After nearly a quarter-century in the business, Theater Advice has designed and integrated a vast array of technology solutions for residential projects of all sizes, styles, and scopes. From plans that entail massive distributed AV systems and dedicated theaters to elaborate shading and lighting systems; catering to clients who want everything hidden to those that want to admire their investments; providing the personalized system for families that entertain frequently or not at all, Theater Advices’ portfolio is about as diverse and broad as they come. But nothing prepared the team for this project. Unique features and applications of technology resonate throughout the 12,000-square-foot estate, requiring Theater Advice to approach and implement technology in a whole new way, as CEO David Huse explains.
There are a host of interesting ways to welcome guests to a home via technology — brightening the lights as they approach the front door, using the doorbell to activate music, programming a pathway of lights from the driveway to the entrance as a car enters the property, for example.
Equipment List:
- Control4 controls
- Triad, Origin Acoustics, Episode speakers
- JL Audio, Definitive Technology subwoofers
- Integra receiver
- Samsung, SunBrite, Séura displays
- Epson projector
- Screen Innovations screen
- Strong mounts, rack
- Araknis network
- Binary AV distribution
- Wattbox power
- Luma surveillance cameras
Theater Advice raised the Welcome bar further by presenting to dinner party guests a beautifully scripted list of courses on the menu. The Menu is displayed on a 19-inch Séura TV flush-mounted to a wall in the foyer. The integrators also connected the display directly to a PC hidden in a nearby closet so the owners can conveniently key in the bill of fare.
Impressive Home Theater Really Belongs to The Dogs
The dedicated theater is impressive in and of itself, fitted with a 170-screen from Screen Innovations, 11-channel Dolby Atmos audio comprising color-matched Triad in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, Epson projector and three rows of seating.
But it’s what’s hidden under the last row of chairs that sets this entertainment escape apart. As family members and their beloved pets settle into the grand entertainment space, the last thing they want to do is leave the room to let the dogs out. A hidden door built underneath the last row precludes the interruption. The dogs can exit on their own — into an air-conditioned, monitored kennel. From there, they are free to roam to a fenced outdoor dog run, Huse says. All the while, the owners can access the surveillance cameras and see the dogs via the Control4 app on their smartphones or the home theater screen.
Also receiving a unique touch of technology is the master bathroom. Here, positioned over the urinal is a 19-inch Séura TV. Simply turning on the bathroom light signals the display to activate and tune to ESPN. The opposite happens when the light is turned off.
There isn’t a place on the property where the family doesn’t have high-res streaming music or video nearby; all told the project incorporated 22 audio zones and a dozen video zones.
Despite having to work around a lot of cement and retaining walls outside, Huse notes, Theater Advice was able to add Origin Bollard speakers to the landscape by the lazy river and adjoining swimming pool, sports court, and putting green. All of the common areas have a display, and even some of the closets, the patio, and two in the kids’ 1,500-square-foot “bunk house” on the third floor, one of which dedicated to gaming.
The size and scope of this project demanded well-choreographed control system and Theater Advice truly delivered a home run of a final product, so much so that the install recently won a CE Pro Home of the Year Award for the best whole-house smart home over $150,000.
Some elements, like Screen Innovations motorized Nano shades, are automated to adjust per a pre-determined scheduled programmed into the Control4 platform. Other adjustments happen via voice command or a tap of a button of one of many Control4 touchscreens and handheld remotely located conveniently throughout the home. It’s what makes this “test-bed” of innovative applications of technology feel like an integral part of a comfortable, well-managed home.
