Articles and whitepapers

1/5/2003

What is Custom Installation?

By Jonathan Margolis

Custom installation (CI) is the process of integrating all of your electronic equipment- for entertainment, communications, automation, security - into the architectural and interior design of your home. You can opt for the installation to be concealed or on display, depending on your personal interior design philosophy.

Your interior design

Home entertainment systems, such as home cinema and audio rooms, are the most commonly requested custom installations. However, it is also possible to integrate telephone/intercom systems, burglar/fire alarms and heating and lighting systems into your home.

CI projects can vary enormously in size and cost. You can spend anything from £1000 on a simple two-way intercom system, to hundreds of thousands on creating a home cinema with a plasma screen, surround-sound, in-wall speakers, special lighting, individual seating and custom decor, along with every imaginable form of automation, from blinds that open and close as the sun goes in and out, to automatic garden irrigation.

Home cinema

CI involves more than simply integrating electronic systems into your home. It requires in-depth knowledge of disciplines such as architecture, building, interior design and wiring. Custom installers also frequently have to develop innovative solutions to problems created by building or design specifications - not to mention the homeowners' personal preferences. However, it is one thing to have the most wonderful and imaginative home entertainment and automation equipment wired into your home, but quite another to operate and enjoy it all to its full potential. A growing part of custom installation therefore, is in the field of post-installation content provision.

A first class CI installer will be happy to do all of the complex electronic acrobatics that can be involved in getting your multi-room entertainment system to provide the entertainment you want. That might involve, as it did for one London homeowner, ensuring you can watch American football games live on a giant plasma screen in your sitting room. Or it might mean simply downloading the tottering pile of CDs you have been collecting for 20 years onto a centralised hard drive so you can listen to ZZ Top in the bath at the same time as your partner has Beethoven playing in the kitchen.

Wall control panel

Virtually any home, whether old or new, rented or owned, can have custom electronics installed. However, the best and least disruptive time for custom installation to take place is during construction, renovation or redecoration. As a result, custom installers are used to working closely and cooperating with architects, builders, and interior designers. Indeed, it is important that customers think of custom installers as they would any other home contractor. You should always check that the company you employ is recognised and fully insured. They should also have glowing references both from within the industry and from other customers.

On site meeting

Custom installation is a new and highly specialised trade that should only be conducted by professionals with particular skills, experience and credentials. A reputable installer will give written estimates, work to a timetable and automatically provide clients with all the relevant documentation. The firm should additionally guarantee in full all of its work and provide a prompt repair service for any faults.

It is also important to recognise that custom installation is about fulfilling the desires of the customer, not the installer. A reputable company will not recommend anything that exceeds the homeowner's needs and budget. They can suggest specific equipment, but only after establishing what the client wants and can afford. As with any other home contractor, the final decision always lies with the customer.

A good custom installation firm will carry out or oversee every stage of the installation, from conception to conclusion. The company will begin by planning out which systems need to be installed, what capabilities will be provided, which equipment will be used, where it will be installed and how it will be interconnected. In a rapidly developing market, this process requires extensive knowledge of the latest products and technology available.

Overhead projector being installed

Overhead projector on lift

Only after in-depth planning will the custom installer begin to fit new wiring and install equipment. This process may also involve carpentry and cabinet making which the company will carry out itself, or conduct alongside a contractor of the customer's choosing. It will almost always involve redecorating, so the installer/contractor will undertake any finishing work required, from sanding, plastering and painting to wallpapering.

Ceiling mounted video projector

The advantage of using a custom installer who belongs to a trade association such as CEDIA is the assurance that the work will be completed according to a code of good practice. In the case of CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), this has been refined over ten years in the world's most sophisticated custom installation market, namely the United States. Indeed CEDIA is the only trade association representing custom installation worldwide, and was formed to raise the levels of understanding and standards of workmanship in the industry. Adherence to its philosophy and ethics are conditions of CEDIA membership the world over. Accordingly, UK members are trained in the latest installation techniques and technologies, so clients can be reassured that work is state-of-the-art and covered by all the relevant insurances.

Jonathan Margolis is a freelance journalist for national papers such as the FT, Mirror etc.

www.cedia.co.uk