A new build is the only time the electrical scope is uncomplicated by everything that came before it — no plaster to cut, no existing circuits to extend, no compromise switchboard inherited from a 1970s renovation. It's also the cheapest time to put data in the right rooms, oversize the switchboard for a future EV charger, and run the spare conduits that future-you will be glad existed. Millar Electrics scopes new-home electrical end-to-end: rough-in to AS/NZS 3000 before plaster, fit-off after, the surveyor's documentation at each stage, and a switchboard built for the next decade rather than the next month.
Rough-in — what happens before plaster
We come in once the frame is up and the roof is on. Cables get run from the switchboard to every room, every accessory point, every smoke alarm, every smoke-alarm interconnect, every fan and light. Boxes get mounted at the right heights. Ceiling penetrations get cut. Bathroom and laundry circuits get separated for RCD protection. Data and coax get pre-wired to whichever rooms the homeowner has nominated — typically the lounge, the home office, the master bedroom, and any TV-mount points. The whole rough-in gets photographed before plaster goes on so any future fault-finding has a road map.
Fit-off — energising the home
Once plaster, paint, and floor coverings are done we come back to install accessories — switches, GPOs, light fittings, fans, smoke alarms, and the switchboard. The board itself is a Form-rated assembly with RCBO protection on every circuit (current Wiring Rules); spare ways reserved for future loads; a dedicated reserved circuit for an EV charger if the homeowner has signalled the intent; surge protection at the main; and the consumer mains sized for the upgrade path. Everything gets dead-tested, energised, live-tested, and a switchboard test report produced. The Certificate of Electrical Safety is lodged with Energy Safe Victoria the same day.
Future-proofing — what we build in by default
A new home with a switchboard sized for "today's load only" is a three-thousand-dollar problem in five years when the family adds an EV. We size the switchboard for the loads we know are coming: a 7kW or 22kW EV charger, a 5–13kW solar inverter, a hybrid battery system, and induction cooking if the kitchen is going gas now and electric later. Spare conduits get run from the switchboard to the roof space for a future solar string. The cost difference at build time is marginal; the cost difference at retrofit time is substantial.