portfolio
Leading designers, architects, and developers look to SHS to help deliver state-of-the-art technology to their projects and exceed their clients’ expectations.
SHS is proud to be involved with the following:
Lynn Valley Project
3000 square Foot, 2 bedrooms, fully renovated home
A recent North Vancouver project had SmartHomeShop building a solution for one of our youngest clients. He wanted SmartHomeShop to build a system that complimented his social and active lifestyle while looking at his patterns of usage within his home.
His main focus was his media room. “Big TV, Quality Sound” was the direction he gave us. After a few qualifying questions we developed a solution that has impressed his friends whether it was while watching the big game, playing Play Station or hosting parties.
For most of our projects, we usually build an integrated tower with all the necessary components. In this particular project, the components are impressively embedded in some custom cabinetry that gives a very clean look to the media room.
SmartHomeShop likes to install the easy to use in-wall touch screen that really simplified the operation of the system. The client is also able to access his Shaw box, DVD’s and music collection from his master bedroom/bathroom, newly installed kitchen, office and hot tub. This system really does compliment how he lives.
British Properties Project
4500 square foot, 4 bedroom, fully renovated home with rear addition – family of 4.
Understanding trends in common retail electronics is one of SmartHomeShop's most enjoyable tasks. When working with a household of four in West Vancouver we were constantly asked “How do we get our children’s IPods to play in their bathrooms?” “How do we get the movies our children have on their laptops to play on our TV?” “How do I have the internet in the kitchen without any cords so I can look up recipes” “Can my husband have HD in his office?” All of these requests were met by listening to their needs, researching common electronics and having solid knowledge of our systems potentials.
This family can seamlessly play their IPods in multiple rooms - all from a central location. Their friends can bring over laptops and play movies and music through the systems and of course the husband has HD in his office.
The main media room has a 42” HD LCD centered above a fireplace. The panel is easily articulated to be viewed in the kitchen and island. The front portion of the surround sound emits from a custom single flush mounted speaker installed directly under the TV. The rear speakers are installed in the bulkhead above the couch while the subwoofer is installed in the wall and painted over. The results are outstanding sound and the look is clean and simple.Richmond Project
5000 square foot, new home with an open concept – family of 5
The majority of SmartHomeShop's clientele are in the process of building a new home. How do you begin to build a Smart Home? At SmartHomeShop we pride ourselves on taking the time to educate the client on the steps needed to build a connected home. It all begins with outlining technology-based trends in modern home building. From the basics of building a home network, all the way to describing how we work as a liaison with your trades and design team - SmartHomeShop is with you every step of the way.
For this project SmartHomeShop was working with a client deemed as “high use”. A high use client is one who will use the system in multiple rooms on a daily basis. When meeting with the family, we recognized the need for a bullet-proof network capable of sustaining three girls in university and two home offices. Educating them on the hardware, installation and network capabilities was much appreciated on their part.
The next step was to inform the contractor what we needed from their electrician. Examples include locations of power outlets for all equipment and logical location of controlled lighting hardware. Other examples include: consulting with the HVAC installer to ensure the component rack is kept cool, meeting with the designer to ensure the in-ceiling speakers do not influence their lighting plan, and working with their mill worker to ensure the trim for the theatre covers only the outside edges of the 100” screen - the list is endless and the client is informed every step of the way.
By educating all involved of our processes the project had a flawless finish. The center logo of each TV is in direct symmetry to the two cabinet doors below. Controlled lighting hardware is in logical places and does not look cluttered. Each user has the network bandwidth to keep up with their schooling requirements and the pets do not set off the security system. It is a pleasure to deliver on the high demands of the customer and rewarding to know that the system will be getting used to its fullest potential.
South Granville Project
500 square foot room that has been renovated for cinematic theatre
The term “home theatre” is quite broad. Many retailers offer an entry level solution and many installation companies can even come to your home, hide the wires and program the remote. SmartHomeShop can engineer a more captivating in-home cinema experience than a conventional movie theatre. Engineering a “dedicated theatre” is a project that requires tremendous planning but more importantly it involves listening. Each customer has their own standard and expectation of what they consider to be “good sound”. Through the combination of listening to the customers’ requests and understanding our products’ potentials, allows SmartHomeShop the ability to tailor a theatre to any level.
By offering in-house THX certified employees, SmartHomeShop ensures a true surround sound experience. Working with your trades on your new-home build or working with an existing room in your house, we follow the same steps. The first is sound proofing the environment. Sound absorption and dispersion is second. You may have a room that can keep sound in but the toughest task is to ensure the environment is dense. Providing acoustical panels to absorb sound not only delivers the basis for the theatre’s aesthetics but plays the largest part in sound dampening. Third, SmartHomeShop will look at the overall size of room, recommend speaker configuration and the type of viewing platform, whether it be a projector and screen or flat panel TV – even up to 120” HD TV!! Fourth, SmartHomeShop plots placement of the projector in relationship to screen location, optimal seating configurations and location of speakers. Calibration is the final step. SmartHomeShop will calibrate the projector with the proper throw distance and resolution to ensure a flawless picture. Calibration ties everything together to allow your dedicated theatre to put a conventional movie theatre to shame.
For one of our projects SmartHomeShop was asked to build a theatre for a client who lives overseas. How then do you “listen” to your client to gauge their expectation for performance – especially when we don’t even speak the same language? Via email, SmartHomeShop asked the client to email photos off the web of what he considered to be an adequate theatre. By evaluating the extent of these projects we were able to gauge exactly what he was expecting. Developing a product list, product placement and overall layout was the easy part. The challenging part was working with their designer and trades to conceive a theme that appealed to the tastes of a different culture and maintained the consistency of the homes décor.
The final outcome was breath taking. Finished custom millwork elegantly frames the 100” drop-down screen. Recessed in-wall speakers sing with clarity and in-cabinet sub-woofers thunder with poise. The 1080p HD projector displays his Blu-Ray DVD player with the utmost crispness while the custom remote has icons he can identify to seamlessly switch sources. Attention to detail also showed in many other areas of the project. Examples include configuring seating arrangements before construction to ensure proper location of in-floor power outlets to accommodate motorized theatre seating, thus hiding all power cords. Planning future locations of lighting fixtures ensured symmetry of wall sconces with in-wall speakers and finally planning for in-ceiling fans above the component closet to ensure all equipment stays cool. In the end SmartHomeShop delivered an in-home cinema experience that blows away a conventional movie theatre.
Caulfield Project
4 rooms on main floor of a 6000 square foot home for empty nesters.
Some of the clients that come to SmartHomeShop have existing wiring in their finished homes. Although this infrastructure may be difficult to incorporate into modern systems, SmartHomeShop is able to diversify many pre-conceived wiring strategies to give the client the functionality they are looking for.
This home had been pre-wired for sound by the electrician during a major renovation 3 years ago. The client gave SmartHomeShop the overall scope of what they envisioned. The client wanted one main surround sound or “media room” that had the potential for movies, HDTV and IPod playback. The client also asked for “distributed music” for the remaining three rooms and the patio on the main floor. With their existing wiring in place they asked that the media room play independently of the other three.
The existing wiring concept was a little dated and the wires were hidden in the ceiling with no records or photographs. The destination point of all speaker wire ended up in an undesirable location in the basement and the client wanted all the components in custom cabinetry in the media room. Where do we begin? By “toning” the home we located the other end of all the speaker wires in the ceiling. The next step was to educate the client on what measures had to be taken to re-route the speaker wires to the desired location in the media room. Once the trouble shooting was taken care of, the client became extremely excited about the final outcome.
This project came to a head with the media room housing a 42” HD LCD angled off the corner ensuring it did not block their view of the ocean. This solution gives a great surround effect while satisfying the clients' desire for a clean look. In-ceiling rear speaker centered above the couch complement the sound from the front stage. The subwoofer is an in-wall solution placed in an inconspicuous location. Both SmartHomeShop and the customer were very pleased with the results from a not so perfect beginning.
Deep Cove Project
6200 square foot new home for a couple without children
Vancouver’s real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down. Many people have made it their profession to build homes with the intention of resale. Those who have made this their livelihood and those building with the intention of long-term occupancy realize the need to incorporate this modern home building trend. The key is to develop a strategy that differentiates their listing in the market place and ensures a return on their investment.
“I’m only going to live here for a year; I don’t want to go overboard”. SmartHomeShop hears this concern on a consistent basis. We tailor these systems based on scalability and focus on the areas of the home that will see the most use. Of course we always recommend going forward with a complete pre-wire strategy keeping all doors open to expand the system at any time. SmartHomeShop usually sees these types of clients going forward with the same scope. Phone, internet and cable runs throughout, main media room, small LCD with in-ceiling speakers in the kitchen or master bed and outdoor music – all running from a central location.
For this specific project, this client wanted to list the home as a “smart home” and have some tasteful accents to wow potential buyers upon entry without blowing his budget. Programmed, controlled lighting scenes sequentially light up a pathway from the front door to the open concept kitchen / great room. The kitchen has an inviting feel with a 26” HD LCD recessed into custom millwork and is complimented by brilliant sound from the in-ceiling speakers centered outside the island pots. The work station is outfitted with hidden internet and phone jacks, and still keeps the user in line-of-site of the TV. The client can pipe music to the outdoor room with ease and even has the option of bringing out a remote. The main media room offers a captivating experience, while complementing the modern look of the home with sleek on-wall speakers. All bedrooms upstairs are outfitted for the provision of being added to the system, but also come with dedicated phone, internet and cable runs.
Usually it isn’t long before the client is adding to the system. “I love it so much I may not move!” Tailoring a system to a family’s life style or to a contractors side project for the purpose of resale is one of SmartHomeShop’s specialties.