Case Study Q&A with Design Innovation

David Bradshaw from Design Innovation talks to us about Garden Cottage, a private family residential project in the UK, that has benefitted from the introduction of smart home technology. 

David, tell us more about Garden Cottage, what kind of property is it and who is the project designed for? 

The property is a contemporary (brick ground floor, clay wall-tiles to first floor, clay roof tiles) two storey, four bed new build with a small garden. The homeowners are a professional family with two children of primary school age. 

What were the homeowners' goals for their home automation project? 

The homeowner wanted integrated home automation to seamlessly manage entertainment systems, lighting and heating control and to be able to remotely manage and monitor security systems. The client wanted their entertainment system to be integrated, but with all the cables and wires for the speakers and TV’s to be concealed. 

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is high up on many homeowners' wish list now, and understandably so. This client wanted to maximise energy efficiency by having the ability to adjust the heating control on a room-by-room basis. 

Security

More and more people are stepping up their home security and for this project we were asked to provide a security system that gave piece of mind when the house was occupied, as well as providing remote monitoring. 

Futureproof

Finally, and one of the most important requests was that whatever solution was to be provided, it needed to be futureproof so that future additions or tweaks could be made as needed easily. To accommodate this, we installed additional cabling to provide options for future upgrades. 

Importantly, the solution we were asked to provide needed to be easy to use and be visually in-keeping with the modern look and feel of the home. 

There are lots of home automation systems on the market, what solution did you choose for this project and why? 

We specified KNX for the lighting and heating control, with Control4 managing the audio-visual systems, the CCTV, the security and the video doorbell, as well as providing a single, easy to use interface, for all of these systems. 

Using KNX removes any risk of failure of critical building management systems (BMS) such as lighting and heating due to a central processor failure, as KNX utilises distributed processing rather than a central processor. Furthermore, the homeowner’s investment is protected as KNX is a standard, not a company, with hundreds of manufacturers making interchangeable components, so they are not restricted to any one manufacturer.  

What products and brands did you select for this project? 

For the KNX wall keypads we used the Theben ION 104 keypads. These are a very attractive, keenly priced keypad offering an uncomplicated and are designed to be easy to use. They also allow for button customisation which helps homeowners to benefit from one of the biggest selling points of home automation, the ability to have one switch that controls multiple functions that can be tailored to the client’s preferences. 

For the lighting control we selected Theben dimmer modules (THEBEN DM 8-2 T KNX 8 x 200W Dimmed channels). These are reliable and help us to offer our clients fantastic dimmable LED lighting that is energy efficient. 

For the AV and security aspects of the project we used the following: 

• Control4 for the AV systems  
• Chime Video Doorbell 
• Dahau CCTV system (IHFW3841TZAS271 IP M/Pixel Ext D/N IR 8m Wizsense) 
• Texecom Alarm System 

For ease of use for the homeowner the systems whether KNX or Control4 can be operated using the Control4 App on a smartphone, tablet, a free standing or wall-mounted Control4 touchscreen. 

How did the project delivery go? Were there any surprises, or changes to the brief? 

Budget is almost always an important factor in any home building/renovating project and as futureproofing was so important to this client, we made sure that adding additional cabling infrastructure into the project at this stage was factored into their budget. By doing this, we have ensured that any future expansion of the system, as needs and budget allow, is straightforward and cost-effective.  

Initially, the client wasn’t interested in lighting control. They weren’t aware of the benefits it brings, but once we discussed with them how it supported their energy-saving goal and offered them additional convenience and simplicity, they decided to include it into the system design, and they now tell us that they wouldn’t want to be without it. 

We only ever suggest implementing solutions that meet with the client's goals and objectives and we don’t believe in overselling functionality that clients do not want or need. We aim to build trust with our clients so that they never feel under pressure to install systems they don’t need or will hardly ever use. 

What was the homeowner's reaction and feedback upon completion? 

As part of our projects, we always do a comprehensive handover with the homeowner. We took the time to introduce them to the functionality of their smart home system and make sure they knew how everything worked. This is so important, especially for homeowners who are new to home automation.  

Our client has given us some excellent feedback. They love the convenience of being able to control everything from their phone, especially checking in on their home and viewing the CCTV when they are abroad. 

Our client said,

“During our pre-contract dialogue, Design Innovation were very responsive and unlike other companies, seemed like they wanted our business. This was very important to us, and we were pleased to see that it continued throughout the project, being very willing and able to work with us to troubleshoot and problem solve. They worked with us and managed things to deliver the result we were looking for.

We were in discussions with other companies that were more local, on our doorstep, but we felt more comfortable with Design Innovation and the reality has been that when needed on-site, they were always available in totally reasonable timeframes. They did a great job of listening to us and coming up with a phased project that future proofed the system while staying within our budget.” 

For more information about Design Innovation visit their website. 

To help your clients understand how to choose the best control solution for their smart home see this blog.