Milwaukee/NARI Experts Know Technology is a Permanent Resident in Homes

Posted: Nov. 20, 2009

High-tech is highly personal. It used to be that technology in homes amounted to one-size-fits-all mass media, such as radio or network TV, broadcast into homes for all ages to enjoy at the same time. Now technology in homes means that very individual tastes and tailored home automation needs can be satisfied around the clock.

 

Members of the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council, Inc., the area’s leading home improvement and remodeling industry resource for more than 48 years, offer suggestions to homeowners of ways to enhance and update the technology in their homes.

 

Ron Lemke, outside custom sales representative at Flanner’s Home Entertainment in Brookfield, emphasizes how important it is to know the needs of the particular household. “I first ask, ‘Who else is living at home? Do you have kids, any teenagers, a spouse? Is TV a major part of your life? Is music a big part of your life?’ I don’t think of it as selling components in boxes. I think of it as their lifestyle,” he explains.

 

With Internet radio, custom radio programming can be accessed. “If music is a priority, music can be installed wirelessly, with a server and a user interface, for up to 20 streams simultaneously. There would be no wire through a structure. For a retrofit or remodel, this could be a good solution,” Lemke points out.

 

As users integrate more technology into their home, Lemke notes, the user interface is the most important part of a system. “It has to be easy for a baby sitter or grandmother to operate or it won’t be used to its potential. The way it’s designed and the control that is selected is the most important part,” he advises.

 

User interfaces could include a touch screen on a counter, an IPod, a custom-programmed universal controller, an in-wall keypad or touch pad, a computer, or a graphic user interface (GUI pronounced “gooey”) on the TV screen, with a simplified hand controller to navigate the GUI.

 

Plan for Remodeling

Joe Tynan, audio/video system designer at American TV & Appliance/Kennedy-Hahn Contract Sales in Waukesha, puts a focus on planning. “The main goals are to fit a budget, and gain a simple-to-use, reliable solution that has the ability to be expanded. It’s important to meet with a designer to plan ahead. While the walls are open, you can do pretty much anything but once the drywall is up, it’s 15 percent to 20 percent more to add a wire.”

 

Once the wiring is in place, Tynan notes, it’s easier to add a home theater, speakers over the pool table, or speakers poolside.

 

Systems could be basic, with a standard remote and volume knob in the wall for music or a home theater space. With more intricate home automation involving several rooms, consumers would still use a remote but could grow the system with wireless thermostats, zoned audio, or controlled light switches, among other choices.

 

Tynan tells of one client who started with a home theater automation system, which controlled her TV and DVDs. She added a first floor thermostat control and a separate second floor thermostat control. Eventually, she added lighting controls for nine light switches and a TV, activated by one button. Her house used wireless keypads and thermostats.

 

Tynan says some homes have a keypad that says “Goodnight.” It shuts off the lights, locks the doors, and closes the garage doors. “All the bells and whistles eventually lose their novelty,” he points out. “The question becomes, ‘How do you live with the technology and how does it make your quality of life better?’ A system that is designed right will keep reaching your goals.”

 

Wiring Panel Advised

Jamie Eurich, Electronic System Designer at America In-Home in Brookfield, agrees that more consumers are demanding the integration of their homes systems and the ability to remotely monitor these systems. He suggests the installation of a structured wiring panel as a way to neatly organize and distribute the phone, data, TV, and audio system wires for throughout the home.

 

Eurich advises consumers to conduct personal research with certified professionals and literature to learn about security systems, structured wiring, audio/video and home controls (cameras, lighting, heating and cooling). This will give homeowners the chance to see how all of these home systems can potentially be integrated.

 

An item to keep in mind for audio/video systems is a “tri-channel” speaker for surround-sound, Eurich notes. It can be a solution for providing the left, center, and right channel sound through a single speaker bar that can be mounted underneath or above the flat-panel TV or, in some cases, attached to the articulating wall mount bracket.

 

The Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council was chartered in July 1961, as a Chapter of the National Home Improvement Council. In May of 1982, the National Home Improvement Council merged with the National Remodelers Association to form NARI – the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

 

The Council’s goals of encouraging ethical conduct, professionalism, and sound business practices in the remodeling industry have led to the remodeling industry’s growth and made NARI a recognized authority in that industry. With over 900 members, the Milwaukee Chapter is the nation’s largest.

 

For more information or to receive a free copy of an annual membership roster listing all members alphabetically and by category, and the booklet, “Milwaukee/NARI's Remodeling Guide,” call (414) 771-4071 or visit the Council’s Web site at www.milwaukeenari.org.