How to Plan Security for a New Office Build-Out
The best time to plan your security system is before the walls go up. Here is how to work security into a new office build-out from the beginning -- and avoid expensive retrofits later.
Bring your security installer into the build-out process before rough-in, not after move-in. The most expensive part of any security installation is getting cable to where it needs to go. When walls are open and conduit is being run, adding security infrastructure costs a fraction of what it costs to retrofit a finished space.
Key Takeaways
- 1Security planning should begin at the same time as the network and electrical rough-in -- not after the space is finished.
- 2Camera and access control locations need conduit and low-voltage boxes stubbed out during rough-in.
- 3The location of your IDF or telecommunications room determines how cable can be run throughout the space.
- 4Planning for security cameras, access control, and intercoms together avoids redundant cable runs and conflicting placements.
- 5A security design drawing before construction saves significantly more than the cost of the drawing.
A new office build-out is the best possible time to install security infrastructure. Walls are open, conduit is being run, and trades are coordinating. Adding camera conduit during rough-in takes one afternoon. Adding the same camera conduit after the space is finished and painted takes two days and costs five times as much. Here is how to approach security planning at each phase of a build-out.
Phase 1: Design and Permitting
Security planning should start when your architect or interior designer is laying out the space. The camera coverage map, access control door schedule, and IDF location all affect where conduit, power, and data drops need to go. If your security installer reviews the floor plan before construction documents are finalized, changes are easy. After construction documents are stamped and submitted, changes cost money.
Your security installer should provide a low-voltage design drawing that shows camera locations, cable routing, IDF location, and access control door hardware. This drawing coordinates with the electrical drawings so the electrician knows where to stub out power for cameras and door hardware.
Phase 2: Rough-In
During rough-in, the walls are open and trades are running their systems. This is when low-voltage conduit for cameras and access control should be installed. Camera locations need a 3/4-inch conduit stub-out with a low-voltage box and a pull string. Access control doors need conduit to the door frame for the reader wire and the power wire for the electric strike or mag lock.
The IDF -- the room or closet that will house your patch panels, switches, and security NVR -- needs power, cooling consideration, and cable pathways to every area of the space. The size and location of the IDF affects everything downstream. It should not be an afterthought.
Phase 3: Cable Pull
After rough-in is complete and before drywall is installed, cable is pulled. Cat6 or Cat6A runs from the IDF to each camera location, workstation drop, access control reader, and any other network-connected device. Running cable with walls open is fast and clean -- no patching, no fishing through insulated cavities, no cutting holes in finished ceilings.
This is also the time to run any fiber between IDFs if you have a multi-floor space, and to pull any conduit for future use that would be expensive to add later. Cap unused conduit and leave pull strings.
Phase 4: Device Installation and Commissioning
After the space is finished -- drywall complete, paint done, ceilings in -- cameras are mounted, readers are installed, and the NVR and access control system are configured. This phase goes quickly when the rough-in was done correctly. Every cable is already where it needs to be. The trade does not need to fish anything or cut into finished surfaces.
Commissioning -- testing every camera, every door reader, every access credential, and every remote access function -- should be completed before the certificate of occupancy walkthrough. Security systems are not an afterthought to be finished after move-in.
Working With a General Contractor
If you are a business owner working through a general contractor, ask explicitly for the low-voltage and security contractor to be brought in during preconstruction. Many GCs treat security as a tenant-direct or post-CO item. This is the most expensive way to do it. PAX Security regularly coordinates directly with GCs during rough-in to ensure the infrastructure is in place before walls close.
Your Checklist
- Engage your security installer at the design phase, before construction documents are finalized
- Request a low-voltage design drawing that can be coordinated with electrical and architectural drawings
- Confirm IDF location and size with your security and IT teams before rough-in begins
- Stub out conduit and low-voltage boxes at every camera and reader location during rough-in
- Pull cable after rough-in and before drywall for maximum efficiency
- Schedule device installation and commissioning before the certificate of occupancy walkthrough
- Run spare conduit to locations where future cameras or readers might be added
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Treating security as a post-occupancy item
The most expensive security installations we do are retrofits in recently finished spaces. The GC is gone, walls are painted, and we are fishing cable through finished ceilings and cutting into drywall. Everything costs more and takes longer. Security belongs in the construction schedule.
Choosing the IDF location based on available closet space rather than cable routing
An IDF in the wrong location means cable runs that are longer than necessary, harder to route, and more expensive to maintain. The IDF should be as central as possible to the areas it serves. Discuss this with your low-voltage contractor before the GC frames the closet.
Not specifying conduit for future expansion
Adding an empty conduit run during rough-in costs almost nothing. Adding it after the space is finished costs several hundred dollars per run, minimum. Run conduit to locations where you might want cameras or readers in the next five years.
Skipping the security design drawing to save time
A design drawing takes a few hours to produce and costs a fraction of one day of installation labor. Without it, camera placements are guessed in the field, door hardware is ordered late, and coordination with the electrician is reactive instead of planned.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early in a build-out should I contact a security installer?
As early as schematic design -- ideally when you have a floor plan but before construction documents are finalized. At minimum, before rough-in begins. Once rough-in starts without a low-voltage plan, you are already paying retrofit prices for anything that was not stubbed out.
Can PAX Security coordinate directly with my general contractor?
Yes, and we prefer it. Direct GC coordination means we are in the preconstruction meetings, our rough-in work is on the schedule, and we are not showing up after other trades have closed the walls. We have worked with GCs throughout New York and New Jersey on commercial build-outs of all sizes.
What permits are needed for security system installation in a commercial build-out?
In New York City, low-voltage work in commercial spaces typically requires a permit pulled by a licensed low-voltage contractor. The permit covers the installation of cameras, access control, and structured cabling. PAX Security handles permitting as part of the project scope. Requirements vary by municipality -- confirm with your installer what is required in your jurisdiction.
Related Services
Planning a new office or commercial build-out?
PAX Security works directly with general contractors and tenants during preconstruction to ensure security infrastructure is built in from day one. We serve commercial projects across New York and New Jersey.