Overview
The team at MW Smart Homes recently finished a complete smart home automation system at a luxury two-bedroom apartment in Richmond-upon-Thames.
Project Brief
We installed a Control4 Home Automation system with full audio and lighting control throughout the property, in addition to a full electrical installation and re-wire of the property.
Challenges
The apartment is situated in a Grade II listed building and planning applications caused significant delays to this project. We also encountered a lot of changes in design which required alterations of cable infrastructure during the first fix stage.
Process
We met with the client to discuss his requirements and how he wanted the home automation system to work for him, this involved delving into his routines and preferences to ensure that he got the most out of the new system. Armed with this information and the architect’s drawings, we created a plan for wiring a complete Control4 Home Automation System for the lighting, audio and visual systems. Being an older property, a complete Electrical Installation was also necessary.
As we needed to install the home automation system in phases, it was imperative that we had access to the apartment at different stages.
Stage One
We went into the apartment after it had been completely gutted with only the stud walls left in place and the ceiling had been lowered to create a cavity for piping and electrical cabling.
This allowed us to run the wiring through the walls and drop them down from the ceiling in all the required locations. This wiring included electrical power, and cabling for internet & WiFi, speakers, TVs, lighting and keypads.
Stage Two
We returned again to the apartment once the walls and ceilings had been plastered. Using our wiring diagram, we cut holes in the appropriate places within the ceiling for the speakers, lighting and sensors, and holes in the walls for the keypads and any wall mounted lights.
Stage Three
The next phase of the project was to return after the walls and ceilings were painted to fit the physical lights, speakers, wall mounted TVs and their control interfaces.
Stage Four
Once the client had settled in to their new home and become familiar with the home automation system, we returned for a final visit to make any further tweaks to the programming. For example, which lights come on, what level is required for the night time lighting scene, or which TV channel switches on in the morning.
We also engraved the keypad buttons during this final phase. As an example, one button by the bed was engraved with ‘Bathroom’, allowing the client to press this button when waking in the night, which turns on a very dim light to show the way to the bathroom and switches on the bathroom light at a low level.
Outcome
A complete home automation system including smart lighting control, door entry, multi room video and audio throughout every room.
We are extremely proud of the end result of this home automation project providing comfort and efficiency using extensive high-end technology in a compact space.
The client, Jeet Khaira, said…
“I am very pleased with the outcome. Chris and Luca understood exactly what my requirements were and executed the project professionally and with calm, bearing in mind the challenges they faced from the builders. MW Smart Homes are very accommodating to change requests and modifications. I am thankful for their flexibility. The lights, fireplace and TV integration are stunning. I can control my front door security, lighting, TV, music and heating all from a tablet or my iPhone. Great work guys!”
Get Smart! To find out more about home automation, get in touch with us today via our enquiry form, email or by giving us a call.
