How We Work
A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Use our "issues to consider" guide to start thinking about how you and your family might like to live in your new home.

2. We suggest an initial meeting with one of our system designers. This meeting is obligation free and will last approximately one (1) hour. Our experience in the industry spans some 30 years and our company has been recognized by the receipt of various industry awards. During this meeting we will guide you through some of the complex technology issues which need to be addressed to deliver an integrated lifestyle solution for your new home. The outcome of this meeting will provide some high level indicative budgets for discussed systems to assist in determining their priority in your overall lifestyle solution.

3. A summary report of our initial meeting will be provided within 10 working days. The report will provide an overview of the recommended concept design discussed along with some indicative budgets for the system. Any further clarification of your requirements will also be raised within the summary report, and we may require some feedback from you during the preparation of this report to ensure we have accurately captured all your lifestyle requirements.

4. The summary report will also include a quote to proceed to the detailed design stage of the process. An authority to proceed form, which can be signed and returned to howdoi, is provided to allow us to proceed to the next phase of the process. This initial investment will allow our designers to develop a detailed design of the solution. This process allows us to provide you with fully budgeted proposal.

5. Presentation of detailed design. Within 10 working days you will be presented with a quotation for your lifestyle solution. During the presentation you have the opportunity to make any changes to the functional requirements and use the opportunity to better understand the proposed solution, how you will interact with the system and feel free to ask any questions regarding the proposed concept solution.

6. Final proposal. Having approved the concept plan and being satisfied we have designed a solution which will meet your requested functional requirements, we now make any required changes to the detailed design presented above and provide a firm contractual price for the lifestyle system. Within 5 working days you will be provided with a Letter of Engagement which provides a summary of each sub-system required to create your lifestyle solution. Upon signing of the Letter of Engagement the attached 25% deposit invoice will be presented for payment.

7. Working Drawings. On signing of the Letter of Engagement, the next step is for our designers to prepare detailed cabling and equipment plans. This will usually take between 10 and 20 working days depending on the complexity of the solution. Where your architects can provide howdoi.com with your building plans in .dwg (AutoCAD) format, we will issue electronically marked up plans with all cable layouts required for the pre-wire stage of the project. If electronic plans are not available, a detailed cable schedule will be prepared and a manual mark-up of the plans will be undertaken. These plans can then be forwarded to your builder to ensure they are fully aware of the role howdoi.com will play in the overall construction of your new home. At this time howdoi.com would also make an appointment to meet with your builders to discuss the project plan for the house and co-ordinate required site works with the builder and co-ordinate interaction with any other trades on-site such as HVAC contractors.
8. Commencement of Rough-in. Your working drawings have been completed and our technicians will commence the rough-in stage of the project. The rough-in works are usually undertaken after the electrician has completed the 240 volt prewire (where howdoi.com is not undertaking electrical works), and will be completed as close to the sheeting of plaster as possible. This minimizes the risk of damage to sensitive cables and allows our specialist technicians to ensure proper segregation of audio / video cabling to meet industry requirements and maximize system performance.

9. Pre-plaster walk through. We request a final walk through with you just prior to the commencement of plaster being hung. This allows us to check all cable locations, screen positions etc before any plaster is installed. This is the last opportunity to make any additions, moves or changes to the system.

10. Cut-out Stage. After completion of initial plastering, our cabling team will return to site and ensure all required cables are cut-out through the plaster. The cut-out process is undertaken prior to final patching, finishing and painting to minimize disruption to the final stages of the project.

11. Commencement of Fit-off. In co-ordination with the builder, usually after painting, our installation team will commence terminating cables and fitting off room plates for the required infrastructure. During this period security systems will be installed and commissioned to assist the builder in securing the site.

12. Control System Functional Design. As the Fit-off process commences, our system designers will present you with a mock layout of your control system. We welcome your feedback on the layout, functionality and style of the control system and your changes will be incorporated into the final control system design. At this time an invoice for the final payment on all required hardware will be presented for payment.

13. Equipment Installation. Our preference is to wait until the property is handed over to you by the builder before we install and commission the audio visual hardware. The project plan will provide you with the required timing to complete the installation and commissioning of the final system.

14. Handover Day. We appreciate that there are many things to learn about a new home and your lifestyle solution is just one component. We will be available to guide you through the system, but we also realize that it maybe a few days before you get the time to start enjoying your lifestyle solution. At this time we work through the functional specification and get you to sign-off on the systems functionality. This form is the Project Sign Off Sheet and signifies the practical completion of the project and issue of the final invoice. When you are ready, just let us know and we can spend the time with you to ensure you are comfortable with the final system operation.

15. Defect liability. Your hand over kit will not only include all the documentation to your system, but will also include a form in which any defects or system fine tuning requests can be made. We offer a Service Level Guarantee to ensure issues are dealt with in accordance with their impact on your lifestyle.