Building or remodeling? Pre-wire now for motorized shades

The design phase of a new build or remodel is the perfect moment to plan for motorized shades. A little forethought during framing means no batteries to change, clean smart-home integration from day one, and effortless control of the windows nobody can reach — with every wire hidden in the wall.

The short version for your builder

• Wire: 16/2 low-voltage (two-conductor, 16-gauge) handles typical runs up to roughly 300 feet. Longer than that, call us for gauge and power planning.
• Home-run every opening — no daisy chains — to a central low-voltage spot, usually the utility room. Label both ends by room and window.
• At the hub: a standard 120V/15A outlet powers a 16-shade transformer (a roughly 12″ × 12″ box). More than 16 shades means additional boxes — a sheet of plywood makes an ideal mounting surface.
• Stub location: for inside-mount shades, stub the wire at the right side of each opening — about a half inch from the glass and an inch in from the corner, with roughly 12″ of accessible tail at the head. Outside mounts vary by treatment, so check with us first.
• High windows and skylights: pre-wiring matters most exactly here. No ladders, ever.
• Not motorizing a window yet? Run the wire anyway and cap it — future you says thank you.
• Code note: a licensed electrician provides the 120V outlets; our team terminates all the low-voltage wiring at final measure.

PowerView® or PowerView+

PowerView® (Gen 3) shades run on Bluetooth with app and scene control. PowerView+ is a four-wire system with a direct data line to each shade — the choice for larger projects and advanced integrations where reliability is everything. Motors carry a five-year manufacturer warranty; our installation is warranted for life.

Odd shapes and outdoor rooms

Arches, trapezoids and other specialty shapes can often be motorized — flag them early so we can confirm feasibility and power. For covered patios and outdoor rooms, MagnaTrack exterior shades run on 110V, span up to 30 feet wide, and are engineered for winds up to 70 mph. Same rule applies: plan the power while the walls are open.

Where the width limits are

As a rule of thumb, low-voltage options start narrowing past 8 feet of width, get limited around 12 feet, and beyond that you’re into 110V power with roller and screen shades as the remaining options. If your plans include a glass wall, let’s talk before drywall.

How it goes with Esquire

We coordinate the pre-wire with your builder, then come back after drywall and trim for the final measure and low-voltage terminations. Once you’ve chosen products, most Hunter Douglas shades arrive in about two to four weeks, and our certified installers handle setup, integration and testing — backed by the lifetime installation warranty.

Bring your blueprints and rough opening sizes to the Ann Arbor or Plymouth showroom and we’ll rough out a realistic budget before anything is finalized. Whether you’re working with a custom builder or running the project yourself, this is the one part of the build that costs almost nothing to get right early — and real money to retrofit later.