Every decision on this list is dramatically cheaper to get right at design stage than to retrofit afterward. If you're planning a build or major renovation, this is the point to raise these questions with your builder or electrician.
Pre-Design Phase
- Choose a low-EMR location where practical
- Avoid unnecessary proximity to towers
- Assess neighbourhood RF levels before committing to a site
- Evaluate soil moisture and drainage — relevant to both structural health and future mould risk
Electrical Design
Most of the low-frequency problems covered in the Low-Frequency Electrical Environments chapter — shared neutrals, neutral-to-neutral faults, active-to-neutral imbalance — are dramatically cheaper to design out at the wiring stage than to diagnose and correct later.
- Avoid running wiring directly under bedrooms
- Separate lighting and power circuits
- Avoid shared neutrals — the single most common source of "mystery" magnetic fields in modern homes, and one that's simple to avoid at first fit-out
- Plan for circuit isolation (the ability to switch off non-essential circuits at night) — retrofitting this after walls are closed up is far more disruptive
- Avoid dimmers and cheap LED drivers, both common sources of dirty electricity that are individually small but collectively significant
Building Envelope
- Insulate external walls properly
- Avoid thermal bridges — the metal framing, window junctions, and poorly insulated corners that create the cold spots condensation and mould need to establish (see the Thermal Imaging & Moisture Diagnostics chapter)
- Ensure adequate ventilation — airtight modern construction traps moisture that older, leakier buildings vented passively
- Plan for moisture control from the outset, not as an afterthought
Smart Home Considerations
- Avoid unnecessary automation
- Use wired systems where possible
- Disable wireless functions by default, enabling only what's actually used
These decisions compound: a well-designed electrical layout makes the Sleep-Zone Optimisation Guide almost unnecessary before you've even moved in.