High wire act: an installer can help juggle electronic systems and specialist

Custom Home, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Scott Gibson

One piece of equipment that can cause a problem is the television. Not only do televisions come in all sizes, but they are often fitted in specially made--and expensive--cabinets that must be ordered months in advance. "We should know whether a 42-inch or a 50-inch plasma is the choice," Hayes says. "We should know the brand of it before the first 2x4 gets cut. We should know the exact dimensions. We should know where the plug is. We should know where the cables are running to and from. We should know what doors are going to cover things up long before the cabinetmaker is ever talked to."

Locking in specific makes and models of televisions or other unique electronic components helps avoid expensive change orders later. Hayes and Mulfinger also suggest making cabinetry and electronics closets as flexible as possible so that some changes in hardware can be accommodated without expensive rebuilds. "We ask that they start designing media centers that are flexible," says Hayes. "Don't give me a rigidly built cabinet that I can only fit one size TV in. Give me a cabinet with pin shelves and vertical stanchions so I can move them. I don't want to throw that cabinet away in two years"

Mulfinger avoids burying equipment in inaccessible places. He favors hardware cabinets that can be opened from the back, possibly from an adjacent room or closet, to make equipment changes easier.

Get paid for extra work

Builders who turn over electronics work to another vendor still have to make sure the work gets done and the house is finished on time. That may require extra management, and extra time. Stanton typically charges 10 percent to 15 percent on those contracts to cover extra work he'll devote to the project. Customarily working on a time-and-materials basis, Beardsley adds a 15 percent general contracting fee to any cost associated with construction--including audiovisual installations. But he doesn't look for a separate markup on any materials or equipment he orders for the client.

"I probably don't make as much money as some others," Beardsley says. "I don't take my lumberyard package and add something to it and then at the bottom, at my fee line, add it again. There are many ways to cut that up, but when somebody looks at one of my bids or estimates and sees my general contracting line, that's all the money I make. It's very obvious. It's pretty open Bald honest."

Hayes doesn't offer any financial incentives to builders who may call him, but he does suggest they mark up labor and equipment proportional to the project management that will be required. "They should be paid for all the time they're spending making sure the thing gets done fight," Hayes says. "I've never, ever, run into a homeowner who says, 'There's no way I'm paying that.' They all go, 'Of course you'll get paid for your time.' The weird part for me is how many builders are reluctant to have that conversation with their clients."

With planning, even complex jobs can be executed smoothly. Stanton's last job, for example, was an 8,700-square-foot house on Long Island Sound that included eight televisions, a home theater, two 400-CD changers in the basement, and plenty of other gadgets. The project took 2 1/2 years to build. Months after moving the clients into their new $3 million home, Stanton was finishing up construction details. He had handled a total of 54 change orders.