We strongly advise that you involve us at the earliest possible stage in the project to make sure you
get the result you want and save extra expense and heartache further down the line.
We make sure there’s nothing to worry about, doing everything from cable plans to accurate costing
and work independently with your main contractor to deliver your vision on time and on budget.
Below we’ve outlined some of the key considerations for a refurbishment or new build project
to illustrate why you should be using a specialist AV consultant as opposed to your main contractor.
We’ve got nothing against these companies, on the contrary we enjoy working alongside them
and they with us; it’s all about using the right people for the right bits of the job.
Make a 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.
We need to be clear before we start as to what you expect of us in terms of coordinating the project. A managed project is where we would oversee the project from start to finish, normally in collaboration with the architect, designer or contractor and build a good understanding with them to ensure success.
There would be a charge for this but the benefit would be that we’d take an initial brief from you then make sure that we are the point of contact for any questions and the go to people for any and all AV information. It is important that when we give instruction on cable installation that we factor in additional time and site visits to ensure all is progressing well, then to check and sign off before closing up the walls and ceilings.
We are happy to provide chargeable consultation and instructions but would deem this to be an unmanaged project where you pay for our time on an ad hoc basis as you feel that it is needed. Although this will depend on various things at your end to ensure things are not missed or done incorrectly.
Useful things for us to know include:
There’s a huge difference between the project that is just at planning or tendering stage and a job take over from another company or person (in this case we’ll need to know why so we can understand what needs to be done to make you happy). Less extreme but still pertinent would be to know if the project has just started, whether we are at the stage where the main building work is happening, if the 1st fix of electrics is imminent or is actually happening as this will affect how long we have left and enable smart planning.
If any aspect is late, immediate, urgent etc. it is no problem, we’ll just need to know upfront how desperate the situation is so we can make sure you get the resources you need when you need them. If the cables and services are in and just an equipment fit is required, we’ll need to know when this will happen, who did the cabling and what information have you got on what was done.
With refurbishment and new build projects, we need to establish if the property owner is very interested in the AV installation area or just has various end user requirements plus how much involvement they want in the project. We’re happy to take on most of the decision making is they just have a requirement and need a solution. We understand that often the home owner is not too concerned with how we got there, only that we’ve delivered the result they were looking for.
Where the property owner really needs help and advice, we’ll be happy to assist, likewise where they are very specific about equipment and what they want, we’ll settle just as happily into a role where we take direction and precise instructions.
First thing first, is there an equipment list or do we need to help to provide this? Secondly, if one exists already, who came up with the products and what was their thought process when they made the decisions? Lastly, we love to help but we won’t poke our noses in anywhere they’re not wanted, so it’d be nice to know at the outset whether you are open to changes or suggestions from us.