Electrical and Plumbing Walkthroughs: When and What to Check

Most of the wiring and piping in a new house disappears into walls and slabs within weeks of being laid. That is why, in home construction in Mysuru, the electrical and plumbing walkthroughs are the visits a homeowner should never skip. Once plaster goes on and tiles are fixed, a misplaced switch box or a leaking joint costs far more to correct, and it usually means breaking finished work.

The good news is that you do not need to be an electrician or a plumber to catch the common problems. You need to know when to visit, what to carry, and which questions to ask the site engineer. This guide walks through the four moments that matter and what to check at each one.

If you want the wider picture of how a build unfolds from plot to keys, our home construction guides for Mysuru cover every stage in turn.

Why timing matters more than expertise

Services work happens in layers. Conduits and sleeves go into the roof slab before concrete is poured. Wall chasing and concealed pipes come after brickwork but before plaster. Fixtures, switches and sanitaryware arrive near the end. Each layer hides the one before it.

A walkthrough at the wrong time is either too early to see anything or too late to change anything cheaply. Plan your visits around these handovers between trades, and tell your builder in advance that you would like to be present. A reasonable builder will welcome it, because an agreed layout signed off on site prevents arguments later.

Before your first visit, keep a printed copy of the approved electrical and plumbing drawings. At Uniq Builders these sit within the working drawings prepared for every package, so the walkthrough becomes a simple exercise in comparing what is on paper with what is on the wall.

Walkthrough one: before the roof slab is cast

This is the visit most homeowners miss, because the slab looks like a structural stage rather than a services stage. Yet everything that runs through the ceiling is fixed now.

Check these points while the reinforcement and shuttering are still open:

• Light and fan points. Count the ceiling boxes in each room against the drawing. Confirm fan points sit where the fan will actually be useful, usually centred over the bed or seating area rather than the room.
• Conduit routes. Conduits should be secured to the steel and not crushed or kinked. Ask how they will be protected while concrete is poured and vibrated.
• Sleeves for pipes. Look for sleeves where drain lines, rainwater pipes or solar water lines will pass through the slab. Cutting a hole later weakens the slab and invites leaks.
• Future provisions. Think about ceiling points for a projector, a hall chandelier, CCTV, or a false ceiling. Adding a spare conduit now costs very little.

Take photographs of every room from two corners before the pour. These become your record of where concealed lines run.

Walkthrough two: after chasing, before plaster

This is the most important visit of the build. Wall conduits and concealed water lines are fully visible, and changes are still straightforward.

Electrical points to check

• Switch board heights and positions, especially beside the bed, at the kitchen counter and near the dining table.
• Dedicated points for heavy loads such as the air conditioner, geyser, microwave, washing machine, induction hob and water pump.
• Socket positions behind the television unit, study desk and wardrobe, bearing in mind where the furniture will stand.
• Separate conduits for data, television and security wiring, kept apart from power lines.
• Earthing arrangements and the planned location of the distribution board, which should be accessible and away from wet areas.

If you are planning smart-home features, confirm the extra conduits and box depths now. Our architectural design service includes smart-home planning so these provisions are drawn before chasing begins.

Plumbing points to check

• Inlet and outlet positions for every basin, shower, WC, kitchen sink, dishwasher and washing machine.
• Hot and cold lines to showers and basins, and the planned geyser location.
• Pressure testing. Ask the site team to pressure test concealed water lines and show you the gauge holding steady before the walls are closed. This is standard good practice.
• Slope and size of drain lines in toilets and the kitchen, and the location of floor traps.
• Waterproofing sequence in bathrooms and balconies, confirming it will be completed and tested before tiles go down.

Walkthroughs three and four: tiling and handover

Before tiling and flooring

A short visit just before tiling catches problems that the plaster stage cannot. Confirm that floor traps sit at the lowest point of each wet area, that waterproofing has been tested by ponding water where appropriate, and that pipe ends for sanitaryware project by the right amount for the tile thickness. Check that kitchen and utility outlets line up with the modular layout if you are fitting interiors afterwards.

At fixture fitting and handover

Once switches, lights and sanitaryware are fitted, test rather than look.

• Operate every switch and plug a small appliance into every socket.
• Trip and reset the circuit breakers to confirm each one is labelled correctly.
• Run every tap and shower, then look underneath basins and sinks for drips.
• Flush each WC several times and watch the cistern refill.
• Fill a bucket in each bathroom and pour it out to see how fast the floor drains.
• Check the pump, overhead tank float and sump connections.

Note any snags in writing with photographs, and agree a date for rectification. At Uniq Builders, handover is followed by a workmanship warranty and one year of free service, which is exactly when small issues like a loose tap or a dripping trap should be reported. You can see what each package covers on our construction packages page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to hire a separate electrician or plumber for these walkthroughs?

It is not essential for most homes, because the checks above are practical and visual. If you are uncertain, you can bring a trusted technician for the pre-plaster visit, which is the one where expertise helps most. Agree this with your builder beforehand so site access is smooth.

What if I cannot visit the site in person?

Ask your builder for dated photographs and short videos of each room at every stage, with a measuring tape visible for switch and outlet heights. NRI clients of Uniq Builders receive photo and video updates through the build for this reason. Review them quickly, because the next trade will cover the work within days.

Who handles the electricity and water connections for a new house?

For every Uniq Builders package, power, water and sewage connections are handled by the company as part of the government approvals scope, with statutory fees paid directly by the client. Confirm current fees and procedures with the relevant local authority. To plan your walkthroughs around your own build, book a free site visit and consultation.