What is rough-in stage in construction?

Rough-in is the stage in construction when essential Mechanical (HVAC), Electrical and Plumbing services are installed in the building. It happens after framing is complete and when the building is protected from outside elements, but before any drywalls (plasterboard) are installed. This is the stage when the various tradesmen come on site to install things such as electrical wires, piping and ducting.
Importance of rough-in inspection
After the essential services for the building have been “roughed-in” it needs to be inspected properly to ensure that everything has been installed correctly as per the plans and building standards. This step is critical as once the drywalls have been put up, the services that were just installed will be covered up. Fit-off and interior work such as painting will commence so any re-work or changes required after this stage will add to the cost and time of the project.
Rough-in photo documentation
Proper photo documentation of the rough-in stage is crucial for record keeping purposes. It provides valuable information for future repairs and maintenance of the building. However, this step can be quite challenging as everything tends to look the same! In order to have adequete documentation of the rough-in stage, you need to take lots of photos, but when you look back at these photos, it can be difficult to identify exactly where each photo was taken. This is why we created SiteCam. SiteCam allows you to quickly mark the location of each photo on a plan. You can also add tags and notes to make it easier to find later.

Who takes rough-in photos?
Rough-in photos can be taken by a variety of people on the construction site. Each trade foreman (eg, plumber, electrician) may take photos of the framework before and after their services have been installed for their own records. The Site Foreman and or the Site Manager will usually take rough-in photos as part of their documentation process before proceeding to the next stage.
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Want an easy way to improve your rough-in documentation? Try SiteCam for Free and see how your team records better information from the field in less time. Achieve centralized and organized site photos that instantly link to fast reporting templates, saving you time back in the office. Sign up here:
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