Thanks

Hello,
I am doing a school project. The information given is just the floor plan of a 3 bedroom house and the dimensions of each room.
Each group member is assigned to do a part: well my part is to do an estimate on quantities and types of wires are needed for this 3 bedroom house (2700 square feet). I am not an electrical engineering major so I do not have a good idea in what exactly to look for.
From my research I find out I will need:
Wire Use
Rated Ampacity
Wire Gauge
Quantity(ft)
Price ($)
Low-voltage Lighting and Lamp Cords
10 Amps
18 Gauge

Extension Cords
13 Amps
16 Gauge

Light Fixtures, Lamps, Lighting Runs
15 Amps
14 Gauge

Receptacles, 110-volt Air Conditioners, Sump Pumps, Kitchen Appliances
20 Amps
12 Gauge

Electric Clothes Dryers, 220-volt Window Air Conditioners, Built-in Ovens, Electric Water Heaters
30 Amps
10 Gauge

Cook Tops
45 Amps
8 Gauge

Electric Furnaces, Large Electric Water Heaters, Sub Panels
80 Amps
4 Gauge

Service Panels, Sub Panels
100 Amps
2 Gauge

Service Entrance
150 Amps
1/0 Gauge

Service Entrance
200 Amps
2/0 Gauge

underground feed or direct burial (UF/DB) cable for outdoor use.

Charging $3.00 per square ft
What I need now, is the quantities for each type of wires and prices.
I will appreciate if someone could help me.
Thank you very much!

TOTAL:
2736 square ft. = $8208 labor and material, excluding fixtures
LIGHT FIXURES:
12 Light Fixtures= $ 200 * 12 = $2400
TOTAL( labor ,material and light fixtures) = $10608

Draw the floor plan out on 2 pages, top view (2 story house with bedrooms upstairs)? Take colored pencils/pens for 8, 10, 12, 14 gauge (the rest will be short runs) and draw lines to outlets, lights, and appliances. Add up to 9' to go upstairs. Add feet up walls to ceilings. Allow maybe 2 outlets in bedrooms and dining, 3 in living. Kitchen will need separate lines to oven, cooktop, dishwasher, fridge, and disposal, plus some outlets and 2 ceiling lights. Washer/dryer own circuit too. Ceiling or wall lights in other rooms, 2 in each bath. No electric furnace. Regular hot water heater. 200 amp panel. From there on you are on your own, you should have the idea by then. You don't need to be an engineer or electrician. Look around where you live. Then get Romex prices by the foot from a hardware store. Pick a not busy time and someone there will help you with your drawing. Add all the feet from the drawing, multiply, that's it. Go over 8K? Stove instead of cooktop and oven, reduce amps to 100, no subpanels, fewer outlets. Have fun. Don't expect anyone to do the whole project for you.

Don't know what code is where u are, but where I am first outlet in living room, dining room and bedrooms must be within 2 feet of door and all outlets from there can be no more then 12 feet apart.

In kitchen no more then 6 feet apart on counter top.

Bathrooms and kitchen protected by GFI.

An electrician can give u more info as to the number of outlets allowed on each circuit.

Chuck

Carmen,

Wow! Talk about a project assignment! Do you have about two or three years to learn what you need to know? In order to figure costs, you must know what is required. Also, all wiring, fixtures and fittings must be "listed" so not just any stuff can be used. What is your grade level?

Here in the U.S.A. the NEC (National Electric Code) is the standard for electrical work. The first step in the planning stages is to do a load calculation. Once you know what service is required, then you can plan out what main service panel you will need.

I did not see them in your list, but you must purchase breakers for the Main Service Panel. Also, you have to decide where the panel will be, how you are going to ground the system. A word of warning, under the 2008 NEC code, most branch circuits will require AFCI breakers. These cost more than the standard type breaker.

From that, you can plan what level of service you require from the power company. For example, if the calculated load comes out to 175 amps, then you would use a 200 amp main panel. Accordingly, you can then ignore the pricing out of the lower amperage panels.

Then you start the layout of the site.

The size of wires is dependent on the amperage that the wire must carry. For example, (Copper Conductor) 15 amp wire requires #14 AWG, 20 amp uses #12 AWG, 30 amp uses #10.

You also have to decide what type of wire to use. Aluminum or Copper. Aluminum requires larger size conductors (15 amp requires #12 AWG) but Aluminum costs less than copper. Personally, I would never use AL.for residential use.

The information you were give about the "Crayola" sketch is accurate, so use that process.

An electrician never designs a residential layout that includes the use of extension cords. So drop that out of your plan now. Nor is the electrician responsible for the devices that the home owner will plug into the various receptacles, so do not include them in your plan.

However, as mentioned earlier, if you are in the U.S.A. then you need to plan for:

Two 20 amp GFCI protected circuits for the kitchen counter receptacles. Bathroom receptacles need to be on 20 amp GFCI protected receptacles.

Good luck.