Rough-in box heights

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Epalmateer

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Michigan
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Electrician
Out of curiosity, what height is everyone's standard on a rough for bathroom vanity lights, kitchen countertop receps, general wall receps, and switch boxes?
 
Epalmateer said:
Out of curiosity, what height is everyone's standard on a rough for bathroom vanity lights, kitchen countertop receps, general wall receps, and switch boxes?
Click to expand...


Vanity - 7’ center
Counter receps - 44” center
Wall receps - 18” center
Switch boxes - 44” center


Most all commercial projects I work on spec 46” center on switches and countertop outlets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Epalmateer said:
Out of curiosity, what height is everyone's standard on a rough for bathroom vanity lights, kitchen countertop receps, general wall receps, and switch boxes?
Click to expand...
48” center of light switch, 18” center of general wall outlets.

vanity lights probably around 7 ft.

Counter top all depends on the height of the counter top and backsplash.
 
7 for 8ft ceiling 7'6" for taller for bath vanity over the mirror.
48 or 46 to center to top screw hole for switches and counter outlets with a laser going around to check for level

Outlets are 17 3/4 to top or MY HAMMER no one else's under the box height.
Bath sconces on either side of mirror are usually 5 ft center but depends if there's an elevation drawing.
 
I don't know why we put switches so high. To me, it feels like something like 42 to top is more natural. Your hand is going to be down low, why lift it so high? That said I usually do put them higher just because I think people expect it.
 
We have a standard around here that everyone uses. It used to be 48" to the bottom of switch but we changed that to 43" to the bottom so they line up with kitchen counter and bathroom receptacles.

Receptacles are 13" to bottom.
 
The company I am working with has them 48" to top of the box for switch height, and the length of the handle of my hammer for recepticals.
Also, for the microwave recep above the stove it's 74" to the bottom of the box.
 
Been recently told related to ADA there is push for minimum receptacle height of 2 ft even in residential applications and for all new and renovations. Sounds as if it might actually get into the regs. Not sure if it is just a state thing or NEC.
 
Here it's all over the place. I measure to the top of the box. Never center, never bottom.

When I mark out, I use a 4-ft ruler and mark every switch counter receptacle at 48 to top.

Receptacles get marked at 14" but lots of guys go hammer height to bottom. I don't care so much about that. I just make sure only one person is nailing up receptacle boxes on each floor so they do them all the same on that floor

I seem to always be using different help, so I just make sure everyone is doing the same things

Had some help once, two guys, one put the bottom of the box on the mark, the other put center of box on mark. OMG I didn't notice until we had everything made up.

When I first learned 30 years ago, we put kitchen counter receptacles at 44 to top. Then we put vanity receptacles at 46 to top

But anymore it seems most vanities are 36 so we just started making sense to put all those receptacles at the same height as the switches

Vanity flights I used to put at 82 to center but with the taller vanities now I put them at 86
 
Fred B said:
Been recently told related to ADA there is push for minimum receptacle height of 2 ft even in residential applications and for all new and renovations. Sounds as if it might actually get into the regs. Not sure if it is just a state thing or NEC.
Click to expand...
NEC doesn't care on receptacle height, other than 5.5 feet maximum to be considered a required receptacle per most 210.52 covered receptacles.

Other codes (like ADA) might have a required minimum or maximum for the general purpose ones.
 
James L said:
Here it's all over the place. I measure to the top of the box. Never center, never bottom.

When I mark out, I use a 4-ft ruler and mark every switch counter receptacle at 48 to top.

Receptacles get marked at 14" but lots of guys go hammer height to bottom. I don't care so much about that. I just make sure only one person is nailing up receptacle boxes on each floor so they do them all the same on that floor

I seem to always be using different help, so I just make sure everyone is doing the same things

Had some help once, two guys, one put the bottom of the box on the mark, the other put center of box on mark. OMG I didn't notice until we had everything made up.

When I first learned 30 years ago, we put kitchen counter receptacles at 44 to top. Then we put vanity receptacles at 46 to top

But anymore it seems most vanities are 36 so we just started making sense to put all those receptacles at the same height as the switches

Vanity flights I used to put at 82 to center but with the taller vanities now I put them at 86
Click to expand...
If you make up a jig to use for mounting those receptacle boxes it shouldn't matter who is mounting them, they should all be same height.

Since walls typically get 1/2 wall covering, make the jig out of 1/2 plywood, then you also have built in depth setting on the jig, just hold the front of box even with the face of jig.

Vanities I always tried to keep as low as possible, particularly if on the back wall because you never know what there will be for a mirror. Though recent years you don't seem to see all that many large mirrors anymore that go (nearly) end to end width of the vanity and right down onto the backsplash. But then they started moving the vanity height to 36 instead of 32, and not telling me they would be that high and I had to move after the fact:mad: Now I mostly assume a 36 inch high vanity anymore unless otherwise "confirmed" somewhow. That raising of the top does tend to push mirrors a little higher though like you appear to have figured out with your light mounting heights.

Generally switches seem to be very close to 48" to top of box. I think this kind of become somewhat standard for many back when 8 foot ceilings were almost an automatic thing. Actual height used was 48.5" from ceiling framing if 1/2 ceiling or 48.625" if 5/8 ceiling covereing, this just to allow that upper sheet of drywall to sit right on top of the switch boxes, if they hang it horizontally which most the time they do. That all started before the rotary cutters were common and drywallers were not so careless with encountering electrical boxes as well. Now it has gone more to "I don't care" from both sides.
 
kwired said:
If you make up a jig to use for mounting those receptacle boxes it shouldn't matter who is mounting them, they should all be same height.

Since walls typically get 1/2 wall covering, make the jig out of 1/2 plywood, then you also have built in depth setting on the jig, just hold the front of box even with the face of jig.
Click to expand...

92336F1F-725B-403D-9131-F5D16D233860.jpeg

Leg is 12”, so it sets height and depth. 👍


I have one for 2-Gang as well.
 
Seven-Delta-FortyOne said:
View attachment 2560412

Leg is 12”, so it sets height and depth. 👍


I have one for 2-Gang as well.
Click to expand...
1651343391911.png
mine shaped like this, would work on both 1 and multi-gang boxes. Place tall end against face of stud.

Doesn't block access to driving the nails either, well at least not on most one gang boxes, lower nail on most multi-gang would still be somewhat blocked.
 
A jig or two would just be one or two more pieces to carry around. I nail up with a hammer and a screwdriver. No tool belt, no fumbling around with a bunch of extra time killers
 
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