If you buy multiple spools of cable, it's easier to pull more than one line to the same location at the same time.
...so they can all rapidly unspool in unison in a massive cable-twine-ball that a mountain a mountain lion size cat would love; whilst you are sweating to death in the attic trying to figure out what the heck is the cable bundle hung up on NOW... been there once or thrice.
And I've found whether running
Cat5E, RG6Q, or any other LV cabling, the best rule of thumb is figure on the max amount of drops you'll need to home run, then double it. That way, in 2 years, you'll only be short about half of what you actually need... Too much is almost never enough.
Most future-proof method: Run conduit between each floor from attic to basement/crawl space (if used), and back to the anticipated "home-run" (tech closet) area. But, cable is cheaper and faster than conduit... & conduit's not quick, cheap, or easy - so a rarity in residential building. Even a single conduit run from lowest floor to attic can save an immense amount of time and $ later on.
Working on a new house for a client back some years ago. He wasn't a techie type, but I knew from how many TVs he had, there would be a good bit of coax runs. Asked him how many TV cable outlets were desired, and where would he like them located. He insisted only 2 or 3 cable connections - in a decent size 2 story custom home. I asked again, are you sure you only want a TV connection in these 3 locations? Yep, absolutely sure. House was framed but drywall not up yet, so it's easy to add NOW - NOT later. Client went back to FL for the winter while we finished his house. Strongly suspected client would want a TV connection in every room, with more than one in some rooms. So, I went ahead, pulled RG6Q in every room, and some rooms multipe drops. Ran conduit from basement to attic, just in case.
Finished the house, client moves in in early spring. Everything was fine until about a month later, I get a phone call... "You know, we've been thinking maybe you were right.. we would like to have a TV in the kitchen, and also in my office". I said yes, and recall how I explained how hard it is to run new cabling in an existing structure vs new under construction? He said yes, I know.. but we really want it done if possible. Know it'll be tough, but can you do it?
I said well, I'll see what I can do....
Client goes out for the day, shopping. I pull out my notes and construction photos, showing where I'd pulled all the extra cables into walls. Cut out openings in drywall, popped in some rework boxes, pulled the cable and installed connectors and plates. Had it all done, and was connecting the home run lines up to the MATV distribution amp in the basement when clients returned home. They asked how's it going. I said almost done.. finished the last connection, went upstairs & fired up the new TVs, and presto - TVs in all the rooms they wanted. (this was way before 5GHz wireless video distribution). Clients were astounded. They wanted to know how I cut, patched, and repainted drywall in just a few hours - and they couldn't even see where I cut the drywall... Told them, oh, it's an old trade secret... can't say...
Actually it's not a secret.. it's called know your customer and plan accordingly - IF possible. But my experience has been no matter how well I plan, sometimes it still isn't enough. Murphy always wins.
