Designing a house is a specialist service, and architects are formally qualified to design houses based on well-defined industry standards.
Home Theater and Smart Home Automation are also specialist professional services, and one should be formally qualified and follow industry standards.
Let’s explore how we work together with other professional services to ensure the best outcome for the homeowner:
Architects
Architects are the first port of call for homeowners looking to build their dream home. It is at this point that we should be involved! Working with the client to discover their Technology requirements and then work with the Architect to incorporate them into the client’s home.
We will provide two examples:
- Networking and Audio-Video Services need a centralized location for distribution. This requirement must be taken into consideration in the architectural design of the home, and we work with architects to find the optimal location and size.
- Home Theatre is such a specialist requirement that you need to design the room dimensions correctly because the room accounts for a large portion of acoustic performance. We work with architects to make the room dimensions fit within the overall design of the home, whilst attaining the client’s acoustic performance requirements.
Interior Designers & Decorators
We live to provide a luxury experience; this goes hand in hand with aesthetics and therefore working closely with Interior Designers/Decorators. We are flexible and understand that compromise is part of the game.
- Need sound outside, but don’t want the speakers seen? No problem! We can install patio speakers between the foliage.
- What about inside sound? We install hidden speakers that are indistinguishable from the wall!
- Home Theater’s wall needs to be red? We calibrate the projector to remove the reflected red onto the projection screen.
These are just a few examples of ensuring performance without sacrificing the Interior Design/Aesthetic of the client’s dream home.
Quantity Surveyors
While working with the client, we formulate the client’s requirements into a Functional Specification document from an IT, Audio Video and Smart Home Automation perspective. This document contains the Bill of Materials and timelines for implementation, which assists the Quantity Surveyor. We’re also very flexible with equipment choices and working schedules, keeping the project on time and within budget.
Electrical Engineers & Electricians
Planning is half the battle won? We work with electrical engineers to ensure proper provision and reticulation are planned throughout all locations while keeping an eye on future-proofing and expansion.
When it comes to execution, we’re well aware that theoretical plans and practical implementation can be worlds apart. We work with electricians to come up with the best possible compromises to minimize any disruption to service delivery, as well as to ensure reticulation is properly installed.
Real Estate Agents
An unexpected entry! Agents find homes installed with technology solutions that could require evaluation or support. Assistance we provide from the Agent’s perspective can be for any of the following reasons:
- The Agent would like to know whether the existing solution is operational.
- The prospective seller would like to quantify the value of his existing solution or get it operational again before selling.
- The prospective buyer requires assistance with support and possible upgrades in the future.
As you can see, we’re involved in the entire lifecycle of building a customer’s dream home, and we pride ourselves on playing well with other professional services.