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Field Manual

Electrical Rough-In Standards

The electrical-side companion to our low-voltage rough-in manual. Neutral requirements at every dimmer location, dedicated circuit standards for control gear and equipment racks, panel feeder sizing, and the grounding protocol that keeps a high-end lighting system noise-free.

What This Standard Covers

  • Neutral wire requirements at every load location (a hard line on Restrepo jobs)
  • Dedicated circuit standards for equipment racks, lighting panels, and shade panels
  • Dimmer load calculations and derating rules by manufacturer
  • Panel feeder sizing for HomeWorks QSX, Crestron CLW, and DIN-rail enclosures
  • Isolated ground and bonding standards for low-noise audio and video circuits
  • Surge protection requirements at every panel and at the equipment rack

Who It Is For

  • Electricians wiring a luxury residence or commercial space
  • Electrical engineers writing the lighting power schedule
  • GCs coordinating the electrician and the AV integrator
  • Owners who want to know what to ask their electrician for

When To Use It

  • When the electrician is roughing in dimmer locations and equipment rooms
  • When the lighting designer hands off the schedule and someone has to size feeders
  • When the AV integrator and the electrician disagree on neutrals (it happens)
  • Before any panel order, to verify circuit count and feeder size

Read or Download the PDF

The full standard, including diagrams, tolerance tables, and pass/fail photographic references, is in the embedded PDF below. You can read it inline or download it for your jobsite folder.

Your browser does not display embedded PDFs. Download Electrical Rough-In Standards (PDF).

Field Notes

The number-one electrical mistake on luxury jobs is missing neutrals. Older homes do not have them at the switch box. Newer homes sometimes do not have them either, because the electrician was working off a code that allowed it. Modern lighting control needs a neutral everywhere. We require it on every Restrepo job, and we put it in writing so there is no back-and-forth at trim.

The number-two mistake is bonding. Audio noise, video shimmer, network packet loss in a luxury home almost always traces back to a grounding decision made at rough-in. Get the bonding right at rough-in, and the system runs clean for twenty years.

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Eighteen authored field manuals, one-pagers, and pre-wall standards. Free for trades, architects, and dealers across NJ, NY, and CT.

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