Mark, I'm a bit paranoid. I simply have little faith in my abilities to keep things straight- especially if my work is interrupted by other jobs, etc, and not done in a single sitting.
Before I hook up a new circuit, I usually check everthing with my meter. I've discovered a few goofs that way. Doing this also lets me verify my circuit ID.
Apart from wiring goofs I might make, there are always those boxes that the rockers have buried, and you've forgotten about.
So- I install devices, test, power up, then go around checking. I do this one circuit at a time, and put a piece of masking tape with the circuit number on the cover plate. (Observant readers will recall seeing some of this marking in pics I've posted). If there's a problem, that point gets a red piece of tape. This way, I can back off and see patterns (if there are any). It also lets me keep track of what's been fixed.
A bit anal? Perhaps. But, you know, it can be prety hard to keep track of what all those switches serve- and I really like being able to say when I leave thet "my stuff works." Call-backs are a losing proposition.
