Project:Development of Cedar House, a luxury residence in Wandsworth.
1st Stop AV were approached by Nick Woodworth of Oliver Woodworth, a developer of high-end residential properties. Nick had previously appointed an AV consultancy which “failed to perform on every level”, and the Cedar House project was in danger of falling behind schedule and going way over budget.
Cedar House was to be marketed to the public with a sale price of more than £4 million, so it was essential the AV installation was of sufficient quality to justify such a price tag.
Nick fired the original AV company, who had incorrectly cabled the property and installed only limited hardware, and began the search for a replacement. As he searched for a solution, Nick remembered Pilkesh, from 1st Stop AV. Pilkesh had completed a smaller installation for Oliver Woodworth in the past, and Nick had been impressed at the quality of the work. Nick made the call to 1st Stop AV and invited them to pitch for the contract.
Impressed by the experience and the positive attitude of the team at 1st Stop AV, Nick hired them to complete the second fix of the Cedar House property.
"Oliver James and 1st Stop AV were very positive, very reactive and their understanding of AV and their subject matter was outstanding"
- Nick Woodworth
After the debacle with the original AV company, time was of the essence. 1st Stop AV instantly carried out a cable audit and called on sister company Oliver James, which is based on the Kings Road in Chelsea, to assist with the second fix.
Oliver James specialises in top-level technology for luxury properties, of which Cedar House was definitely one. In fact, the property comprised 4,648 sq. ft. of open space with its own gated entrance and a driveway big enough for a fleet of vehicles.
Working together, 1st Stop AV and Oliver James created 8 music zones within the house, which all communicated with an expandable audio server. They also installed a home cinema with a 3m screen and projector, plus 7.1 Home Cinema Surround Sound. A 50 inch plasma TV was installed in the family room, and a tile TV was integrated into the master bathroom.
A Lutron Home Works lighting system was integrated into the property, so that every room could be bathed in "mood" lighting.
Furthermore, the entire property was fully wired up with a Future Home network system, with all cabling done to Cat. 6 standards. Crucially, the house was cabled up with flexible living in mind. The property was carefully designed by Oliver Woodworth so that the owners could customize it after they moved in. 1st Stop AV kept this in mind at all times.
Security was of course a priority for a property development of this level. 1st Stop AV created a comprehensive alarm system, and positioned CCTV cameras to monitor the grounds, and alert the occupiers to any potential dangers. The lighting system also had a “mimic” setting so that when the owners went on holiday the lights in each room would switch themselves on and off at the usual times.
1st Stop AV and Oliver James’s installation work at Cedar House was of such quality that the property was later crowned winner of the ‘Best Luxury House’ category in the Evening Standard’s Homes of the Year awards.
“1st Stop AV were very positive, very reactive and their understanding of AV and their subject matter was outstanding”, said Nick, who has since employed 1st Stop AV to fit out further property developments. “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them,” he added.
