While it might take a village to raise a child, it takes an army and lots of time to build an estate! Custom Theater and Audio (CTA) in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where I work as lead system designer, was recently involved in all aspects of the A/V design and installation for Phil and Janet Pate's new home in North Myrtle Beach. At more than 10,000 square feet, the house certainly didn't spring up overnight; once ground was broken, this project took nearly 2 years to complete.

From the outset, Phil's main goal was clear. "We entertain a lot, so I wanted the home to cater to that aspect of our lifestyle," he says. "Typically we'll have 20 to 30 people over on the weekends, and during the first month we were here, we had a wedding reception with over 65 people. Design-wise, we wanted an Old World, Mediterranean look, but it was important that the house be able to incorporate all of the features we wanted for entertaining."

Rod and Sandy Edwards — president and vice president, respectively, of Innovative Design Build — were the contractors responsible for pulling this immense project together. "The most exciting aspect was the ability to use quality people and materials from all over the world," Rod says. "The challenge was bringing all of the wants and desires of Mr. and Mrs. Pate into the project. They have a gift for hospitality, and every inch of their home was built to share with family and friends. And since they've traveled the world and have a great appreciation of all elements of architecture, our goal in building their home was to deliver the details — from that first impression as you pull into the driveway right up until you leave."

Since the earliest meetings, Phil was an ideal client. He would describe the kind of system he wanted — like having accessible audio throughout the home, a large outdoor audio system, video camera surveillance, and a dedicated media room — but then leave our company with the freedom to work up the specifics. Whenever we posed a question, Phil nearly always responded, "How would you do it if it were your home?" — placing his trust in us to choose the best components for the job.

Embarking on a project this big is daunting. With so many systems needing to be wired together, it takes careful planning to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that nothing gets overlooked. Because this house has two stories, concrete walls, and incredibly tall ceilings, chances are that if we missed something during construction, we wouldn't be able to retrofit it later.

"With a project of this size, many areas of the home develop and evolve as the house is being built," says Tom Ramirez, one of our installers. "With Phil's home, we had to think ahead about how each room was going to be used and then pre-wire each space with enough flexibility to allow us to accommodate any scenario he might want. Steady communication with Phil and the builder really helped here."

The importance of having a close working relationship with the builder can't be overstated on any project, but it's especially important on large-scale jobs like this one. With so much going on at any time, being able to reach out to Rod and Sandy was crucial to the project's success, since they helped to coordinate all aspects of the job. For instance, Phil wanted speakers in a specific location in his living room that required HVAC vents to be relocated, lighting centered, and the concrete walls chiseled out to accommodate the depth of the in-wall speakers. The pre-wire, which we began in December 2005, took nearly 150 man-hours. By the time we finished, we'd run nearly 4 miles of cabling!

One aspect of the job that worried me until the end was the outdoor audio. Phil was planning a large swimming pool with a swim-in grotto and a waterfall, as well as a detached cabana. But we didn't have any site plans for the pool, so we had to prepare for any number of possibilities. Says Phil: "We've done some outdoor entertainment areas like this in developments I've been involved with, so I wanted to replicate the experience on a smaller scale. All of the rocks and stones are from mountains in Tennessee, not Styrofoam replicas." Again, coordinating everything with Rod made this possible, since he worked with the pool contractor to get conduit in place for our wiring and kept us in the loop as to when the concrete was being poured.

The trim-out began in August 2006. This is always exciting because it's when the house starts to take shape. By now, the large staircase was in, the painting was mostly done, the cabinetry was being installed, the trim carpenters were at work, and the pool was being formed. During this phase, we installed our in-wall and ceiling speakers — more than 25 pairs! We also installed wall plates in each room for the TV/video/phone/data drops and prepped the wiring for the in-wall touchpanel controls.

Installer Marc Aiello handled much of the trim-out at the home run. "One of my biggest challenges was just dealing with all of the wiring," says Marc. "Between the two 36-inch structured wiring panels and the audio/video home runs, the amount of wire was daunting. Just separating, shortening, and re-labeling the cables was a huge job, and it took several days to get everything prepped and punched in for the install. With a big project like this, sometimes it's hard to keep everything straight in your head. You need to just take it one wire at a time. When it's finished, it's something you're proud to have been a part of."

As the house neared completion, we installed a fiber-optic starlight ceiling in the media room. After snapping a chalk gridline on the unpainted ceiling, we poked holes from below for the fibers to come through. The way the ceiling was framed meant that the man on top had to crawl on rafters to feed the fibers through. Veteran installer Ken Watts spent nearly 2 days crawling in the attic pushing hundreds of fibers through, one at a time. "Having worked for CTA for nearly 10 years, I'm comfortable working in attics and crawl spaces," says Ken. "Still, spending so many hours belly-crawling over rafters and working by flashlight was pretty exhausting. When I finally came down from the attic and saw the ceiling all lit up, it was definitely cool."

The finished product turned out beautifully. Phil enthuses, "When we press Watch Movie on the remote, and the lights dim and the fiber-optic stars come on, it's another 'Ahhh . . . Wow!' from guests. The star ceiling is really great."

We started the final installation in January 2007 and finished it in March, with nearly 400 man-hours needed to get the entire system dialed in. CTA designer and programmer Andrew Petroski recalls: "We arrived at the house with three vans packed full of Phil's electronics, and it was pretty mind-numbing to just sit down in front of a computer and stare at a blank programming file, knowing I had to create something that would bring all of that gear together in a simple-to-use interface."

All of the A/V components are housed in two Middle Atlantic racks in a small room off the media room. Though it's always nice to have a space dedicated to the electronics, this one was a little cramped when two or three installers were in there all working on different things. But the open-backed Middle Atlantic racks greatly simplify servicing and can be rolled out of the closet if need be.

The heart of the audio distribution network is an Elan System12 multiroom A/V controller, which can handle as many as eight audio zones and 16 video zones. Three Elan multichannel amplifiers, totaling 40 channels and 1,760 watts, drive all of the speakers. Because so many of the sources — two Escient music servers, an Escient DVD manager, a Polk satellite-radio tuner, and eight video cameras — require visual feedback, we used Elan Via touchpanel controls throughout the system. These panels can display full-motion video, enabling Phil to use them for watching TV or for monitoring any of the video cameras.

"One of my favorite things about the system is the convenience," says Phil. "I wanted it to be hands-on and easily accessible, and I didn't want to have to walk from one end of the house to the other in order to get to an audio controller. There aren't many places in my home that I have to go more than 10 or 15 feet to reach one. Also, I'm not computer savvy, so I didn't want a system that was so complicated that my wife or I couldn't use it. The Elan system makes it simple to find what I want to listen to and then select it."

Surprisingly, this is the first time Phil has had a house packed with so much technology. "Prior to this home, we lived in a penthouse where we had a Bose surround system we bought about 10 years ago," he says. "We didn't have any distributed audio at all. Having access to music throughout the home has changed my lifestyle completely. I turn it on in the morning to get myself going before work, and I would say that 90% of the time from when we get up to when we go to bed, we have music playing."

When the Pates tire of listening to music, they can turn to one of the house's 15 TVs. Phil already owned two plasma TVs — a 42-inch Hitachi that we installed in the grillroom and a 50-inch Pioneer that's now in the master bedroom. A tabletop Elan Via touchpanel sits next to the master bed. For handheld IR control in the bedroom and the grillroom, we chose Harmony remotes because of their simple operation.

When it came time to buy the new TVs, Phil had a specific request: Sharp Aquos LCDs. "I owned some Sharp Aquos TVs in other homes, and I was always impressed with them," he says. "For simplicity's sake, I wanted to keep everything the same throughout the house, so I decided to go all Sharp. They're great TVs — good, clear, and visible from the sides. They also handle the light coming in from all of the windows really well." A sports bar upstairs — complete with working beer tap, Gamecocks-themed pool table, and Ms. Pac-Man arcade game — features three wall-mounted 20-inch Sharp LCD TVs for watching multiple games.

In the downstairs great room, two 26-inch Sharp sets flank the fireplace, with a giant 65-inch 1080p TV inset above the mantel. Tom Ramirez, who installed the TVs here, says, "This project allowed us to be really creative and try out some ideas we've always wanted to use. With the cabinetry layout, we wanted to mount the smaller TVs so they would have the effect of floating in the cabinet. The result was a clean install that allowed for both form and function."

The living room also has a separate four-channel surround system and a DVD player. Phil often has his grandkids over, so we wanted a location where the kids could watch a movie while the adults kept an eye on them. Using a Universal Remote Control, Phil can call up any of the DVDs managed by his Escient system.

The living room is so large that most bookshelf speakers wouldn't be up to the task of filling it with sound. So we chose Definitive Technology's PowerMonitor 900s, which feature built-in powered woofers and pack an astonishing wallop. "Every time I play music through them, I'm amazed," Phil says. "I can't believe all of that sound comes out of those small speakers."

To make sure visitors aren't left out of the action, the three guest rooms are all independent audio and video zones, and they feature 42-inch 1080p Sharp LCDs. Guests can use the Via touchpanels in each room to select their music or movie choices, which then appear on the HDTV.

The outdoor audio came off without a hitch. We installed a pair of Sonance Mariner speakers inside the swimming pool's grotto along with a recessed volume control, making for a very cool experience in the private, swim-in seating area. To make sure that parties never lacked for sound, we ringed the pool with six Niles rock speakers and installed more speakers under the porches and cabana.

Because the Pates are frequently away, they wanted a surveillance system that could record for long stretches of time. We selected a DVR system with 1 terabyte of storage and a CD burner to archive any suspicious activity. The system features eight cameras that cover the property from front and back and can be viewed on any TV or touchpanel control in the home. Phil can also log into the recording system remotely over the Internet. For added protection, the cameras and DVR run off a Monster Cable uninterruptible power supply.

The one thing Phil balked at was installing an automated lighting system. But Rod, Sandy, and I were able to convince him to automate at least some switches, and we elected to go with Lutron's RadioRA system. This was perfect for Phil because it enabled him to try automated lighting on a small scale, with the option to add more zones later. Now that the system is in, the Pates love it and have already automated several more lighting zones.

"There's a learning curve to living in a home like this," Phil explains. "We have so many technologies that we've never lived with before, like the automated lighting. In the first 3 to 6 months, you don't know how you're going to live in the home and use it. But in a house our size, it could take 5 to 10 minutes to cut the lights on or off. To have a one-touch button in our bedroom, it's just so convenient. Also, our pool cabana is 100 feet from the back door, so I can cut those lights on or off for parties without having to walk outside."

Another feature the Pates enjoy is the lighting system's astronomic time clock. We programmed this to turn the outside lights on and off at preset times, ensuring that the house is well lit for guests but not burning electricity throughout the night. Of course, all of the lighting is accessible from the Elan Via touchpanel controllers as well.

As cool as all of those things are, the home's crown jewel is the media room upstairs. Phil was very specific about his first priority — a big, clear picture. "Going into so many people's homes," he says, "I would walk into their projection room with its 90- or 100-inch screen, and it would be so fuzzy that I'd have to squint."

Accordingly, we chose Runco's VX-2ix projector, a THX-certified three-chip DLP model. Beyond a terrific picture, the Runco offers a variety of lens options and horizontal- and vertical-offset adjustments that ensured we could place the projector exactly where we needed. (A steel support beam running in the back of the room limited our location choices.) We paired the Runco with a 126-inch-diagonal Screen Research woven screen. I had used Screen Research models on other projects, and I felt confident that the image would look great without the screen material having any effect on the sound coming from the front left, center, and right speakers placed behind it.

Since Phil wanted the media room's speakers and electronics to be hidden, we chose B&W's flagship Signature 8NT in-wall speakers for the front channels, coupled with the matching acoustic enclosures. Two pairs of B&W Signature 7NTs handle the side and back surround channels. Rod and Sandy took my suggestion of using double-wall construction for the media room to help reduce the sound escaping from the space. But after I worked up a scale drawing of how the screen would sit on the wall and where the speakers would need to be arrayed behind it for the best sound, it was obvious that the front wall would need to be reframed — which Rod took in stride.

Denon's monstrous AVR-5805 MkII receiver drives the speakers, and since it has 10 amplifier channels, we biamped the front speakers for maximum effect. To make sure that low frequencies weren't overlooked, we turned to Definitive Technology's massive SuperCube Trinity Reference sub. The result is nothing short of amazing.

"The Runco system is so clear that I tell people they can go to any Carmike Cinema in town and they won't get the experience I've got," Phil says. "And the sound is so real that, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know if you were outside or sitting in my theater. You hear and experience all of the little sounds you normally miss. When bullets start flying in a movie, you can feel them in your seat. When glass shatters, you look at your arm to make sure you aren't cut — it's that real. You just don't get that experience in a commercial theater. After a movie or demo, my guests walk out of here just shaking their heads in disbelief."

Control of the media room is simplified by using a large Elan Via2 Wireless touchpanel controller. But this wasn't without hiccups. As Andrew Petroski explains, "Phil's dedicated theater remote proved to be a real challenge. At the time of the install, it was a relatively new product for Elan, and we had some initial-release problems. We spent several hours on the phone with Elan working out the various bugs, and after troubleshooting each piece in the control system — touchpanel, router, cables, and connections — it all came down to one piece, the Elan SS1 System Station, that was causing all of our grief. We replaced that, and so far we haven't had any more problems."

Phil has grown to love his media room. "We didn't initially watch a lot of movies, but we're starting to do that more now with the new theater," he says. "I love the convenience of being able to pause a movie if we get tired and then pick it up and finish it in the bedroom."

The system continues to evolve as the Pates discover different needs. Fortunately, the structured-wiring bundle we installed enables us to accommodate just about anything they might want. We've already swapped out several of the original 4-inch Via touchpanels and replaced them with larger 6.5-inch versions. A likely next move will be to upgrade the Escient music and movie system with Kaleidescape's server-based system. "I was really impressed with the Kaleidescape," says Phil. "The whole presentation and speed are top-notch."

At the end of a large job, nothing is more satisfying for the installation firm than having a homeowner who not only loves the system but also still likes working with the company. "I didn't want to have any service issues, so I selected a custom-installation company that had a good reputation for service," says Phil. "Ultimately, they made the job and my whole life a lot easier."

And that's what working with a custom installer is all about.

Custom Theater and Audio
843-357-2121
customtheaterandaudio.com

Partial Equipment List

MEDIA ROOM Runco VX-2ix three-chip DLP front projector Screen Research 126-inch 16:9 screen (3) B&W Signature 8NT speakers (front LCR) (4) B&W Signature 7NT speakers (side and back surround channels) Definitive Technology SuperCube Trinity Signature subwoofer Denon AVR-5805 MkII A/V receiver Denon DVD-2930 universal DVD player Elan Via2 8.5-inch wireless touchpanel controller Monster Power HTS 5100 PowerCenter Monster Power HT UPS 1000 uninterruptible power supply Lutron Grafik Eye four-zone remote-control lighting controller Middle Atlantic rack mount system WHOLE-HOUSE AUDIO Elan System12 16-source/8-zone audio controller with 12-source/16-zone video switcher (2) Elan A1240 12-channel house-wide power amplifiers Elan D1651 16-channel digital power amplifier Elan VIASC4 four-port system controller (8) Elan Via touchpanels ([1] Via Valet tabletop controller, and [3] Via64 and [4] Via40 wall-mount controllers) (2) Escient FireBall SE-80 digital music managers Elan DTNR dual-tuner FM/AM radio Polk Audio XRt12 Reference XM satellite radio tuner Escient SE-D1 DVD and music manager Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD changer (25 pairs) Elan MM650C ceiling speakers (6) Niles RS6 outdoor speakers (2) Sonance Mariner 51W outdoor speakers Middle Atlantic rack mount system Monster Power HTS 5100 PowerCenter

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