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Plumbing Rough-In Checklist: Free PDF Download

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In this post, we share a plumbing rough-in checklist for plumbing contractors and project managers to ensure that all items required during the rough-in phase of a project have been completed. Below, we’ll provide a link to download the checklist for free to use in your plumbing business

It’s important to keep in mind that while this checklist is a useful reference, PDF checklists have limitations. For example:

  • It’s difficult to be sure they’re used for every project. If a project manager skips referencing the checklist during their final rough-in inspection, they may miss a crucial detail that causes problems later.

  • PDFs don’t integrate with the other tools you use to run your business. You need to manually record inspection results into your project management software, CRM, or other apps and software tools you use to keep track of job data.

  • The details of any issues discovered during rough-in inspections can’t be easily shared between project managers and office staff, causing delays in kicking off the next actions (e.g., checking inventory, ordering materials, notifying general contractors or homeowners of issues, etc.).

So, in addition to sharing the free rough-in checklist below, we’ll also walk through how our plumbing contractor software, ServiceTitan, solves these challenges and more.

Want to see how ServiceTitan’s plumbing software can help streamline construction project management? Schedule a call for a free product tour.

Download Our Plumbing Rough-In Checklist

Click here to download our residential plumbing rough-in checklist. 

The form includes the following sections and checklist items for referencing during plumbing rough-in inspections:

1. Permits and Plans

  • Verify all necessary permits are obtained.

  • Review plumbing plans and diagrams.

2. Underground Plumbing

  • Install and inspect building drain and water supply pipes.

  • Verify the correct slope of drain pipes.

  • Ensure pipes (e.g. vac waste pipes) are protected against potential damage and freezing.

3. Sewage Ejectors

  • Install sewage ejectors according to the plan.

  • Test ejector pumps for proper operation.

4. Drains

  • Install all drain lines.

  • Check for proper installation of cleanouts at necessary intervals.

5. Traps

  • Install traps (P-traps, S-traps) at all necessary fixtures.

  • Verify each trap is protected by a vent.

6. Cleanouts

  • Ensure cleanouts are installed at the end of horizontal runs and at changes in direction exceeding 135 degrees.

  • Check accessibility of all cleanouts.

7. Vents

  • Install vent pipes (wet vents and dry vents) according to the plan. 

  • Ensure vents rise vertically 6 inches above the flood-level rim before turning horizontal.

  • Check for proper installation of vent pipe fittings.

8. Water Service

  • Install main water service line.

  • Ensure a shut-off valve is installed near the entry point.

9. Water Lines

  • Install hot and cold water lines.

  • Verify proper support and spacing of pipes.

  • Inspect for any potential leaks or damage.

10. Laundry

  • Install connections for the washing machine.

  • Ensure proper installation of a trap and vent for the washer drain.

11. Kitchen

  • Install water supply lines for the sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator (if applicable).

  • Ensure proper installation of drains and vents.

12. Bathroom

  • Install rough-in for the toilets, sinks, and tub/shower.

  • Verify the shower pan is correctly installed and water-tight.

13. Shower Subpans

  • Install shower subpans and check for water-tightness.

  • Ensure proper slope for drainage.

14. Exterior

  • Install any exterior plumbing fixture units such as hose bibs.

  • Ensure all exterior pipes are insulated and protected from freezing.

15. General Checks

  • Verify that all pipes are properly secured and supported.

  • Check that no pipes are compressed, distorted, or abraded by hangers and straps.

  • Ensure plastic pipes are supported at least every 4 feet and at each horizontal branch connection.

  • Inspect for compliance with local plumbing codes and standards.

Once rough-in inspections are done and each checklist item has been completed, project managers can contact contractors or office staff to explain their findings and ensure any necessary actions are set into motion. 

Yet traditional methods of communicating these job details through phone calls, texts, and emails come with familiar frustrations and issues:

  • Delays in kicking off the next steps

  • Miscommunications between project managers and office staff

  • Loss of important project details 

  • Lack of real-time information for key project stakeholders

This is where construction management software like ServiceTitan can transform operations for plumbing contractors and their crews.

In the rest of this post, we’ll walk through what it’s like to use plumbing rough-in checklists in ServiceTitan, and the other features we offer for streamlining plumbing project management.

How Plumbing Rough-In Checklists Work in ServiceTitan 

ServiceTitan allows plumbing businesses to create versatile, customized forms, including any type of plumbing inspection checklist needed for a job or project. 

For example, contractors can build rough-in checklists from scratch, or upload existing checklists, and add them to a project from the project dashboard (discussed below). That form can then be accessed via our mobile app and filled out on-site by a project manager.

Once the checklist is filled out, all of the information is automatically available to contractors, office staff, or other team members who may need to see it. 

More than 10 different formats can be used for each checklist item, including text, numbers, checkboxes, dropdowns, stoplight buttons, photo and video uploads, and more. 

So, if a project manager discovers an issue when inspecting a vent system or drainage pipe, for example, they can include notes, photos, and videos to document that issue.

By capturing these details in our cloud-based system, any chance of misplacing important details related to that inspection is significantly reduced. 

Ensure Checklists Are Used Every Time

In form settings, business owners can select the option to require project managers or crew members to fill out certain forms for certain job phases. 

For example, if top-out has been finished, project managers or lead plumbers can be required to complete your top-out inspection checklist before they’re able to move on to the next phase of that project.

This fosters accountability through automation, reducing stress on owners and executives, while ensuring standard operating procedures are followed in the field for every job. 

Customize & Adjust Checklists with Ease

Users can modify checklists to perfectly match their needs and preferences. 

For example, any of the following could be added to a plumbing rough-in checklist to ensure that project managers make thorough assessments:

  • Pipe sizes match intended fixtures (shower heads, sink faucets, etc.)

  • Rough-in piping has been air tested

  • Water pressure test performed on water supply system

  • Slip joints installed according to plans

  • Rough-in size for water closet/toilet flange accounts for drywall thickness

  • Sump pump discharge line buried to avoid freezing

  • Pressure vacuum breakers installed according to local codes

  • Trap weirs are properly fitted to p-traps

  • Backfill has been properly applied into trenches

While having a flexible digital forms tool is an important asset for solving the challenges of paper or manual forms, this is just scratching the surface of how ServiceTitan can help plumbing contractors streamline project management.

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How ServiceTitan Streamlines Plumbing Project Management

To demonstrate how our platform can assist plumbing contractors in facilitating project management, we’ll walk through some of our construction management features, including:

  • Project dashboard

  • Estimates

  • Purchase orders

  • Job costing

  • Progress billing

Manage Projects from the Project Overview Dashboard

When a new project is created in ServiceTitan, a project overview page is automatically generated. From this one visible location, contractors and project managers can: 

  1. View all of the basic project information (project name, job address, contact information, customer phone number, etc.).

  2. View and log tasks for the project. 

  3. Access project financials including project job costing and expense details that update automatically throughout a project.

  4. Initiate key actions such as generating an estimate, purchase order, application for payment, invoice, and more.

  5. View team members involved in the project.

  6. Access an audit trail including events, notes, and project documentation.

Build Estimates with Accurate Pricing

Project estimates allow you to build detailed construction estimates by adding all of the specific tasks, equipment, and materials that will be needed to do the work. Users have the option to draw from pre-built job estimate templates or build estimates from scratch. 

Tasks, materials, and equipment can all be tagged with color-coded project labels to organize the project details and make everything easy to visualize. For example, you might apply “rough-in” and “materials” labels for:

  • Gas piping

  • Water piping (copper, PVC, PEX)

  • Shut-off valves

  • Supply lines

  • Waste lines

  • Vent pipes

  • Foot vents

  • DWV

  • Drain traps (s-traps, p-traps, etc.)

  • Backflow preventers

  • Nail plates

  • Trap arm, etc.

In addition, pricing and markups for each line item are automatically calculated based on the most up-to-date prices in your pricebook

Once an estimate is complete, it can be printed, emailed, or exported in PDF format and sent to the client. If amendments are made to originally approved plans, estimates can be updated or additional estimates can be created as needed throughout the project.

Initiate Requisition & Purchase Orders

When an estimate is sold, all of the details you’ve set up are automatically integrated into the rest of the project management workflow. For example, you can initiate a requisition of equipment and materials right from within your sold estimate.

For example, let’s say at the beginning of a project, you want to start the process of ordering your permits and materials for the plumbing system — you can select those items within your estimate, which will lead you through a workflow to create the purchase orders you’ll need. 

In the purchase order workflow, line items are automatically populated from your estimate. You can simply select your vendors and shipping locations for each material to complete your order details. 

Then, you can save that order to create a transaction and send those purchase orders to your vendors — without ever leaving ServiceTitan. 

Automate Project Financials & Job Costing

As you progress through a job — creating purchase orders, logging labor hours, processing change orders, receiving progress payments, and so on — ServiceTitan automatically provides up-to-date project financials and job costing

Instead of constantly needing to update a series of spreadsheets every time labor costs and material costs are incurred, this is done automatically for you in real-time, based on work that’s completed and entered into the system. 

If we continue with our example from above, and you’ve made your initial purchase order of permits and materials, your project summary table is updated to reflect those expenses:

Furthermore, you can view a detailed breakdown of your actual costs versus your budgeted costs.

This will automatically update as you accumulate expenses from materials, equipment, and labor hours. It will display your margins in dollar and percent form to help you track job costs and profitability throughout your project. 

You can also access a table breaking down your expenses in further detail:

You can click on any line item and see the exact source of that expense (e.g., which technician logged those hours, or which purchase orders and vendors a given set of materials came from). This allows you to easily check your numbers and feel confident in your data sources.

When it comes time to send applications for payment and invoices at each stage of progress billing, this can also be easily accomplished from the project overview dashboard.

Automate Progress Billing & Invoicing

The initial estimate you created also informs and populates your continuation sheet in your application for payment:

No more reinventing the wheel for every asset that needs to be created throughout your project. When sending a payment application, you can easily generate one by selecting the billing period and the percent of each line item you want to bill for.

Then, you can generate a PDF payment application with the details automatically filled out, and send it off to your client for review. The detail of the continuation sheet makes for a bill that’s much easier to defend in the event of pushback from construction companies or general contractors. As a result, subcontractors can get paid faster and avoid cash flow issues.

When applications are accepted, it’s just as easy to generate an invoice for that progress payment. And, when payments come in, you can update your accounts receivable through our Viewpoint, Sage, QuickBooks, and CSV accounting integrations. 

Get a Personalized Demo of ServiceTitan Construction Software

What we’ve covered above is just a sampling of the features that ServiceTitan offers for facilitating construction project management. We also offer features for time tracking, inventory management, and more.

If you’re interested in learning more about how ServiceTitan’s cloud-based platform can help you manage and grow profitability in your contracting business, schedule a call with us for a live, one-on-one walk-through of the features and functionality we’ve discussed throughout this post.