimmers, especially for me in the bathroom, love being able to have a bath or shower in half light.

Thanks all! These are great

Wish list so far:

Definitely lights either side of the bed.
Under cupboards.
Not sure about USB plugs - I was thinking they might soon go out of date.
Electric car charging point
Outdoor sockets
Bathroom dimmer
Above-desk level sockets
Cable channels for Tv wiring
Wired in smoke alarms

How do people plan these out - do you draw these on a floor plan and explain to the electrician?

I gave the electrician the plans for house and had sketched where beds/furniture going, measured exact places for wall lamps each side of bed, where we wanted switches and sockets plus extras where they would be hidden.

Out family sitting room only has one sofa layout due to doorways/windows/fireplace so it made sense to have extras behind the sofa. Ditto in the cupboard with the consumer unit we had lots.

You can definitely get dimmers for LEDs: I think it's just you need leading edge dimmers not lagging edge (but do check I've got that the right way round!)

I would definitely want a larger than necessary consumer unit, as we just don't know how home electric consumption will change in the future. E.g. will we want a second ring main for ultra high speed car charging like we have for a cooker or whatever.

I think your concern re USB plugs is fair: high speed chargers need a transformer so wouldn't work with a USB socket, and we're seeing changes in the standard chargers already. But they are pretty handy now and they don't exactly remove functionality.

I drew where I wanted everything in pencil on the walls / ceilings