Home Automation for New House Build

potton burgess

“It’s an absolute joy once the home automation is all set up and working how you want it; it’s so easy to operate. I’d wholeheartedly recommend Aperio Audio Visual because they listened and looked at how we live our lives before advising us on what we needed. They were flexible in what they were offering and gave advice on how to get the most for our money. I really wanted a home with nice lighting; it was my husband who was really into home automation and streaming audio. Now I love that I can check the temperature in each room and simply adjust it on the Control4 system.”

potton award winner

Challenge – designing home automation for a new build house

After buying an old bungalow, Helen and Tom decided to knock it down and replace it with an energy efficient, modern new build home. With older children, they had a goal to simplify everything and use technology to make their home comfortable. But when you build a house, there are so many things to think about, it’s difficult to research everything in great detail. To enjoy their favourite music, Tom wanted to stream audio in every room. As a family they don’t watch a lot of television, so they wanted on-demand films. Helen was keen to have smart lighting in the dining and living areas but didn’t really want to automate everything. Before deciding which equipment to buy, Helen and Tom went to see the system at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC). “There were so many things to think about during the project of building the new house. We chose a Potton House and went to see the show
home, where their preferred home automation supplier system from Aperio Audio Visual is on display. When we met Aperio Audio Visual to find out how it would work and the size of the boxes, we simply connected with them as people too.”

Approach – installing the system

Home automation is an investment; it’s important to choose which aspects matter to your lifestyle. Aperio Audio Visual helped Helen and Tom decide what to invest in and automate, including the heating, lighting, multi-room audio system, surveillance and televisions. Aperio Audio Visual came out to visit the site near Bristol to assess the lighting design and pre-wiring. After talking more to Helen about what they wanted to watch, they changed the system design to reduce the cost by utilising streaming services and the right television service for them. Aperio Audio Visual’s proposal included using the Control4 system to manage the lighting, heating, audio and video system – which can all be monitored remotely. Completing the audiovisual design included planning the speaker locations, network and cabling requirements for each room.

To manage the pre-wiring, Aperio Audio Visual held site meetings to coordinate between the lighting designer and the developer’s on-site electrician. They needed to ensure the right cables were in place for the whole system, which did need a greater level of communication during the build. With future needs in mind, the design included wiring every room even though only three living areas would have ceiling speakers. After the final fix, Aperio Audio Visual came to complete the installation and programme the system. They also worked closely with Helen to set up the lighting scenes and showed her and the family how to work the Control4 system.

Impact – a fun, family-friendly home entertainment system

Everybody in the family uses the system in different ways. Once the lighting was all set up with the different scenes, Helen has found it really easy to operate and a pleasure to come home to, especially with specific lighting already being on before coming through the front door. The house is very well insulated, has solar panels and an air source heat pump to make it energy efficient. Helen and Tom can manage the heating on a micro-level because it is all on the Control4 system; they do change the temperature in each room to save energy. After Helen had lived with the system for a few weeks, Aperio Audio Visual returned to find out what was working well and what didn’t, adjusting the settings for her. Helen says, “We’ve got Spotify which we didn’t have before, and there’s a real social element for us, choosing the music together. Before we had the system, I rarely watched TV because there were three boxes and several different remote controls and settings to get started. Now I have one remote control, it’s easy, so I do watch a bit more television.”

Tech kit

  • Control4 controller
  • Control4 dimming lighting panels and keypads (Venetian Bronze)
  • Control4 audio with in-ceiling speakers
  • Spotify music
  • Fibre broadband
  • Fully managed wired and wireless network
  • Surveillance cameras
  • Heating integration
  • Fully pre-wired for audio and video
  • Managed PDU, power protection and battery backup
  • Remote access for complete control or lighting, heating, music and cameras
  • Samsung 55″ UHD / 4K TV and soundbar
  • Benefits from our ongoing client support plan

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