Case Study 1: Whole-house Control

Brief
From initial discussions and a meeting on-site it was clear the client had bought the house to make it a permanent residence and intended to completely redevelop, change the room distribution and aesthetics of the whole property. The brief from this tech-savvy client was to start with a multi-room audio system. After several consultations the client then felt confident to consider ideas we had on other aspects of the build, including the control of the lighting and video distribution.

At this stage we explained the functions that a cable network would bring to the property and the extra features this would provide the client as and when required. The client saw the importance of a new build home being up to date in functionality and technology, especially as homebuyers these days find such systems give properties something unique and make them more aesthetically appealing. The best time to install such a system is the build stage.

Future Lifestyle received initial instruction, requiring that the home network installation be flexible to later enable control of a number of elements within the home, and that costs should remain within the agreed budget. 

The next step was to clarify the options and overall look of the lighting, and meet with all concerned parties (architect, project manager) to ensure clear communication.

Design
For the design of such a system pre-planning properly is very important. As this was a complete refurbishment a tubing schedule and cable schematics needed to be drawn up. From our experiences in Spain, we believe there is no such thing as over-tubing. When designing a system we work out the tubing needed for a full control system, allowing for any possible future upgrades and any likely change of room layouts.

Although this client was only looking to start with some elements of home automation, having a full system design in place allows for easy additions or developments at a later stage.

Our design fee includes a newly created layer of drawings on the original architect’s plans highlighting the whole tubing and cable schedules. A scope of works document is produced and handed to all parties involved on the job upon commencement of works to ensure all are aware of our requirements for build. A cable schematic is also written listing the entire cable network numbering. These are presented to the client upon final handover of the installation for their records and peace of mind as this information would be important for any future upgrades or maintenance.