Ontario's Plain-English Guide to Custom Home Buildingπ 705-533-1633 | βοΈ 1-866-868-6606 | βοΈ info@icfhome.ca
Lighting and Outlet Planning Before Drywall: The Cheapest Electrical You Will Ever Buy
Finishes Electrical From a builder
Lighting and Outlet Planning Before Drywall: The Cheapest Electrical You Will Ever Buy
An outlet costs a few dollars and ten minutes before the drywall goes up, and a few hundred and a patch afterwards. The Electrical Safety Code sets the minimum; how you live sets the rest. Here is how to plan it, room by room, in one evening with the floor plan.
Short version: Walk the plan with the furniture drawn in. Put outlets where things will plug in (beds, desks, TV, island, vanity, garage bench), switches on the side of the door you enter from, and three layers of light in every room (general, task, accent) on separate switches with dimmers. Add the ones people forget: outdoor outlets at the deck and front, a garage EV rough-in, outlets in closets for chargers, under-cabinet lighting wiring, a switched outlet for the Christmas lights. The Code sets the minimum spacing; you set the convenience.
What the Code requires, roughly
The Ontario Electrical Safety Code (the ESA enforces it, not the building inspector) sets minimums: receptacles along walls at set spacing so no point is far from one, dedicated kitchen counter circuits at set intervals, GFCI protection in bathrooms, kitchens, outdoors and garages, arc-fault protection in most living areas, a switched light at every entrance, and so on. Your electrician knows the current edition and will meet it. The minimum is not the plan; it is the floor under the plan. The Electrical Safety Authority publishes homeowner guidance, and 100 vs 200 amp service covers the service size, which an all-electric house or an EV pushes to 200.
Room by room
| Room | Outlets to add beyond the minimum | Lighting |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Outlets in the island (Code requires one; add more), inside the pantry, in the appliance garage, one for the coffee station, a dedicated circuit for a second oven or induction range | General pot lights, task lighting under the upper cabinets (wire it now), pendants over the island on a dimmer, a light in the pantry |
| Living and family room | Floor outlets where a sofa will float away from the walls, a quad behind the TV with conduit to the component shelf, outlets at either end of long walls for lamps | Layers: dimmable general, lamps on a switched outlet, accent on shelves or the fireplace |
| Dining | One at buffet height; a switched outlet for a sideboard lamp | Pendant or chandelier on a dimmer centred on the table, not the room |
| Primary bedroom | Two outlets each side of the bed (one for the lamp, one for the phone), USB in them, an outlet behind the dresser, one where a TV might go | Overhead on a dimmer, switched bedside lamps, three-way switches at the door and the bed |
| Other bedrooms | Outlets at the desk wall and both sides of the bed | Overhead plus a switched outlet for a lamp |
| Bathrooms | GFCI at each sink, one in the vanity cabinet for a hair dryer or shaver, one near the toilet for a bidet seat | Sconces at the mirror at face height, not a bar above it; a fan with a timer; a night light circuit |
| Mudroom and entry | Outlet at the bench for boot dryers and vacuum, one high for a cordless vacuum charger | Motion-switched light, an outdoor switched outlet for holiday lights |
| Office | Quads at the desk wall, data cable, a dedicated circuit if you run equipment | Task light, dimmable general, no pot light directly over the monitor |
| Laundry | Dryer and washer circuits, an outlet at the folding counter, one for an iron | Bright general light; the laundry room is a workroom |
| Garage | EV charger rough-in (a 50 amp circuit to a box at the parking spot), outlets at the workbench on their own circuit, one at the ceiling for the opener and one for a heater | Bright LED strips, a switch at the house door and at the overhead door |
| Basement | Outlets on the mechanical room walls, one at the sump with its own circuit, one at the HRV, a rough-in for the future bathroom | General light on a switch at the top of the stairs; a light in the mechanical room |
| Outside | GFCI at the front, at the deck, at the driveway for the car, one at the shed location with conduit | Porch, deck and path lights on timers or photocells; a switched outlet high on the front for lights |
The three layers
A room lit by a grid of pot lights alone looks like an office and feels like one. Plan three layers on separate switches: general (overhead, dimmable), task (where you cook, read, shave, work), and accent (lamps, under-cabinet, a picture light). Dimmers on everything in living areas. Put switches on the side of the door you enter from, with three-way switches at both ends of halls, stairs and large rooms. Colour temperature around 2700 to 3000K keeps a house from feeling like a store; the LED lighting guide covers the fixtures.
The conduit nobody regrets
Empty conduit from the panel to the attic, from the panel to the garage, and from the media wall to the component shelf costs a few dollars of pipe and saves a renovation when the next thing arrives: solar, a battery, a second charger, a camera system, whatever is invented in 2035. The security system guide lists the low-voltage runs to add at the same time.
How to hand the plan to the electrician
- Mark the furniture on the floor plan first.
- Mark every outlet, switch and fixture with a symbol; a pencil is fine.
- Walk the framed house with the plan and the electrician before rough-in and move things to the real studs.
- Walk it again before drywall with the before-drywall checklist and the plan; this is the last chance.
- Keep the marked plan; it is your as-built.
Related guides on this site
Sources and further reading
Questions people ask
How many outlets should a room have?
The Electrical Safety Code sets the minimum spacing along walls. The right number is wherever something will plug in: both sides of a bed, the desk wall, behind the TV, the island, the vanity cabinet. Adding one before drywall costs a few dollars.
What lighting do I need in each room?
Three layers on separate switches: general overhead on a dimmer, task light where you work, and accent such as lamps on a switched outlet or under-cabinet strips.
Should I rough in an EV charger in a new house?
Yes. A 50 amp circuit to a box at the parking spot costs little at rough-in and a lot later, and it usually means choosing a 200 amp service now.
Does the building inspector check the electrical?
No. In Ontario the Electrical Safety Authority inspects electrical work under a separate permit; the building inspector looks for the ESA certificate at final.
Building in Simcoe County or on Georgian Bay?
We are ICFhome.ca, a family builder in Tiny Township with 45 years of custom homes behind us. Pick the path that matches where you are.
Reviewed and updated October 2026. Costs are Ontario ranges, not quotes; code references are to the Ontario Building Code in force at that date.
