Otherwise you’ll be wiring your garage for teleporters before you know it.
That line cracked me up. I swear, every time I run a new wire, I have to stop myself from adding “just one more” conduit—like I’m prepping for the Jetsons to move in. I’ve learned the hard way that “future-proofing” usually means “future-me will find a way to make this obsolete anyway.” But hey, at least the next owner gets a garage with more outlets than the living room.
I’ve definitely been there—ran a whole extra conduit “just in case” and now it’s stuffed with ethernet I never use. Honestly, I wonder if we overthink it sometimes. Has anyone here actually regretted not running more, or is it just the anxiety talking?
I get what you mean. I’ve done the “future-proofing” thing too, and half the time I end up with empty conduit or unused wires. It’s so easy to convince yourself you’ll need every possible connection down the line, but honestly? I can’t say I’ve ever truly regretted not running more. Usually, it’s just a bit of “what if” anxiety, like you said.
The only time I wished I’d added something extra was when I forgot a simple outlet near my workbench—nothing fancy, just a regular plug. Ethernet and all that? Never missed it. Maybe it’s one of those things where the fear of missing out is worse than actually missing out. Do you think we’re just conditioned to over-engineer because of all the horror stories online? Or maybe we just like having options, even if we never use them...
Maybe it’s one of those things where the fear of missing out is worse than actually missing out.
Honestly, I think you nailed it there. It’s easy to get sucked into “what if I need this later” thinking, but in practice, I’ve found the basics cover 95% of what I actually use. Here’s my step-by-step now: I list what I know I’ll use, add one or two extras max, and call it good. If something new comes up, I just adapt. Curious—has anyone here ever actually needed all those extra runs, or do they just sit there like mine?
I used to be the king of “just in case” wiring—ran extra conduit, left blank boxes everywhere, you name it. Guess what? Most of those extras are still empty after five years. The only thing I ever added was a 240V line for a welder, and even that was more about bragging rights than actual use.
It’s funny how we convince ourselves we’ll need a dozen circuits for every possible tool or gadget. In reality, my garage runs lights, a fridge, and a couple outlets for tools. That’s it. If I ever do need something wild down the road, I figure I’ll just fish another wire or get creative with what’s already there.
Honestly, overbuilding just made the project drag on and cost more. Now I stick to what I know I’ll use and maybe one “future proof” option if it’s easy. The rest? Not worth the headache—or the extra trips to the hardware store...
