You want to get on with realising your vision for the house, so you don’t want to be spending lots of time on the technical detail. Make a quick but detailed list of all the services and technology you are going to require in the project.

It is important to know this at the outset as it enables smart cable planning and installation that will save money in the long run. Some of the things you might want to add are:

• TV and audio requirements by room
• Aerial & satellite services
• Networking and PC work
• Phones & Broadband
• Other (CCTV , entry phone)

We are happy to provide a fitting service or just provide the information and expert knowledge you require on a consultation basis, although what’s actually required in most cases is to oversee and look after all aspects of the technical kit to ensure the correct result. From the outset we need to be clear with whom the responsibilities lie. A fully managed project will often include discussing the project with the client (end user) to ensure they get everything on their wish list, plus marking up and providing cable plans and schedule for the 1st fix cabling so the both you and onsite contractors are clear on the work required.

We will also often visit the site during the project to check progress and provide information where required and the equipment details to ensure that you can plan and design how the system integrates with the fixtures and fittings within the property. Other common tasks are overseeing and carrying out the second fix elements like ceiling speakers, electrical plates and patch panels to ensure the property is ready in time for a clean & tidy handover, plus looking after and dealing with the service providers like sky and BT.

We like to finish the job with a through to client hand over and instruction on using the system and of course provide an on-going support service long after the client has taken possession and you have moved onto your next project.

We will always do our very best to help out if your client has decided to add lots of technology at the last minute and time is running short (although planning is obviously an essential part of any project so please work with us by getting in touch as early as possible to ensure success and your clients satisfaction).

Ideally we’d plan things together over a few weeks or months rather than just as the first fix wiring is almost done or walls just about to be plastered. If time is running short, please call us to discuss the urgent bits and we will work with you where possible to find answers and solutions to ensure that the building project and contractors are not held up.

It’s the careful planning and system design that ensures success as most projects are quite different. Each project requires a fair bit of thought to be sure that the result will be correct before we can plan the cabling and issue instructions. The earlier the better for us but we’re flexible – tell us what you need and we’ll make it easy for you!

• Just at planning or tendering stage
• Project just started
• Main Building work happening currently - how long do we have?
• 1st fix of electrics imminent or happening - how long do we have?
• Late, immediate, urgent - How urgent?

Is the property owner very interested in this area? How much involvement do they want? We can take a lot of this off your plate and are happy to help and share the workload.

We can often find on our way into a project that the client who will use the system is more involved and interested in the equipment than first indicated, so it is key for us that we understand early in a project by discussing this with the client direct. This will make things a lot less time consuming for us both and guarantee that we get straight to the facts.

Of course we are very experienced in getting to the details quickly so if your client’s time is valuable then we promise not to keep them too long. We can both be sure that all bases are covered and we get the correct brief to start with. We are looking to confirm where the property owner sits on this scale:

• The client needs a solution, has a wish list of requirements per room but
  is not equipment specific
• The client really needs help and advice and is quite interested in the details
• The client is already very specific about equipment and what they want and where

There are just a few more things we need to know to help us help you, firstly is there an equipment list or do we need to help to provide this? Furthermore, if one exists already, who came up with the products on it and what informed their decision? Lastly we can be very helpful but we don’t want to interfere with your best laid plans if you don’t want us to so it’d be good to know if you’re open to receiving changes or suggestions from us.