Project Description
Location: The Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire
Project Time Table: 18 Days Over 5 Months
Year Completed: 2015
Value: £8,000- £12,000
Commision: Property Owner
Having already spent ten years in the residence from new this home owner felt it was time for a serious renovation of the ground floor. Built by a developer the terrace came with a basic music distribution and control system that had not stood the test of time. The client liked the principal but wanted something dependable and up to date as a whole home entertainment platform.
The Challenges
Only the ground floor was going through major renovation which meant here we could install any necessary cable that suited our requirements. The first floor and basement were not to be touched however. This was a problem since the old entertainment system had failed through out the property. Our challenge was to find a new better system solution that could meet the client requirements but use the existing cabling on the first floor and basement, so as to create minimal disruption to the decor in these areas.
We conducted a through site survey examining and testing the existing cable that had been originally installed to support the old system 10 years prior. A Lot can happen in the world of technology in 10 years but after a lot of research and some experimentation we were able to find the perfect fit for the clients requirements.
Project Details
This project included the following features
- Improved wireless networking for internet connectivity over wifi
- Amplified multi-zone Music, Radio & iPod Dock
- Programable wand remote controls
- Stereo ceiling speakers per zone
- SkyHD four Zone Video & Audio control (Multi-room TV)
- Control lighting system from Lutron Lighting
Speakers
We started by changing the basic 6inch unbranded ceiling speakers for Niles Ci Series of the same size. This upgrade offered a quick low-cost improvement. Next was to remove the failing control panels & backfilled the cavities for a clean uncluttered finish to the walls. To power, the speakers a Niles multi-zone amplifier with built-in radio was introduced & an iPod Dock.
Managing the Entertainment
Along with the amplifier & dock, there was also a sky receiver & Blu-ray player now being housed in a spare cavity inside the hall coat cupboard. We employed a URC Control unit to communicate with all of the source equipment. Each zone, kitchen, living room, bedroom & guest room had its own URC Universal custom programmable remote capable of controlling any of the source equipment & delivering audio or picture to any speaker or television.
Extras
We also had the time & budget to upgrade the WiFi thereby ironing out those black spot gremlins & introduce a Lutron mood lighting setup.
