Successful and Profitable Home Technology Projects through Systems Design
By Bill Selee

Low-voltage systems have quickly grown in scale and complexity, making it difficult to keep up on emerging technology and in turn keeping your clients happy. Each year, it is becoming more and more important to rely on proper design of what has become one of the largest grouping of sub-systems in modern homes. Systems today consist of lighting control, energy management, security, phone/networking, HVAC control, multi-room audio and video (MRAV) distribution, media centers, and theaters, etc.

Proper design helps a system integration project to be profitable for you and streamlines the process for everybody involved. So I ask, why not have these complex systems designed up front, along with the other major components of the home?

Armed with this information, it puts you, the builder, in command of the proposals. This gives you and your client the opportunity to get an "apples for apples" comparison of competing electronic systems contractor (ESC) proposals and most often details are worked out up front.

After being involved in many low-voltage and control projects over the years, the projects that did not have a thought out design process from the beginning and suffered by having unmet client expectations.

Here are some helpful tips on how to partner with an ESC at the beginning of each project to ensure happy clients and bottom line profits:

• Have engineered drawings and a full proposal completed with the client before it goes out to bid  
• Get multiple bids from reputable ESC companies that will take responsibility for the whole project (this gives you less subs to manage)
• Have controls, lighting, and touch panel configurations accounted for by the engineering firm beforehand so the client knows what to expect
• Have control points clearly identified, e.g. fireplaces, pools, lighting etc.
• Have complete schematics and floor plans drawn 
• Bring your ESC partner in at the beginning of each project

With everything clearly lined out, it can help keep you be profitable and a little more sane. You will have happier clients at the end of the build...after all, that is the primary goal!

Bill Selee is the President of the design firm Dwelling Technologies (www.dwelltechlv.com), based in Las Vegas Nevada. His company designs low voltage systems for Architects, Builders and Interior Designers. He can be reached at 702-968-0295 or info@dwelltech.com.

 

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