Building a new home from scratch is a huge undertaking and is often a process that’s completely new to the owners.

Many are learning as they go from the realtor, the builder and the various contractors who will be involved at different stages along the way. Some people love the process, others find it overwhelming. Either way we think all homeowners will agree, the less curve balls the better!

One of the frustrations we’re very aware of as a home technology company is when things don’t happen in the right order, which means frustrating delays or costly retrofits. The last thing you want to see in your house is an AV company cutting into your newly painted interior walls to pull cables, or an electrician and an AV technician arguing over who cut someone else’s wire!

WHEN TO START THE TECHNOLOGY CONVERSATION

Homeowners don’t always know when to reach out for home technology quotes in the home build process. Often  the builder is knowledgable and will offer recommendations but that doesn’t mean they’ll let the owners know when to make the call. Ideally, you want to be engaging with a home automation provider before construction begins, as there may be specific requirements that need to be incorporated prior to the frame being engineered. Examples of these might be framing for a particular invisible in-wall speaker system in a home theater, or recessing a TV into a specific niche. If the frame is in the way, this can cause issues further down the line.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR HOME TECHNOLOGY PARTNER

There are so many providers and so much technology choose from and you need to build a trusted relationship with your provider. In terms of quality, we always recommend home owners only use Home Technology Association certified technology integrators, who can be found here. That way you know a team of experts has already evaluated the company, checked references and established its legitimacy. Check Google Reviews as people tend to be brutally honest online and it’s also a great idea to ask any technology provider for local references from satisfied clients.

Once you sit down it’s great to have a rough idea of what you know you want in terms of technology, then the conversation can flow from there. Do you want energy efficiency incorporating solar panels and maybe battery power? Do you regularly entertain at home and wish to be able to set the scene at the touch of a button? Is monitored home security very important to you? Perhaps you’re passionate about music so want the best sound quality the market has to offer. There is a lot to consider and the home technology experts can guide you through product lines and approximate costs.

THE HOME BUILD TIMELINE

Here is our stage by stage guide to the build process, when to meet with the tech team and when to expect to see technicians going in and out of the build site.

1. Design Consultation: Pre-construction meeting to capture the homeowners technology requirements, and any specific design information that needs to be relayed to the builder.
2. Breaking ground: The contractors arrive and prepare the lot for the slab.
3. Framing: This is when technology companies do the “rough in”. Cables and wires will be run to and from various locations based on where we expect TVs, lighting control and speakers to be. This prewire is sometimes contracted by the builder, sometimes by the home owner so check what you have agreed with the builder.
4. Dry walling: At this stage we let the construction team do their work which includes hiding all of the cable runs and wires that are now in place and read to connect to the technology products you have selected. We know exactly what will go where so we get out of the way for a few days.
5. Trim: The painters have finished and it’s time to get dimmers, data outlets and speakers installed. If you’ve chosen landscape lighting and audio we’ll get all of that installed and make sure IT network is working as it should be when we program the technology.
6. Finish: Generally the tech team is the last to leave the property, when the final TV has been mounted and the sound, security and lighting system have been commissioned for use. We will offer any necessary training in the new technology and make sure any additions or tweaks are carefully recorded on a punch list to resolve as soon as possible.

24/7 SUPPORT

We all know that technology can fail. This can be down to a power outage where a reboot might be required, user error or occasionally a piece of faulty equipment. Choose a provider that offers a reliable support service, whether that’s a 24 hour response, great warranties, remote support or a combination.

WELCOME TO YOUR SMART HOME!