SUGGESTED BUDGETS

“It is very difficult to provide a guide to exact costs, as it will depend on a wide range of factors, such as the size and layout of the property and the quality and quantity of the equipment installed,” says Matt Nimmons, managing director of CEDIA EMEA, the trade body for home automation (and a starting point for finding an installer). However, here’s his rough-and-ready guide to what you could achieve for different budgets:

£15,000 A distributed or multi-room audio system and a flat screen, and a basic wired and wireless data network. Remember that the number of rooms will affect the budget. Installing lots of screens will also quickly add cost. At this level you may decide to invest the money instead on highquality sound and vision for just one room to create a home cinema: this budget will get you a good setup in a medium-sized zone.

£50,000 Distributed audio and video, flat screens, automatically controlled mood lighting in some rooms, and a comprehensive wired and wireless data network. The amount and quality of the equipment will make a difference. Some people want large screens in every room, others would rather spend money on better quality audio. Again, you may decide that you would prefer simpler systems in the rest of the house, and then allocate a chunk of the budget to a home cinema. If security, CCTV, integrated door entry and control of heating and ventilation are important, you may prefer to put your money into these areas instead.

£90,000 At this level you can expect higher quality equipment and better control systems throughout the house. Touch panels in each room will allow you to have just one integrated control setup for your lighting, entertainment and heating.

£150,000 As above, with more touch panels, a better home cinema and more comprehensive systems. This kind of budget will provide a fabulous setup in a family home, but may not go so far in a 20-bedroom castle.