Skip to main content

Field Manual

Rough-In Standards

How we rough in low-voltage infrastructure on a Restrepo project. Conduit sizing, box placement, cable pathways, slack loops, and the coordination protocol with framers and electricians that prevents the most common rough-in mistakes.

What This Standard Covers

  • Conduit sizing standards by cable type (Cat6, fiber, speaker, control, HDMI extender)
  • Low-voltage box placement, mounting heights, and orientation rules
  • Slack-loop minimums and labeling requirements at every termination point
  • Pre-pull versus post-pull decisions and when each is required
  • Coordination sequence with framing, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing trades
  • Penetration and firestop standards for assemblies that pass inspection

Who It Is For

  • General contractors and project managers running luxury residential builds
  • Electricians and low-voltage subs working on Restrepo-spec projects
  • Architects writing low-voltage scopes into construction documents
  • Builders who want to avoid the punch-list cascade that bad rough-in causes

When To Use It

  • Before framing closes and you still have access to wall cavities
  • During pre-construction meetings to align all trades on the low-voltage plan
  • When estimating conduit and cable quantities for a budget
  • Before drywall when verifying box locations and slack

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 Rough-In Standards (PDF).

Field Notes

Rough-in is where ninety percent of the cost of a system gets locked in, and ninety percent of the failures get baked in too. The wire you do not pull at rough-in is the wire you wish you had at trim. The conduit you do not size up is the conduit you cannot fish later. We wrote this standard so the trades who work on Restrepo projects do not have to guess.

The other thing this manual does: it gives the GC and the architect a written reference they can hand to any sub. When everyone is reading from the same page, the punch list at the end of the job is short. That is the point.

Browse the Full Standards Library

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

View All 18 PDFs