Neat-O: Integrator Cleans Up Own Mess

We're pretty sure this is a first for Neat-O! - an integrator who wanted to show how he cleaned up his own mess.

But that's exactly what Brian Amideo, owner of the appropriately named Audio Video Rescue in Mesa, Ariz., had been waiting four years to do following this equipment rack installation that never sat well with him.

It took place when Amideo went to wire A/V and CCTV systems in this secondary residence for a longtime client, in a rural mountain town about three hours north of Phoenix.

An electrician wired the cabin according to Amideo's plans during construction, and the installation called for surround sound in the family room and bedroom, as well as two-channel music for loft and patio areas, routed to gear in an equipment closet.

Only problem: when Amideo arrived for the rack setup - as well as some other installation matters that he'd set aside three days for in all - it turned out that the equipment closet wasn't big enough. "It was only 15 inches deep, so guess what? None of this stuff will fit in here," Amideo recalls. "We brainstormed to get the top shelf of the [adjacent] pantry, figuring that would get it done. It's never what we wanted to do to begin with, but it was more a matter of having stuff done at the time and leaving him with a working system, or rescheduling for months away."

The understanding client basically told him to go for it. So Amideo stuffed two A/V receivers, two DVD players and two satellite boxes onto that top shelf, along with two Panamax strip-style surge protectors and multiswitch for the sat boxes. With such little breathing room, however, wires were left as a jumbled mess behind the components, ventilation was inadequate, and one of the receivers needed a piece of tile to sit evenly. "It was such a nightmare to put my name on it, and, of course, we never wanted to leave it that way," says Amideo.

But because he had such a good relationship with the client, and because the client continued to rely on Audio Video Rescue for additional projects, Amideo got a second chance and ended up producing one of the more intriguing rack setups we've seen. It actually came about because the client added on to this house, and Amideo recently outfitted the new area with localized systems run from a half-rack of gear that is tucked into a closet.

"When they saw how nice and organized things could look, it was like, 'Wow, why couldn't we do that in the main house,' and I said, 'That's what I've been trying to tell you for four years.'"

So began his own cleanup job, during which Amideo also served as pseudo carpenter on the solo effort. A full two days involved gutting the pantry, chopping and reconfiguring shelves, adding a plank to replace the one that had bowed thanks to the weight of the equipment over the years, and reconfiguring the wires.

The cables and wires were all extended to reach the OmniMount RSF rack, and separated into three bundles: power with coax, speaker wire, and data and Cat 5 or balun-extended cables.

The two DVD players are now networked LG and Samsung Blu-ray players, which are hard-wired to networking devices that are, ironically, located in the original closet. Small kitchen appliances now reside on the former A/V shelf. And the disaster that Amideo cooked up four years ago can now be illustrated as a recipe for success.

Congratulations to Brian Amideo for a Neat-O! installation. We're looking for over-the-top projects. Cool, unique, tidy or meticulous, share your best work with our readers. E-mail your submissions, with high-resolution images, to managing editor Arlen Schweiger at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).