AV and Automation Partners
for Architects.
Coordination, drawings, and rough-in standards that make your project schedule survive low-voltage.
Low-voltage is the trade that shows up last and asks for changes after framing.
- The AV sub gets on site after framing and wants to move the rack room. The GC says no. A four-week redesign happens anyway.
- Ceiling congestion -- speakers, cameras, HVAC diffusers, fire sprinklers -- is worked out in the field during rough-in, not on a coordinated drawing. Something moves.
- AV and IT are treated as punch-list items. Back-box and conduit decisions get deferred until the walls are almost closed. Retrofit costs follow.
- No one told the electrician about the dedicated circuits until after the panel was sized. Change orders arrive before substantial completion.
- The architect specifies a rack location that does not survive contact with the structural engineer's drawings. The integrator finds out at pre-rock.
We enter your workflow during design development, not at permit or pre-construction. That means conduit paths, back-box layouts, rack room dimensions, and ceiling coordination are resolved on paper -- before any trade touches the site.
The goal is to be the low-voltage trade that never surprises you.
Where we plug into your project.
We work at the pace of your design schedule, not the GC's punch list. Each deliverable is timed to a project phase.
Conduit and Back-Box Drawings During DD/CD
We issue low-voltage conduit runs and back-box schedules during design development and construction documents -- formatted for your set or as a separate overlay. Electricians and GCs receive this before rough-in begins, not after. Rack room dimensions, pull-box locations, and conduit entry points are all resolved in this phase.
Coordination with the GC and Electrician
We attend coordination meetings and work directly with the electrician on dedicated circuits, panel schedules, and conduit pathway conflicts. That relationship is documented in our working-with-the-electrician field guide. The result is fewer RFIs and fewer surprises at rough-in inspection.
Rack Location and Ceiling Plan Participation
We participate in ceiling plan reviews early -- before structural and MEP trades lock their layouts. Speaker positions, camera sight lines, and motorized shade pockets are coordinated with HVAC diffusers and fire sprinkler heads. The rack room gets proper dimensions, ventilation requirements, and conduit entry points specified before the slab is poured or the framing is set.
Pre-Rock and Post-Rock Walkthroughs
We walk the site before drywall and again after close-in to verify all back-boxes, conduit terminations, and structural blocking are correct. Discrepancies are resolved before the wall is closed. You receive a written walkthrough report for your project file. This is a quality gate, not a formality.
Field Manuals and Spec Packet Support
Our published installation standards library covers rough-in tolerances, flush-mount speaker and screen pocket details, back-box types, conduit sizing, and electrical requirements. These are available for inclusion in your spec packet or for distribution to the GC and subs. Written for the trades, not for marketing.
CEU Credit for Your Team
We offer AIA and IDCEC continuing education courses on lighting control, motorized shading, and luxury AV integration. If your firm benefits from trade education on how low-voltage systems interact with design, our CEU program is available at your office or our showroom.
How early coordination changes the outcome.
These are real project situations, presented without client names or addresses.
On a 12,000 sf Bergen County build, we issued conduit and back-box drawings during design development. When the rack room location shifted after structural review, the conduit paths were already drawn and the GC had the updated drawings within 48 hours. A four-week reschedule became a two-day revision. The rough-in went in as planned.
A Fairfield County renovation involved a complex ceiling plan with in-ceiling speakers, recessed cameras, motorized shades, and a custom HVAC layout. We coordinated speaker and camera positions against the MEP drawings before any ceiling framing was set. Zero ceiling conflicts reached rough-in. The architect used our ceiling overlay drawing as part of the final permit set.
A Westchester spec home had a rack room sized by the developer without low-voltage input. At our pre-design meeting, we flagged that the room as drawn would not accommodate the rack, UPS, patch panels, and required ventilation. The room was enlarged by four feet during design development at no additional cost to the schedule. The same discovery at pre-rock would have required structural modification.
Mike Restrepo
Founder and Lead Integrator
Mike has designed and installed AV, automation, networking, and lighting control systems in luxury residences and commercial projects across NJ, NY, and CT. He works directly on every project and participates in architect and GC coordination meetings personally. There is no layer of project managers between you and the person responsible for the work.
Direct Contact
201.405.2022
office@restrepoinnovations.com
599 Franklin Ave, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Credentials are not decorative here. Each of the four below requires demonstrated project volume, verified technical competency, or ongoing certification investment -- they are the reason design professionals trust us on complex projects.
- Elite Pro Crestron Dealer -- the highest tier in Crestron's dealer program, reserved for firms with sustained project volume, in-house programming staff, and certified design engineers
- HTA Luxury Certified -- Home Technology Association certification at the luxury tier, the standard recognized by Architectural Digest and leading residential design firms
- OSHA Certified -- full construction-site compliance for new builds, gut renovations, and developer projects from pre-rough-in through commissioning
- Ubiquiti UISP / Pro Partner -- professional-grade network infrastructure for structured wiring, multi-zone wireless, and whole-home connectivity
Projects across NJ, NY, and CT.
We work with architects, GCs, and developers on projects ranging from single-family renovations to large custom new-builds. Our service area covers the full NJ, NY, and CT luxury corridor.
Bergen, Essex, Morris,
Passaic and Hudson
Alpine, Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Short Hills, Tenafly, Montclair, Mountain Lakes, and surrounding municipalities. We are based in Franklin Lakes and maintain active trade relationships across all NJ counties in our service area.
Fairfield and Litchfield
Counties
Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Stamford, Ridgefield, and surrounding Fairfield County communities. Also active in Litchfield County on estate and compound projects.
Westchester, Manhattan
and the Hamptons
Westchester County, Manhattan co-ops and townhomes, and select Hamptons assignments on larger estate projects.
Schedule a coordination call.
If you have a project in pre-design or design development and want to establish a low-voltage coordination workflow before rough-in, call or email Mike directly. Introductory coordination calls are 30 minutes and require no commitment. We can also provide a conduit drawing sample and our rough-in standards document before the call.
Resources for architects
Spec with confidence. Coordinate the trades you’re actually directing.
Standards documents issued during DD and CD so the low-voltage layer survives the project schedule. Hand the field cards to the GC and the trades. Reference the full standards in your spec book.
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Electrical Rough-In Standards
Where the electrician's work ends and ours begins. Junction boxes, neutral wires, dimmer locations, dedicated circuits.
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Rough-In Standards
How we frame, box, and stage a low-voltage rough-in so trim work survives drywall, paint, and the rest of the trades.
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Rough-In Field Card
One page. Print it, laminate it, pin it to the job site. The non-negotiables on rough-in.
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Channel Reveal Standard
Recessed channel detailing where lighting, speakers, or trim meet the wall plane. The reveal that makes a luxury room read as luxury.
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Prewall Substrate Cutline Standard
Cutline standard for substrate openings. The tolerance that determines whether the trim ever sits flat.
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Prewall Bezel Standard
Prewall bezel detailing. The transition piece most installers either skip or improvise.
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Prewall Cure-Cone Standard
Cure-cone substrate prep. Protects the device opening through mud, sand, paint.
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Prewall Pocket-Reveal Standard
Pocket-reveal detailing for inset devices and trim.
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Flush Mount Standards
Specifications for flush-mount keypads, touchpanels, and speakers that disappear into the wall the way the designer drew them.
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Linear Lighting Standards
Linear LED installation: substrate, channel selection, splice locations, and the heat envelope that determines lifespan.