A Constant State of Change
Aug 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Rosanne Soifer
For the A-V systems integrator, what technically qualifies as a residential installation is constantly under revision, as are its technological needs.
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the word "home" may be defined as the place where one lives, the place where one was born or raised, a household and its affairs, or the natural environment of a plant or animal. Webster's notwithstanding, the home is under constant redefinition. It was not that long ago, for instance, that having a home office meant shoving a few pieces of furniture out of the way to make room for a desk, filing cabinet and an extra phone jack. As more Americans, due to a variety of socioeconomic factors and demographic shifts, began to work at home on more than just a casual basis and start home-based businesses, the concept of a home office evolved into one of a dedicated workspace that strove to reproduce at least the technological environment of the commercial office.
Further, as big and not-so-big businesses began to outsource many of their functions to independent consultants and give certain types of employees the option of telecommuting, the definition of the home must be redefined to include the word "work." In what could be seen as a parallel development, many forms of public entertainment - movies, concerts and lectures - are now reconfigured for home enjoyment in the forms of video, home theater and Internet chat rooms. As such, the lines between work, home and entertainment are getting blurrier, and the high-tech era has created an unprecedented demand for technology-ready live and work environments. Savvy builders and developers are meeting these needs by incorporating business amenities into residential environments - in other words, by jumping into the telecommunications business. According to a recent New York Times article, people moving into new developments or planned communities consider not having structured wiring or high-speed access to be a deal breaker. New homes, lofts, condos and even rental apartments that are technology ready will use this as a sales pitch. To get a line, so to speak, on how this may affect your business, I spoke with builders, architects, A-V contractors and electronic design engineers.
The client
Defining your client, according to New York City-based designer and contractor Ted Rothstein, will determine when and how you get in on the job. Rothstein's company, TR Technologies, has designed systems for clubs, studios and residences. He said, "Whoever your client is - the architect or the end user - will determine your role. What sometimes occurs is that the resident hires the architect who, in turn, hires you. The architect is your client, but the resident is whom you must please. Even if you're billing the architect, the resident is really paying you. This is a critical area and a potential conflict - great sound vs. great architecture. Many architects don't really know what they're doing regarding sound. For example, they tend to want to position loudspeakers out of sight for aesthetic reasons."
Jeff Hoover, president of Audio Advisors in West Palm Beach, said, "There's a big difference when you get a referral from an architect at the beginning of a job or if you get in on the builder level. Architects generally don't have a clue, for instance, about home theater. Here you have the chance to educate them and to steer them towards items like correct window treatments. With builders, most technology, including lighting, has already been done by the time they call you, and if you have to redo anything, the client winds up paying for it twice."
Technology-ready
Some architects, however, are aware of technology's impact and try to take preventive steps. New York City-based architect Mike Stallone said, "Acoustics and sound are integral to any building. You don't always have the situation where the client wants the technology on the drawings - he might not even be aware of it - but the architect should be and contact the professionals."
Orrin Charm's California-based company, Infinysis, specializes in electronic architecture for residences. His clients are the builders, not the inhabitants. He said, "I've worked with two different classes of installations - telecommuters who need `desk connections' for phones and computers and home theaters, where loudspeakers and other wiring can be built into the wall. Home-theater owners generally have a fair amount of disposable income, which is good for anyone involved with soundproofing, speakers and wiring."
Technology-ready residences have forged profitable alliances with such communications conglomerates as Bell Atlantic, IBM and Lucent. For builders and developers, aside from consumer demands, a crucial reason to get involved with the technology from the beginning is ongoing profits. The builders get a cut each month from the stream of revenue that passes through the Internet, cable and phone lines after the project is completed. This opportunity exists because developers own the land that carries the wiring from the homes to the outside world. This is especially true regarding outlying suburbs and planned communities.
Not only are new upscale homes offering technology, but also rental properties. Roseland Properties owns Portofino, a planned community in Jersey City on the Hudson River waterfront with sound and service built in by Bell Atlantic. Said Vice President Jamie Block, "What we advertise as the RoseLink Networked Apartment makes rentals more attractive." Rothstein, however, said that in New York City, the biggest upcoming space market is in lofts, which is where he gets involved at the blueprint stage.
Other planned communities, such as Harbor Isles, FL, Sienna Plantation, Missouri City, TX, and Centennial outside Indianapolis, currently offer a detailed advanced telecommunications infrastructure, including Cat5 cabling. Sienna also offers a combination of fiber optics and structured in-home wiring services through a single source provider. When the technology services are bundled in this manner, many developments stress that homeowners might have to pay only one fee for usage, such as through a homeowners association, at a cost less than what they might pay to individual carriers.
Other installations, such as home theater, tend to be personalized toward the individual resident and are not necessarily as workable on a mass basis. Said New York City theater and sound designer Gary Harris, "If you're doing home theater, and the client has other audio/video/communications work in the offing as well, find out what this entails before you start in order to cut down on the amount of wiring. If this other work involves you, try to do it all at the same time. Home theaters in apartment and condo environments often pose a unique set of criteria to be met. First of all, because of the proximity to other apartments, the room must be insulated and draped. A lot also depends on the age of the construction; post-war is generally poorer than pre-war unless it was designed by a high-end architect."
Rothstein added, "A home theater in a smaller apartment or condo setting may need additional acoustic treatment and isolation."
Not technology-ready
Working with existing architecture and design challenges varies according to the venue. For a home theater installation, it may involve dealing with pre-existing invisible loudspeakers. Said Harris, "If the client doesn't want the installation to look like a sound lab, take him to a sound showroom and let him see how visible loudspeakers can become part of the overall decorating scheme."
Occasionally, the limitations are too great when the residence is already occupied, and moving the inhabitants becomes impossible. Hoover said, "It is expensive to retrofit wiring and do the minimum amount of damage at the same time. Retrofitting becomes a tradeoff between what the client wants and what they actually need to make the project work."
Charm added, "When you're dealing with a fait accompli - typically a retrofit situation - again, it's want vs. need . Wireless network satellite video is becoming a more workable option because the cost comes down."
Negotiable and non-negotiable factors
Obviously, almost anything can be negotiated, and what it usually comes down to is a lot of compromising from everyone, especially if it involves final appearance. Said Charm, "You may have to point some clients in the direction of concessions regarding cosmetics if the budget is fixed."
Similarly, Harris said, "In home theaters, for example, many clients want moving type walls, decorative lighting and draperies. That's all negotiable because it really happens after the fact, after your major work is completed."
Said Mitchell Klein, president/CEO of Media Systems, Boston, "Brand names are negotiable. We try to be an advocate for the client's needs and look at brands and products as tools, not the end result. We don't push one brand over the other."
Non-negotiables tend to involve harder concepts, such as quality and safety. Rothstein said, "The minimum standard of A-V quality is non-negotiable, even if the budget is squeezed low by the client. When that happens, you'll need to reduce the amount of room coverage proportionately."
Safety is another area that must not be compromised, not only for the client's sake, but also for the installer's because he may wind up being liable (depending on when you come in on a project and who your direct client is) should anyone get hurt. Harris said, "You must ascertain that the space can electronically and structurally support what you're doing, and sometimes, I've even recommended that the client install some kind of integrated security system to protect his investment."
Sometimes, even final cosmetics wind up as a non-negotiable, said Hoover. "I need to determine if the client wants the system and all the technology hidden or if they want all of it to be seen, especially if it's a big status symbol."
Permits and licenses
The only consistency that I found on almost any facet of the topic of home technology was that it is inconsistent. In some municipalities, A-V work seemed to edge onto construction and electrical domains, thereby requiring permits. In other instances, that was not the case.
Klein offered some basic definitions. "First, a permit is a document that gives you the right to do the work. It must be posted at the site. In Boston, at least, you need it for anything done in the residence by anyone other than the residence's owner, even for low-voltage wiring. Most installers don't know that. Driving a car offers a good analogy. A permit is like a car registration. Having a license, like a driver's license, is what gives you the ability to take out a permit."
Sometimes permits are a state issue, but the local municipalities are often asked to interpret it - usually in their favor - because permits are an easy source of revenue for the municipality. Hoover said, "Nearly everything in Florida - building, low-voltage wiring, etc. - has to be permitted. In Palm Beach, a lot of homes are landmarked, and you can only alter up to 50% of the structure, so sometimes the home's history has to be researched as well."
When you are the primary contractor on a project - in other words, if your involvement doesn't come via a builder or an architect - you may need to research the status of the residence, particularly if it is old, and your work involves a good deal of remodeling, reconfiguring and retrofitting of the original structure.
"If," said Harris, "you're in the position to hire an electrician, he should get the permits. You, however, must know the building code. For anything major on New York City, you need a demolition permit for doing something like changing the shape of the room, which is common in home theater. Remember, a building code is an evolving, living thing, and changes in it are sometimes based on the amounts of accidents that occur. I've found the best solution, with the client's approval, is to hire an architect and work as a team."
Charm said, "Knowledge of permits is critical. For example, you may not need a permit for low-voltage wiring, but if you go into walls, you do. Usually, if the builder is the client, he gets the permits."
Rothstein finds that permits are almost never a concern when he terminates a project at an apartment or condo venue because they are generally handled by the architect or the electrician.
In the end, be forewarned, and resolve the permitting administrivia right when you come on board so that you do not find yourself at the end of a costly pass-the-buck situation.
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