Photohutch

Okay I'm new to Contractor Talk .com so excuse any redundancies that I'm sure will annoy you.

We are building our first very large (11,000 sg ft) luxury home in Oregon and aside from previous phone/cable tv/ethernet and contracted security systems, we have never had a need for home control systems that control and/or tie in lighting, HVAC, A/V, Pool, Security, Surviellance, etc...

My duties here is research and review as requested by homeowner or colleaques (and some photoshopping) various manufactuers and subcontractors products, quotes and references and provide revisions, changes and reports. I have been asked to find information regarding some of the sytems we have heard about from Low Voltage bidders such as AVAD; Netstream; AMX; Crestron; Xantech; Lutron; PCI Systems; Lithonia; Lutron's -Homeworks, Radio RA & Graphik-Eye; Vantage; Litetouch; etc...

So now I have the biggest headache after spending about two week on google and a Oregon tree's worth of paper, (this office loves paper) trying to come up with some concrete data and comparisons. My feelings are trust the Low voltage contractors knowledge and really on references to ensure they are qualified but thats not enough.

SO anyone have any feedback, resources for product comparisons or past experiences they can share with me so that I can get on to the next phase and not hold us back?

thanks in advance,
Will

mdshunk

I'm calling BS right here and now. Something's not adding up, and I think you're a homeowner who's self-contracting, but I could be wrong. I just get a weird vibe from your post.

An 11,000 square foot home is normally engineered. An engineered home will have a spec book listing the requirements of the electricals, as well as the low voltage systems. Your contractors will bid based on that spec. Who cares what products they use to accomplish the result, as long as it gets done? Plus, the lion's share of the system's you listed aren't even low-voltage.

Something's fishy here...

If you're care to post scan's of your bids, I'd be happy to review them.

Photohutch

No specs no bids yet - LV contractors have to design to suit


Your half right... Home was designed with basic lighting and electrical system but no spec sheets and no low voltage system. Basically the homeowner didn't know they wanted it and the architect is semi-retired and didn't put his all in design.

I agree I don't care what products get used, but homeowner does.

I don't BS

mdshunk

Then that must suck for you. How are you getting compensated for all this research? How are you documenting what the homeowner desired end result is? You could be headed for a trainwreck if you don't pin down exactly what it is they want their system(s) to accomplish. Be very afraid...

Photohutch

So what your really trying to suggest is:
We should consider __________ system because of these features______________ and reasons____________ and I should look here _____________ for more information to back your reasons? Thanks for your help.

BuildingHomes

Electronic House and Sound and Vision magazines are great resources for seeing what is available in the market and the possibilities.

As for design, contact a qualified systems designer in your area. You cannot just buy these products off the shelf and install them.

You can start on the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association by looking for a _Designer_ in your area.

Don't forget home theatre, whole home audio/video. AMX, Crestron, Control4 and soon Colorado vNet all integrate everything.


http://www.CEDIA.net/

http://www.ElectronicHouse.com/

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/

And for some real nitty-gritty, go through AudioHolics and AVS Forums.

http://www.audioholics.com/

http://www.avsforum.com/

Automating systems in a home can be fun, but it's definately not always easy.

mickeyco

Crazy talk, we build 12,000 sq. ft. an under on the fly, no plans.

I'd try Radio Shack, they used (maybe still do) to have this real neat RF system that would turn on and off lights and other stuff, real hi-tech.

Photohutch

CEDIA great. Thanks for taking my question seriously

mdshunk

I took your question seriously also. I can just barely believe that you're not leaning on the HO or the architect/designer more heavily for this information. When you take the reins of a portion of the project, design-wise, with which you're not all that familiar, you're biting off quite a bit of liability.

Photohutch

We are looking at two designers/installers and the homeowner pulled the reins when they got overwhelmed and realized they knew nothing. Very cautious but need to be educated and well informed couple. My position is really unique as I act as liasson for contractors/subcontractors/product manufacturers/designers etc... Sometimes I think maybe I have many people to answer to and please and truthfully, this is all pretty new to me and I am learning as I go as well.

BuildingHomes

How did you hook up with these people?

giddonah

Honestly, there is no way you'll ever be able to come close to learning a fraction of what you need to know to be able to help guide a homeowner through the labrynth that is home automation in time for a house that's currently being built. This is why there are firms that specialize in this stuff. This is why they get paid a lot of money.

I pass two or three of our competitors on a daily basis on the highway. I feel sorry for whoever's house they're headed to. I'm amazed at how few people can really do home automation and a/v correctly. I'm going to be driving 10hrs (one way) next week to go install some equipment. Why? Because they want it done right. Some of our guys went to London to work on a house. True home automation isn't easy or cheap. Also, just because someone says they can install a Crestron system doesn't mean they can actually make it work.

This isn't the area you want to try to learn about yourself. Go find a good firm that does this stuff and tell them what you want.

mickeyco

I'm still calling shenanigans, I think MD's first post is spot on. I recently worked in a house that had automation that was integrated in to just about every system in the house (you can see who's at the door through a mirror in the hallway). It was done by an electric contractor that specializes in that area, they also did the entire electric service and the price for both would buy a pretty nice house. The plans for the system were a mini novel and the Architect had to revise his plans to accommodate some of the systems. So if you are already building the house or getting ready to, you're way behind and need to find someone that knows what they're doing immediately. Researching systems is going to be a waste of time if you don't have someone that's familiar with it and can design and install it (doesn't have to be the same company).