Best Whole-House Installation

The Big Show

With the push of one button, this home shows off everything it can do. And it can do a lot.

The owners of this spectacular 16,600-square-foot home don’t have to explain to guests what their whole-house audio, video and automation systems do. They just push one button.

According to Robert Bliss Jr.—CEO and founder of Bliss Home Theaters and Automation Inc.—the “party” button on every Crestron touchscreen activates just about all of the home’s technological features.

These include video screens, an elaborate outdoor fountain (with numerous water sources and a fire source), automated shades, and even a private bowling alley.

Bliss, who worked closely with his brother George, the company’s chief technology officer, says the challenge in designing this home’s systems was automating the bowling alley.

“There’s no such thing as a consumer-grade bowling alley,” he explains. “It’s a 13-step process to start one up. We automated all of that. All the homeowner has to do is hit ‘start bowl’ and then type in the names.”

That’s not all the system does, though. The press of another button takes the client from traditional bowling to what Bliss calls “full-blown cosmic bowling,” complete with a disco-type sound system, neon lights and a fog machine. “Fog machines aren’t designed to be automated,” Bliss says, “so we had to engineer a lot of custom sensors and controls to make it controllable with the touchscreens.”

The Crestron automation system can be controlled through seven touchscreens positioned in high-traffic locations. Areas that don’t require extensive control functions have in-wall keypads or hard-button remotes. The client can also mange everything from a cell phone or a computer.

“He travels quite a lot,” Bliss says. “[From his plane], he’ll start cooling the house down. And when he leaves, he can shut down the house remotely. He can also look at security camera images from anywhere in the world.”

These automation features actually save the client a considerable amount of money, Bliss says.

“Electrical costs here are based on usage. If your consumption is low, you’re on tier one, two or three. If your house goes into tier 20, your electrical costs go way up. The client’s first electric bill was $7,800, but [by adding] the ‘green mode’ to the automation system we got it down to an average of $3,700.”

One of the key energy-saving features of the home is its automated shades, which help keep the house cool and prevent sunlight from fading the furniture or floors. The timing of the shades’ movement varies to suit the longer days of summer and the shorter days of winter.