It's electric (well, almost)

Electrical wiring has begun! While we don’t really have a clear source for electricity in the treehouse, my little Anker 535 PowerHouse 512Wh battery pack can output 50-60hz 110v so if we wire the treehouse so it can essentially be plugged into a regular AC power source, the lights and all that will just work.

I had been reading a bit about 12v lighting as is used in campers and RV’s, but for the sake of simplicity, all the lights will run on 110v (at least for now). To future-proof the wiring, we decided to wire the lights and outlets on separate circuits. That way if we decide to switch lighting over to 12v someday we can still power the 110v outlets via battery bank, solar, or whatever.

All the wiring runs to a space below the east window. The plan is to build a small window seat into that little nook. The window seat will have either cabinet doors or maybe a seat that lifts up for access into the electrical stuff.

We installed 2 wall-light boxes in the loft as well as 2 in the main area. I’m not sure what lamps I’ll use but I figure I’ll find something. The loft will also have a 3-way switch setup so there can be a light switch on either end of the loft walls. If you’re cosy in your sleeping bag at the opposite end of the loft, you don’t necessarily want to crawl over to the ladder to flip the switch.

We also ran a couple cat5e lines to the loft as well as the south window (where I plan to have a desk). They terminate under the window with the electrical stuff, that way I can have a network switch in there with the batteries or whatever and have it all hidden away.

Now I just need to find light fixtures.