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When planning your next new home or remodel, making the right choices in contractors and advisors can make the difference between delight and disaster. Nowhere is that more true than in the areas of home automation, lighting, security and of course home entertainment systems. You may have heard about “smart” homes or “the Internet of things,” but what does that mean and how will you find the right people to guide you?

Overseeing the construction of a new home or renovation of an older one is a daunting task and is bound to bring about some stress. Nothing can relieve that stress more than having the right professionals on your team, ones that already have experienced the trials you’ll be going through and have seen them through to successful conclusions.

Of course if you’re like most folks, you’ve already thought a great deal about all that. You’ve considered your new home’s location, size, shape, style, color, amenities, décor, etc. — all the tangibles that when put together will bring you comfort. After all, the true test of a great home is how you feel when you’re in it.

So you’ll consult with one or more custom home builders and maybe an architect or two, choose one that you feel understands your vision, and proceed. You’ll consult with him or her often, make suggestions and hear some, and make the decisions that affect how all the structural parts go together. But modern homes are no longer measured only by the tangible, structural stuff. They also are measured in terms of “IQ.”

Not too long ago, the rooms and features in a house were all independent. In a modern smart home, they all are part of a system designed carefully to bring you added convenience, enjoyment, security and peace of mind, and to save you money in the process. For example:

• Motorize and control your draperies not just for mood or privacy but to block out the sun while you are away and want the house to have been shaded when you get home. And do the opposite in winter. Leave them open to let in the sun’s warming rays.
• Program your thermostats to take advantage of the shaded or sunlit interior and to rev up only just before you return.
• Let your heating, venting, and control (HVAC) system assure you that your entire home is properly air conditioned.
• See who’s at the front door before you answer it.
• Want to watch as movie? Issue a single command and set the conditions in the theater room: dim the lights, close the drapes, turn on the audio and the video, sit back and relax.
• Listen to music in any room in the house, out on the deck, or in the pool.
• Have your security system keep in touch with you and your monitoring service while you’re away.

All these things are components in a modern smart home. And in this arena, you need a different kind of professional, one who spends his every day immersed in smart home technology. He works with it daily. He is informed by his suppliers any time new technologies or new products are coming. He travels to trade shows and attends dealer councils where he shares best practices with his peers. He sends his employees to specialized training schools. He is the local repository of smart home technology.

An A/V Integrator from Gramophone is the pro who will guide you through improving your home’s IQ, just as your custom home builder guides you through construction issues and options.

Here are a few reasons why hiring an A/V integrator is essential in 2015:

• Networking: What connects all the components of a smart home together is your WIFI system. You’re A/V Integrator knows how to keep it fast and secure. (Potential confusion: speed, as discussed in WIFI, is equivalent to space in other topics. It isn’t as much about how fast the water can get through a hose. It’s about how much water can go through. More means better communication from one place to another.)
• Integration: As his title implies, your A/V Integrator knows how to make all smart things work together: your PC, security system, media, and so on.
• Placement of Products for Longevity: Some components generate heat. The integrator has a great deal of experience in placing them properly to avoid failures and increase life span.
• Building Codes: Building codes apply to virtually every detail of a new home. The A/V Integrator knows the ones that apply to his products and services.
• Neat and Clean: Integrators are notorious for being proud of their installations, just as a custom home builder likes to point out his best jobs. You can count on installations that border on artistry.
• Keeping Up with New Technology: Not long ago the standard resolution in video quality was 1080P. Now it is 4K TV, or “Super Hi Def”, which has about four times the resolution of 1080P. Do you need different cables or components? You’re A/V Integrator knows. (This has to do with that “speed” thing again.)
• Service: Your smart home is at the core of your integrator’s business. And much of his business comes from referrals. His reputation is worth more than the money in his bank account and his inventory combined. He wants you to be happy.

Gramophone has specialized in custom home entertainment and home automation for decades. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners in the Maryland region design and build home systems of their dreams. Click here to read about the quality of our work, service and fair pricing. Contact us for a private scheduled consultation.

And for one last thought on the matter of your new, custom smart home, here’s an old saw you might hear paraphrased by ill-tempered workmen on a long day: “How is it that we never have time to do it right the first time, but we always have time to do it over?” Nowhere is that sentiment more applicable than to building a new home.