All Articles Tagged Retrofit

Jason Knott | 01/20 06:41 AM, 0 Comments

After a slow start, home improvement spending is expected to trend up in 2012, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. If this momentum continues to build during the second half of 2012, remodeling activity is on course to end 2012 on a positive note. “We’re beginning to see some hopeful signs in the economy, and the housing market is finally starting its slow recovery,” says Eric S. Belsky, managing director of… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/31 11:33 AM, 0 Comments

Ever since the EPA debuted its lead paint abatement requirements, fur has been flying between the agency and various building associations, particularly the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Now, it appears some of the association’s efforts have paid off, with certain requirements of the law softened that will make it easier for integrators to comply with the law when retrofitting pre-1978 homes. No Third-Party Testing Required: The EPA has agreed to not require third-party, post-project clearance testing. Previously, contractors would have been required to hire an independent tester to… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/18 07:15 AM, 1 Comment

In another signal for CE pros to focus on the existing home market, remodeling activity hit a record high in the summer of 2011. According to the BuildFax Remodeling Index (BFRI) for August 2011, remodeling activity was up 9.5 percent in August compared to 2010. BuildFax also released data that shows, based on its national footprint of permit data, an estimate of over 3.3 million residential remodeling projects will be permitted in 2011. This figure is up from the estimated 3.1 million residential remodeling projects that were permitted in 2010,… View this story

Robert Archer | 09/30 06:58 AM,

Crestron has always been one of the most proactive manufacturers in the entire custom electronics industry and its new Cameo keypads takes the company's familiar keypad product and adds more versatility to this popular product line. Recently the New Jersey-based company upgraded the Cameo line with new options that include wired and wireless connectivity through the use of its InfiNET EX wireless technologies; new button configurations, a choice of colors and new contemporary industrial designs. Crestron says with the newly added options custom electronics professionals will have more ways to… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 09/21 04:53 AM, 0 Comments

The company is called Future Automation, but the products are certainly ready for the present, and some of them are especially suitable for the past. That's why the Hertfordshire, England-based manufacturer of high-end mounts and lifts made its first appearance as an exhibitor at CEDIA Expo 2011 in Indianapolis, and why Future Automation is planning a British invasion of the U.S. custom installation market. Commercial director Ollie French seemed to have a blast in the company's booth demonstrating the many ways Future Automation can make flat-panel displays hide and reveal… View this story

Petro Shimonishi | 09/10 03:21 AM, 0 Comments

Wireless subwoofers are all the rage these days, but Sunfire is taking a different approach with the new Wireless Subwoofer Kit, which allows users to add wireless capabilities to any powered subwoofer. As a longtime specialist in subwoofers, why wouldn’t Sunfire - a member of Nortek's AVC Group - just ship a range of subs with wireless technology built in? Why make a kit? Mark Weisenberg, managing director for Sunfire says, “We did this because of two main reasons: flexibility for our customers who want to offer an easy upgrade… View this story

Jason Knott | 08/19 12:31 PM, 0 Comments

In a sign that continues to bode well for integrators focusing on the existing home/retrofit market, remodeling activity by U.S. homeowners hit a record level in June, up a whopping 23 percent over last year and up for the 20th month in a row, BuildFax says. BuildFax just released its Residential BuildFax Remodeling Index that is based on construction permits filed with local building departments across the country. The index is at 129.5 (100 is the baseline that shows positive growth vs. contraction in terms of permits being pulled) compared… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 08/04 09:09 AM, 2 Comments

Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Central Coast Audio Visual was originally brought into this project to replace four outdoor televisions, and its “Neat-O” work and professional work ethic led to a whole-house retrofit project. Regarding the outdoor TVs, the original integrator had installed standard TVs, and over a year’s span in the sunny Southern California climate every one of them had failed, says CCAV owner Chris Wilson. So the seed of this project was their replacement with SunBriteTV all-weather displays. “At this point we thought our project was over,” Wilson notes. But… View this story

Maxine Giza | 07/08 08:08 AM, 1 Comment

Not every home is built with a dedicated home theater. A little remodeling here and there helped these homeowners change that. These once underused spaces have been transformed into awesome home theaters. Need some ideas for your next install? Look no further. These homes went from drab and cluttered to high-end home theaters. We've rounded up some incredible before-and-after home theaters. Click here for 5 Awesome Home Theater Makeovers. View this story

Grant Clauser | 06/13 07:57 AM, 1 Comment

Most people have already made the move from standard definition TV to HDTV, but what if that move requires you to change a valued piece of furniture? That was the case with a client of Ben Marlow, who runs Booyah Technologies in Hatfield, PA. This client had an old Sony CRT TV in a large cabinet and armoire in their bedroom. While the rest of the house had already migrated to HDTVs, the homeowners had hesitated with the bedroom set because they knew they’d have to get rid of the… View this story