Coordinating Trades on a Booth Project

Who Usually Handles What

Responsibilities vary by project and contract, so writing them down at the start prevents gaps. A common split looks like this, but every project should confirm its own. Gaps appear most often between scopes. Who provides the disconnect for the exhaust fan, who runs conduit from the booth panel to the AMU, who supplies the roof curb, and who patches the roof after an old stack is removed are typical questions that fall between trades unless they are answered in writing.

• Concrete contractor: saw cutting, pits, trenches, pads and curbs
• Booth installer: booth assembly, ductwork, fans, AMU setting and mechanical connections
• Electrician: service upgrades, power to panels and motors, lighting circuits, control wiring
• Gas fitter: piping from the meter or main to heaters and ovens
• Fire protection contractor: suppression system, detection, alarm tie-ins
• Roofer: curbs, flashing and weatherproofing at penetrations

Early Work: Permits, Drawings and the Slab

Before anyone mobilizes, drawings should show the booth location, pits, utilities, penetrations and clearances, and permit applications should be submitted. Concrete work usually comes first, because pits, trenches and pads must cure before equipment can be set on them. Underground utilities, such as drains for washer pits or conduits under the slab, should be placed before the pour. Confirm dimensions against the booth drawings carefully, since a pit cut in the wrong place is costly to fix. Drawings should also show where existing utilities run under and through the area, since cutting into an unknown conduit or water line during concrete work can stop the job. Scanning the slab before cutting is a common precaution in older buildings.

• Finalize layout and submit permits
• Locate pits, trenches and pads with booth drawings
• Run any under-slab utilities before concrete
• Allow cure time before setting equipment

Middle Work: Setting Equipment and Penetrations

With the slab ready, the booth installer sets and assembles the booth, AMU and exhaust fans. Roof or wall openings for stacks and intake ducts are cut, and the roofer installs curbs and flashing so the building stays weathertight. Ductwork is hung and connected. This is when crane access, roof loading and weather windows matter. Electrical and gas rough-in can often run in parallel as long as crews coordinate locations for panels, disconnects, gas trains and conduit routing around the booth. Crane days are expensive and weather dependent, so plan them carefully. Have roof openings cut and curbs ready, rigging crews scheduled and lift plans prepared so units go up in a single day rather than spreading across multiple mobilizations.

Late Work: Connections, Fire Protection and Startup

Once equipment is set, the electrician makes final connections to motors, lights, heaters and the control panel, and the gas fitter completes piping to the burner train. Fire protection is installed and tied to the booth controls so fans and heaters respond to an alarm. Then comes startup: fan rotation, airflow balancing, burner lighting and tuning, interlock testing and lighting checks. Inspections by the building official and fire authority typically happen near the end, so schedule them early to avoid waiting on inspection slots. Testing also involves more than one trade. The electrician, fire protection contractor and booth installer often need to be on site together to test interlocks, alarm responses and shutdowns. Scheduling that joint test early avoids repeated return trips.

Keeping the Sequence on Track

A single point of contact who tracks progress, schedules crews and resolves conflicts makes a big difference. Short coordination meetings at key milestones help, along with a shared drawing set that shows every trade's work. Watch for long-lead items such as electrical gear, AMU units or specialty fire protection components, which can stall the schedule if ordered late. Clear communication about shutdowns and utility tie-ins keeps the rest of the plant running. Record changes as they happen. Field changes to duct routing, pit locations or electrical panels should be marked on the drawings so the final record set reflects what was actually built. That record helps with future maintenance, relocations and expansions.