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Structuring the Future

Builders who install structured wire set themselves up for future profit, gain marketing strength and give clients technological flexibility.

By Maureen Alley

One benefit of structured wiring is the resale value it adds. It also adds a competitive advantage when selling a house in a tough market.

NTX SA de CV, Naucalpan Edo de Mexico, Mexico

Homeowners are savvy enough to know the importance of including structured wiring in their homes. Builders should know, too.

Photo: NTX SA de CV, Naucalpan Edo de Mexico, Mexico

Builders who collaborate with electronic systems integrators create an advantage over their competitors. They can create packages that benefit the builder, integrator and homeowner.

Photo: NTX SA de CV, Naucalpan Edo de Mexico, Mexico

Once the proper infrastructure of structured wiring is behind the walls, it makes it easier for a homeowner to get upgrades in the future.

Photo: Engineered Environments, Alameda, Calif.

Some builders choose to use electricians for basic wire pulling due to cost. However, involving an electronic systems integrator can maximize the effectiveness of home theater rooms such as this one.

Some believe wired options are more reliable and secure than wireless systems. Interference can be a problem with some wireless technology. Here, wiring is pulled and centralized for home control products.

Structured wiring can offer homeowners technological flexibility and convenience, as well as set them up for future technology upgrades. At the same time, builders can gain profitability and marketability. But the first steps are to understand who should install it, and that the benefits to both builder and homeowner outweigh any costs.

Builders typically keep homeowners on track during construction, helping them sift through the many choices available while serving as a resource when tough decisions pop up. This is why builders should bring structured wiring into the first conversations they have with clients.

�Homeowners can be presented with options, but it requires the builder to promote [structured wiring] and offer an education process to get them to buy. During the first 15 minutes with a client, we�re talking about what�s behind the wall,� says Robert Lord, president of St. Charles, Ill.-based Robert Lord Builders.

Future Profit

Once structured wiring is in the walls, it allows a homeowner to come back to a builder years later and add a multitude of technologies, something which is much more difficult if the wiring isn�t there. �During the construction phase is the single cheapest time to wire a house. It makes sense to pay a little more upfront to get a proper infrastructure in place. Once the infrastructure is in place, there is tremendous flexibility,� says Peter Cook, president, Automation Design & Entertainment, Portage, Mich.

Structured wiring provides homeowners with endless amounts of upgrade opportunities, and builders with the chance to make more money on those upgrades. Sometimes, the homeowner initially will only use the wiring for television, phone and Internet, and come back years later for upgrades. �One of our clients planned to use only the wireless capabilities and after one year they wanted a whole-home automation system. Thank goodness we did the wiring when we did because it made it pretty simple to come in and do what we needed,� says Curtis Perlman, vice president, Empeco Custom Builders, Vernon Hills, Ill.

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