Four Point Play

PROJECT OBJECTIVES & HIGHLIGHTS  

Our client, a family of four with small children, wanted a fully integrated 20,000 square foot home with the ability to control lighting, multi-room audio, HVAC, pool/spa, garage, and cameras from touchpanels and PCs throughout the home. This ambitious new construction project demanded clean walls (i.e. no banks of switches, volume controls, thermostats, or remotes). With a home this size, it's hard to keep track of everyone, therefore, we integrated a telephone system so the family could easily communicate with each other. The client's detached sports barn needed to be controlled from the main house via the Crestron control system. Other special features included in this house are a dedicated home theater, distributed video, and home computer network.

Having a longstanding relationship with the architect and builder, we had previously worked with both before; therefore, many of the usual challenges, such as speaker placement, touchpanel locations, HVAC control, and wiring issues were kept to a minimum. One challenge that we faced, however, was fitting flat panel TV's into antique furniture. Cabinets were chosen by the interior designer; therefore, we initially provided optimal TV dimensions so there wouldn't be any "fitting" issues at the end of the project. 

The various integrated sub systems are managed via a Crestron control system. There are five in-wall and two wireless touchpanels located throughout the home, in addition to those located in the sports barn, providing complete functionality. On and off site PC control was implemented allowing for ultimate home control and peace of mind.

After meeting with the clients, we designed and engineered systems that met their needs, project scope, and budget. During the design phase, we coordinated with their architect, interior designer, and builder to ensure all electronics were seamlessly integrated and had the appropriate power to operate.

The Lutron lighting control system, with global lighting scenes, time clock, and astronomical time clock functionality allows the homeowners to easily manage their 20,000 sq. ft. estate. Single gang key pads with programmed lighting scenes help reduce the amount of "wall acne"-often found with traditional light switches in an estate this large-and offer an easy-to-operate lighting solution. The landscape lighting took full advantage of the astronomical time clock, always addressing the home appearance no matter the time of day, night, or year.  The client appreciated this most when daylight savings time came and their system never missed a beat.

The house was configured with ten heating/cooling zones to ensure proper temperature throughout and to make the home as energy efficient as possible. Monitoring and adjusting different zones was simple with a few button pushes from one location. The theater and sports barn, often unoccupied for extended periods of time, can be adjusted to a comfortable temperature prior to using the space.

The family has an extensive music collection and likes to listen to music while working, cooking, entertaining, and, of course, playing basketball in "The Barn"; therefore, we integrated an MP3 hard drive accessed via touchpanels and iPod docking stations. Each individual likes the simplicity and ease of managing their musical preferences in the rooms they occupy.

This family has a busy lifestyle so they wanted four DVR devices housed in the head end rack for the flexibility of watching TV on their schedule. The clients love the combination of distributed video and TiVo because it allows them to choose when/what they watch while maintaining their busy lifestyle.

The clients enjoy the ability to adjust the temperature of the pool and spa from different locations making it just right when they get ready to use the system. Temperature status and the ability to monitor on/off features are easily viewed from any touchpanel location.

This estate, with a main house and an entertainment filled barn, is an electronics lovers paradise that has every convenience imaginable. With all systems integrated, control is as simple as one press of a button from virtually anywhere on the property, or remotely from a PC or laptop. The family enjoys every aspect of their home thoroughly.