Low Voltage: The Hidden Variable in Site Buildout Timelines

Every real estate manager has experienced it: the buildout is 90% complete, but the site can't open because low voltage isn't finished. Understanding why this happens—and how to prevent it—can save weeks on every project.

For multi-location enterprises opening 10, 20, or 50+ sites per year, buildout timeline management is a core competency. Each delayed opening costs money—not just in lost revenue, but in ongoing rent, utility, and staffing costs that don't pause because infrastructure isn't ready. Getting low voltage right means understanding its dependencies and planning accordingly.

Why Low Voltage Becomes the Bottleneck

Low voltage installation sits at the intersection of multiple construction trades. Unlike electrical or HVAC work that can proceed independently, low voltage depends on other trades completing their work first. This dependency chain means any upstream delay ripples directly into your low voltage timeline.

Low voltage installation depends on:

When any of these trades slip—and they often do—low voltage gets compressed. The testing and certification phase is usually what suffers, which means problems get discovered after occupancy when they're much more disruptive to fix. A national low voltage contractor experienced in commercial buildouts can anticipate these dependencies and build contingency into the schedule.

The Two-Phase Approach

Effective low voltage installation happens in two distinct phases, each with different dependencies and scheduling requirements:

Rough-In Phase

This happens during construction, before drywall closes. Missing this window means expensive rework later—either surface-mounted solutions or cutting into finished walls. Coordination with the GC is critical to ensure low voltage rough-in happens before walls close.

Rough-in work includes:

Trim-Out Phase

This happens after construction is substantially complete. Trim-out work needs clean conditions and access to all areas. Coordinating with other finishing trades—painters, flooring installers, furniture vendors—prevents damage to newly installed equipment and ensures adequate time for testing.

Trim-out work includes:

Scheduling Best Practices

Preventing low voltage from becoming your critical path requires proactive scheduling and clear communication with all trades involved. These practices help ensure infrastructure is ready when you need it:

• Engage early: Bring your national low voltage installer into pre-construction meetings so they understand the overall schedule and can flag potential conflicts
• Separate phases: Schedule rough-in and trim-out as distinct milestones with clear completion criteria
• Build float: Allow 5-7 days between substantial completion and low voltage trim-out to absorb upstream delays
• Coordinate directly: Have your low voltage contractor communicate directly with the GC rather than routing through your project manager
• Protect testing time: Don't compress testing and certification—problems found early are cheaper to fix

The Cost of Compression

When low voltage gets compressed at the end of a project, the consequences extend beyond just the infrastructure work itself. Teams rush, mistakes happen, and costs escalate in multiple ways:

For multi-location enterprises, these costs multiply across every site where poor planning compresses the low voltage schedule. Proper planning with a national workplace technology contractor costs nothing but prevents thousands in avoidable expenses per location.