The cost of a premium project: what does budget and installation time consist of?
Harmony in all things.
Our approach to project costing is absolutely transparent and understandable to every customer. At any stage of preparation of the calculation he can make changes and wishes. Our goal is to create a system and make the costs fully justified.
The cost of each project is calculated individually. Each facility has its own design characteristics, especially if it is already in operation. However, there is a common strategy to prepare the project for costing and installation time. In this article we will answer the most common questions of our customers.
Each customer can choose his own equipment, but it is worth remembering the so-called “law of three rules”:
- Qualitatively
- Quickly
- Cheap
Unfortunately, it is only possible to choose two points out of three. Therefore, it is important to realise that neglecting one aspect will inevitably affect the other.
Overall budget and project preparation.
At this stage, we discuss with the customer the global objectives for the automation of the facility, including access control, security, lighting, climate control, video surveillance and other functions. In the case of apartments, we define the key control zones. In the case of a private house with an adjacent area (garden, swimming pool, pergolas), we work out each object separately and its control zones.
After agreeing on the general concept, our engineers create an estimated budget for the future project, calculate the cost of the equipment and the expected work globally on the site. If we know all the additional systems that are already installed or will be installed, we can preliminarily estimate their integration budget.
Commercial proposal and estimate.
When there is an understanding of the overall budget for the project, priorities for system installation are agreed and the details of each control area are discussed. The cost can vary depending on the functionality desired. Basic functionality is always cheaper, but if you want to build in features for the future, this may increase the cost.
The calculation of the estimate begins after the prepayment is made (approximately 10% of the total project cost). This stage raises questions, but it is important to realise that the preparation of the project requires the work of highly qualified specialists, a lot of clarification and coordination with the owner, with designers and architects, and with all the crews working on the site. If a contract is signed, this prepayment is factored into the total cost of the project.
Why is it so expensive?
This question arises often, but the answer is simple: we only work with equipment premium level. All smart home equipment from Loxone – Austria, Ubiquiti equipment – USA, which provides seamless WiFi networks, access control, video surveillance with artificial intelligence. SunSynk solar power inverters – England. All this equipment, is developed by the best engineers and programmers. All the equipment we work with meets all modern standards and safety requirements.
It is important to understand that the price of such systems is formed by the manufacturers and also includes taxes, shipping and, in some cases, licence fees. It is an investment in the comfort, safety and long-term reliability of your smart home.
What's taking so long?
Depending on the scale of the facility and the number of zones to be monitored, the design takes a lot of time. After the budget for the future project has been formed, a technical specification is prepared with: a detailed description of the object, a list of works to be performed, the final result for the customer and possible modernisations in the future. Then the estimate is calculated: distribution boards, equipment, cable conductors, consumables, scope of work.
If the object for installing a smart home and automation system is already in use, this adds to the difficulty of laying cables without damaging walls and ceilings. In such cases, wireless units are often used, which, however, are not always able to solve the tasks at hand. A small example of a common misconception: The customer dreams of cameras with wireless communication, completely forgetting that any camera needs a power supply.
If the facility is under construction or major renovation, it is necessary to control every stage of the work of the repair crews. It is important to determine in advance the locations of distribution boards, lay the necessary power and signal cables to all zones and control points. Then comes the stage of equipment installation, and our software engineers develop system configuration programmes in accordance with the technical specifications. As the construction or renovation work is completed, the systems are tested and adjusted according to the customer’s wishes. Before handover, when general cleaning is carried out, the operation of the systems is checked: curtain control, sensors, sensors, lighting fixtures, decorative lighting, WiFi network and so on. Even after handover, all family members are trained and the installed systems are monitored 24/7/365.
This is a brief overview of key smart home and automation deployments. This description does not cover other additional systems that can be integrated into a single ecosystem. It is important to realise that such systems are not installed for two or three years, but for the lifetime of the facility. Any lack of forethought at the outset can lead to serious problems in the future. This is often the case with self-taught, inexperienced customers or when the installation is entrusted to the “son of a mum’s friend”.
