Design

The Chesapeake Smart Homes design process begins with an initial client interview to establish a baseline of that client’s particular needs and preferences. Accompanied by our company President or a project manager, a member of our design team attends this meeting. This facilitates direct communication between the client and designer, creating a personal interest and relationship for the design process. This meeting often begins at the site of a client’s new home and concludes with a visit to one or more finished showcase properties. These properties include our office showroom on Kent Island, MD, our show house in downtown Annapolis, MD, and multiple client homes in the area. Allowing a prospective client to see multiple examples of our finished products in different environments helps them tie their preconceived notions and ideas to the newly discovered possibilities and discussions with our staff.

The notes and ideas from this meeting are carried over to an outlet layout on the CAD plans obtained from the client’s architect. There are two main concerns at this point in the process. The first concern is the rough-in wiring necessary to support the equipment that is both currently desired and for any future updates or additions. The second concern is establishing exact locations for outlets, speakers, equipment locations, control panel locations, etc. to custom-fit the client’s lifestyle. This phase of design also includes job reports by phase and location within the home from D-Tools System Integration Software; our A/V system design, estimation, and documentation software. These reports are usually shown for rough-in phase materials (wire and materials), trim phase equipment (equipment to “fill wall holes” and related accessories), and finish equipment (necessary equipment to complete the installation - the exciting phase). Prices and quantities of each necessary item are included in these reports as well.

The second meeting is a review of the house plans, usually at the construction site. Locations of devices and outlets are more precisely determined during a walk-through of the home. Equipment is discussed in relation to wire installation and the overall functionality the client expects upon job completion.

Once we have completed an initial design, the client owns the design and is free to use our specifications if they wish to bid the job with other companies as well. Should the client wish to move forward with us, we develop a budget, monitor the budget, and provide analyses of the cost to complete the project as the scope changes or adjusts.