What Do You Want?

When the final coat of paint is on the walls; when the movers are finally out; when the builder hands over the keys; there is only one person that is going to have to live with the decisions made during the construction process - YOU!

During every project there are changes that inevitably occur. In our industry, many of those changes are brought about by our clients not knowing what they want until after the project is underway. We have included a list of key questions that you may want to think about before and after our first meeting together. Getting together with all parties involved in decision making and agreeing on key aspects of your project will cut down change orders tremendously. Often, these decisions only take a short amount of time to conclude, but when you wait until the last moment it can put the project on hold or cause scheduling conflicts with subcontractors.

We want you to have a good experience and excited about the final results of your project. You can help make that possible by taking some time and pondering the following questions. During your first meeting with us, we can show you examples and colors.

Of course, not all decisions have to be made right away. For example, the color of the keypads may not be essential, but it is possible that the color you may really want is not avaible in all styles of keypads. So it may be important to have some idea of your colors.

All these things can be discussed with your project designer, so don't get overwhelmed :) We are here to help! This list is just to give you an idea of some things to think about.

• What color keypads would I like in my house? Here is an example of the color options available for one style of keypads
  
• What style keypads would I want in my house? Here are a few examples of different styles of keypads available. With some keypads you can get additional trim styles as well
  
• Are aesthetics or audio/video quality more important to me? Due to house structure, room layout, or a variance of other nuances, it may be necessary to make a decision of aesthetics vs audio video quality. An example of this might be whether to build a custom cabinet and have bookshelf speaker, or do in-ceiling speakers which are out of sight.
• What is my ideal budget for all the integration in my house?
• Do I have a separate budget for a media room or home theater?
• I have read through your services and I don't see "X" listed. Does CSH offer this service?
• Is a local company important to me...someone that can service my house if something unexpectantly breaks?
• Is this my primary or secondary residence? People vary on what they consider to be a necessity when their budget begins to deplete. As a secondary residence, it may be of absolute importance that you have remote access to your Heating and Cooling if your house is in a humid location so you can prevent mildew. As a primary residence, security may be of more value to you.
• Do I vacation for long periods of time? If you vacation more than two days, you may want to consider installing several cameras so you can monitor your house remotely. Also, access to other systems in your house may become more desirable if you go on long vacations.
• Is there a room in my house that I can set aside as a dedicated theater?
• Where in my house plans do I have room to add a rack or two for equipment with service space?
• Will I frequently have overnight guests staying at my house?
• Is my house big enough for it to be undesirable to walk through the house in the morning or at night turning off lights?
• Is it important to me to monitor my energy usage in an effort to protect the environment?
• Do I own a boat? Is easy access to weather information important to me?
• Do I want my TVs hidden by artwork so they are not the focal point of the room?
• Do I prefer my TV mounted on the wall or sitting on furniture?
• Is there any place where I might want my TV recessed in the wall?
• Bookshelf speakers provide better sound, but would I rather have in-ceiling or in-wall speakers in some areas of my house?
• Is it important to me to be prepared for changes in future technology?
• How good is my eyesight? Though this question may sound ridiculous, it is important to know. If your eyesight is declining, it may be helpful in determining the size of your TV in say, your bedroom. Where we might recommend a 32" TV normally, knowing of a poor eyesight condition might lead us to recommend a 50" so text is easier to read.
• How important is ease of use or my system?