Welcome to the CHC Electronic Architect Business Model

Click on any of these 6 phases of a CHC project to learn more about how we can integrate your home, expand your options, make it simple, and save you a lot of money!

Consultation/Design/Coordination

By approaching each project from the perspective of an architect of electronics, CHC delivers a much different experience and system than most of our competitors.  Our sole motive on a project is to protect the interests of the homeowner, not to sell a product.  The results are a thoroughly and professionally designed system complete with every wire, piece of equipment, and electronic specified and integrated based on the individual needs of each homeowner.

Consultation/Design/Coordination - Rough In & Wiring

The Rough-In & Wiring phase is the most critical service an integration company can provide.  A complete and professional wire design will save more money down the road than any other part of the project.  Trying to get wire to a desired location will cost at least 10X more after construction than it would prior to drywall.  Don't be fooled that pre-wire consists of CAT5 and Coax to each room.  A thorough study of our site will show you there is much more to be concerned with.

As part of our full service design, CHC begins each project with consultation to understand the end desire of each homeowner from both a functional and a budgetary perspective.  After consultation, CHC will present a comprehensive wire design for review. Upon revision of the initial plan, a second meeting will be scheduled for final approval and plan submittal. Plans will be submitted complete with CAD floor plans, individual wire identification worksheets, recommended critical component specifications (thermostats, light switches, security panel, etc.), and a subcontractor bid worksheet.

Consultation/Design/Coordination - Trim & Schematics

Following the drywall phase of a project, CHC will design all wire termination points for each wire laid in the rough in phase. CHC will coordinate a trim meeting to discuss what wires are to be terminated and what wires to be left in the walls. Each termination will have a detailed schematic provided, complete with trim product specifications. AutoCAD plans, Head End layout and elevation plan, individual trim identification worksheet, and a subcontractor bid worksheet will be generated upon completion.

Consultation/Design/Coordination - Equipment & Components

Phase 3 will be initiated as close to project completion as possible, to extend maximum component cost savings on to the client. CHC will organize an equipment selection meeting and possible field trip to sample desired products (i.e.. AV components, computers, handhelds, touch screens, etc.).

CHC has found one of our greatest values to a client is our unbiased approach to electronics, because we are not incentivised by A/V component sales.  We base our recommendations on desired quality and established budgets.  Our interest is to empower a home owner to purchase as many electronics as possible, because the more electronics that are purchased, the more powerful an integration system will become.  Homeowners may purchase all desired electronics through 3 means:

1. Electronics may be supplied by a sub-contractor, affording the homeowner additional warranty on supplied/installed components.  Prior to equipment supply, CHC identifies each component with dealer costs to educate the homeowner on what a fair proposal should be.

2. CHC is connected to a large distribution channel of most major electronics manufacturers, which it extends to its clients.  As part of CHC consulting/design services, we specify all components and give the client the option of purchasing them direct from the manufacturer at cost.

3. To alleviate the work of personally procuring all products, CHC will manage the purchasing and delivery of all electronics for a small cost plus % fee.  This allows the homeowner to benefit from direct pricing while not bothering with managing the procurement.

Upon completion of design, CHC will submit comprehensive AutoCAD equipment plans, elevation drawings of major media walls, a complete recommended equipment list with dealer costs, and a subcontractor bid worksheet.

Integration & Logical Programming

As expert programmers of control systems, we focus much of our attention on the programming phase of a project.  We have a wealth of experience opening communication between systems that are not designed to understand each other.  Once each sub-system is connected and configured to "talk" to the main controller, a world of opportunity is opened to the automation system.  Setting the security system to leave is integrated to locking all doors, turning off all lights, setting back the thermostat, etc.  Garage door remotes trigger a welcome home scene that reverses the process.  Lights, HVAC, Windows, Door Locks, Pluming, Irrigation, Pools, Spas, Shades, Security, Telephone, Network, A/V Components, Theater, Audio System, etc. are all integrated into one great network.  While all systems are mandated to function independently for sub-contractor liability, they work as a symphony at the hands of an experienced programmer.  CHC integrates and programs all of the critical timed, conditional, and fixed events based on each homeowners lifestyle.

Graphical User Interface Programming

Once the logical programming is completed, CHC build the graphical user interface (GUI), which is what a homeowner uses to touch their automation system.  As proponents of open architecture systems, the most open GUI software is web pages, which can be developed by hundreds of HTML editors, programmed by millions of web masters, and displayed on most every computer in existence.  From Desktop Computers, to Laptops, Pocket PC's, Web Pads, Tablet PC's, In Wall PC's, Office Computers, etc, each device becomes a control point for the home.  The most beautiful part of this (aside from huge cost savings) is that when a homeowner is ready to buy a new touch screen, they can go to any electronics store, purchase their favorite one, simply input the home intranet site, and they have just added another control screen.

CHC meets with each client to propose layouts, look, and feel, and then creates a site customized completely to their desire for interaction.  As with logical programming, CHC extends the programming customization out for 1 year after occupancy for the homeowner to get a better sense of how they want to use the system.

Homeowner Training and Support

CHC spends as much time as necessary to help our clients learn how to use their home control system.  Whether a homeowner just wants to hit buttons on the web page, or get into programming the system down the road themselves, CHC will provide the training and support.

The possibilities one can imagine of having a professionally designed network of computers around your home opens a world of technology that can take years to figure out.  Our account management team goes by the title of "Technology Consultants", which means their primary responsibility is to train our clients to use technology to make their life better.  Once the infrastructure is in place, adding features to the system is typically accomplished by software.  Thus if you want voice mail routed to your email, a telephone call management system, digital music via MP3, or even streaming movies over the network to any connected computer, CHC will help you implement and learn the technology.