That’s exactly the struggle—trying to anticipate what you’ll need without going overboard. I’ve learned the hard way that “just enough” outlets almost always ends up being not quite enough, especially if you ever plan to use the space differently down the line. But yeah, there’s a fine line between smart planning and just making things more complicated (and expensive) than they need to be. I do think labeling is worth the few extra minutes, though—even if it feels tedious in the moment. It saves so much hassle later, especially if you ever rent or sell.
Couldn’t agree more about labeling—saved me a ton of confusion when I had to swap out a breaker last month. One thing I wish I’d done differently: running a dedicated line for heavier tools, even though I didn’t have them yet. It’s way easier to add capacity at the start than to retrofit later. My process was: sketch out every possible use, add 1-2 outlets per wall, and label each circuit as I went. It felt like overkill, but now I’m glad I did. The only thing I might skip next time is the fancy smart switches... they’re cool, but honestly, regular ones would’ve worked fine.
Honestly, I had the same debate with myself about smart switches. Ended up going regular, and I haven’t missed the fancy features at all—plus, fewer things to troubleshoot later. Totally agree on planning extra capacity up front. When I first wired my garage, I thought two circuits would be plenty... then I got a big air compressor and suddenly, nope. Retrofitting was a pain. If I ever do it again, I'm definitely overbuilding from the start.
I get where you're coming from about keeping things simple, but I actually lean the other way on smart switches. In some projects, especially when clients want flexibility with lighting scenes or remote control, those features end up being genuinely useful—plus, they can add value if you ever sell. As for capacity, yeah, overbuilding makes sense, but I’ve also seen people go a bit overboard and end up with a panel that’s way more than they’ll ever use. There’s a balance somewhere between future-proofing and just... going wild with circuits.
I totally get the appeal of smart switches and all the cool stuff they can do, but I keep wondering—do most people actually use all those features after the novelty wears off? I’ve seen friends set up scenes and automations, then just end up using the regular on/off most of the time. Maybe it’s just a learning curve thing, or maybe it’s overkill for a simple garage setup? As for panel size, I’m torn. I want to leave room for future tools or maybe an EV charger someday, but how do you even guess what you’ll need in ten years?
