If you're going into an attic, I would indeed suggest having a single RG-6 run in there, and then splitting it to your different locations.
As far as running a conduit on the outside of the house, that doesn't sound right.
If your exterior walls are not capable of being fished to get that RG-6 cable in there, then perhaps wrapping the RG-6 up the wall and then penetrating is an idea, or using some exterior rated wiremold. Those aren't attractive, but better than a piece of conduit.
A lot of times, if it's a masonary type structure... I'll just wrap up the house in a corner or something where it's less visible, and then drill in from there. You can then paint the RG-6 and the clips... and it's pretty much invisible from there. Again, not the best solution.
If I were you, I'd try contacting my local CATV company, and seeing which subcontractors they use. Most CATV companies subcontract their installations to a company to save money, and 99% of the time, those contractors do side work. They know their stuff... and can probably help you out for a good price.
They also know what they're doing in terms of signal loss. Sometimes cabling contractors or electricians aren't very knowledgable when it comes to signal loss, etc. If you're dealing with a lot of outlets, and you're using digital services (ie. digital boxes, or modems) then you're going to want it done with respect to those devices. You'll also want to make sure that your cable drop is up to date. Many cable companies have RG-59 drops looming around that have yet to be changed out. RG-59 does not deal very well with highbandwidth services, the dropoff rate is much higher.
If your drop is underground, you'll want to take a look and make sure that it's filled cable. A lot of times, it is not. If it's been in there a while, it could be getting eaten alive by water and whatnot, and that will wreak havoc on your signal level.
Depending on the length from the tap on the street to your house, you'll also want to make sure you have the right cable. Up to 200', an RG-6 drop is sufficient. In excess of 200', RG-11 is definetely the way to go.
If you're getting low levels at the groundblock (ie. +6 on channel 2, and across the board) then you'll want to purchase a house amplifier. These units can boost your signal in a variety of ways, and can also boost your return signal in the case of digital boxes, or cable modems. Make sure to use terminators on any unused ports of a signal amp, otherwise you'll have signal leakage problems.
All in all, make sure that you're seeing good signal levels before you let your contractor leave.
Modems should be recieving anywhere from -14 to +18 on your digital channel (in most places, Digital 80 is the channel used for that). In a rebuild situation like yours, you want to see a fairly high number, anywhere above 0 would be good. But, the modem will still operate within that range.
Basic CATV should be seeing anywhere from -2 all the way up to +18. I've seen televisions operate fine with lower than -2, however, that is not ideal.
Digital cable boxes usually operate using analog tuning for the first 100 channels, thereafter going to a digital service. You'll want to see a good reading on your digital channel as well as regular CATV channels.
Make sure they use a return signal meter like a trilithic. Return levels should be no more than 60, and no lower than around 40. High return levels usually mean that you've got something fishy going on, like a bad fitting or splitter, or excessively low signal.
I hope this helps! I know it's a lot of information, but it's important to know because CATV is a constantly changing thing, and it's important to keep up with the times.
Remember, most of all, always homerun your CATV drops. Never loop.
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