Rough-In
The first phase of electrical construction: boxes mounted, cables pulled and stapled, everything ready inside open walls, inspected before insulation and drywall close it in.
Electrical work on new construction and remodels happens in two inspected acts. Rough-in is act one: every box, every home run, every staple visible and checkable. The rough inspection catches what would be invisible later (wrong wire gauge, missing nail plates, overfilled boxes), which is why drywalling before passing rough is an expensive mistake: inspectors can and do require walls opened.
Act two is finish (or trim-out): devices, fixtures, plates and the panel makeup, with a final inspection that exercises GFCIs and AFCIs. For homeowners running a renovation, the sequencing rule of thumb: nothing gets covered until its rough inspection is signed.
Talking to a contractor about this?
Run the project past a licensed electrical pro first. Calls are answered around the clock and routed to a pro serving your area.
- UL Listed : Certification that a product was tested against safety standards by UL or an equivalent lab (ETL, CSA).
- Journeyman & Master Electrician : The license ladder of the trade: apprentices work under supervision, journeymen work independently after ~8,000 hours and an exam, masters can design systems, pull permits and run companies.
- Service Call (Trip Fee) : The base charge for getting an electrician to your door, typically $100 – $250, usually covering the first 30 – 60 minutes of diagnosis.