Having the ability to choose your source of audio or video in a specific room or having the ability to play a given source of music throughout your home is a growing desire of new custom homeowners. GFI’s Integrated Technology Solutions provides the new homeowner with customized whole house audio/video systems that are tailored to their requirements. Since GFI provides the ability to integrate all of your new home’s electronic systems, the music distribution design can be incorporated into your home control system eliminating unnecessary wall clutter. The technology available to the new homeowner today provides the ability to store their music libraries on hard drive systems with the capability of choosing a music selection by artist, genre, year, style, or specific customized play lists. In fact, even your selection of audio or video can be enhanced by instant video downloads via the Internet providing the homeowner the CD/DVD cover art of the musician they have selected via a television monitor or control touchpanel.

GFI’s design process is centered on a thorough blueprint review with the new homeowners deciding which rooms, areas, and selection of audio/video sources they wish to incorporate in their whole house audio/video system. From hidden speakers incorporated into the exterior landscape materials to automated lifts lowering your plasma TV display from above the ceiling, GFI has a wide selection of whole house audio/video components to suit in the individual’s preferences.

The ability to control a home’s lighting sources can greatly affect the look of one’s home, its furnishings, décor, and architecture. GFI’s Home Technology Solutions offers the new homeowner a total solution to controlling their home’s lighting sources, both fixture and natural ambient. A long time dealer, designer, and installer of Lutron dimming technology, GFI provides the new homeowner with system choices and a multitude of options when choosing a lighting control system.

Vimco Shades, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lutron, provide the homeowner an automated option to controlling natural ambient light. This system helps reduce the home’s energy costs, fading of furnishings and décor, and provide a dimension of added security for the homeowner. Having the ability to automatically and precisely lower and raise shades is one of the claimed favorite options of homeowners when asked about all of their new home features. Automated shades are a welcomed convenience to home with vaulted ceilings that have incorporated large windows as an important architectural enhancement to the home’s feel. This is a popular choice in today’s Great Room designs, however, the homeowner tends to forget about the ability to control that room’s ambient light which results in a diminished use of the room for its intended purposes (i.e. watching TV). Vimco offers the homeowner numerous choices as to the style, motor, control, type, and fabric of their shade systems. Their extensive line is sure to please even the most discerning tastes.

Lutron’s lighting control systems for electronic sourced light are considered one of the best in the industry. For new custom homeowners, they have the choice of selecting either Lutron’s reliable RadioRA lighting control system or HomeWorks Interative, both having the ability to interface with the home’s other electronic systems including the security system, fire alarm system, and the home exterior landscape lighting. RadioRA is a radio frequency controlled system by which Lutron owns the radio frequency bandwidth that their system operates by, insuring reliable performance. RadioRA allows a homeowner to experience lighting control at a minimal investment and build onto the system with ease after they have moved into their new home. The RadioRA system conforms to the traditional installation electrical standards.

The ultimate in lighting control is achieved through Lutron’s HomeWorks Interactive lighting control system. HomeWorks, a ‘hard wired’ system geared toward new home construction, is the recommended lighting control system for custom homes exceeding 6,000 sq. ft. The system provides the solution to reducing unsightly wall clutter, an unavoidable result of ganging traditional light switches in today’s open floor plans. Gangs of three or more wall switches and dimmers can be consolidated to a single gang keypad, having the ability to control any light on the HomeWorks Interactive system. The dimming of lights can be totally automated through HomeWorks Interactive. The system is comprised of a computer processor that has the ability to interface with your home’s other electronic systems. Advanced planning with the electrical contractor and general contractor is required since the HomeWorks Interactive system design can eliminate some to all of the traditional electrical wall box requirements, simplifying the electrician’s installation.

The features of HomeWorks Interactive make this system the leading lighting control system in the industry. A vacation mode, a standard feature of HomeWorks, can replay a home’s lighting habits from the past twenty-four hours, three days, or seven days and replay them for up to fourteen days with randomization, providing a truly lived in look from the home’s exterior. A telephone interface can be added as an option, providing the ease of lighting control from a cell phone, making your home lighting control as easy as dialing your home phone number. HomeWorks integration capability is another welcomed feature of the system. It can be integrated with your home’s security system, when triggered, can be programmed to shut-off the operation of all HomeWork’s controlled interior devices while simultaneously sending a command to have the home’s exterior lights to flash on and off. Its interaction with the home’s fire alarm system can provide important assistants to a family as they are trying to escape their smoke filled home. The system can be programmed to dim pathway lights and flash the home exit locations, providing lifesaving guidance to victims of home fires.

Both Lutron’s lighting control systems have been designed with the ability to be integrated together and also control Vimco shades, making Lutron the industry leader in controlling the home’s lighting sources.

GFI’s Home Technology Solutions follows CEDIA’s (Custom Electronic Designer Installation Association) structured wiring protocols. The demands you will place on the wiring in your new home are greater than ever before. To make sure you can meet that demand, GFI uses the UStec’s home electronics network. If you only decide to invest in this option alone in your home, it will be one of the best decisions you can make in building a new home in today’s world.

Structured wiring is the means of establishing your home’s electronic network. UStec creates a local area network (LAN) throughout your entire house, bringing multiple telephone jacks, cable hookups, and standard outlets to each and every room in your new home. You will be able to access all of your home electronics through one multifunctional outlet. To start, you will want to consider the electronics for your new home: telephone, television, stereo, VCR, computer, modem/Internet access, fax machine, cable access, home theater, satellite dish, security system, and home automation. Building a new home is an opportunity to make sure everything meets your lifestyle needs today and in the future. That is why it’s so important to consider all the options in protecting the functionality and resale value of your home - including the wiring.

UStec offers the homeowner a choice in structured wiring hubs based upon the number of desired wire drops and desired electronic capability. Since UStec hubs are customizable to the individual homeowner’s needs, GFI can assist you in making the proper UStec decision for your new home.

GFI recommends Panasonic’s home phone systems to help consolidated and improve the communication capabilities of a custom home. This phone system eliminates the need for an unsightly intercom system, since these features come standard in both the hard line and the cordless Panasonic phone systems.

Panasonic’s Cordless Phone System is a cost effective phone system for homes that are less than 4,000 square feet. The system features a hard line base system that needs to be installed in a central home location (i.e. Kitchen) for optimum signal reception. The cordless handsets serve as the phone system’s extensions. The system has two base platforms, one offering two lines and one offering up to four phone lines. Both systems have 2.4 GHz frequency hopping spread spectrum digital operation for clarity and security, multi-handset capable (8 maximum), 100 minute voice mail system with auto attendant, private mail boxes with separate greeting (8 maximum), remote access with voice prompts, pager call, subscriber call waiting, caller ID, digital duplex speakerphone with 8 step volume control, 100 station phone directory with dialer, 50 station caller ID memory with call back, 3 line LCD displays caller ID information along with 13 different icons for system status, data port, headset jack, intercom any cordless station, page individual or all stations, full PBX functions - hold, incoming call tone, answer call, call screening, call transfer, and 3-way conferencing. The Cordless Panasonic Phone System is door phone capable with the installation of optional equipment. Phone system is available in black.

Panasonic’s hard line advanced phone system is the preferred phone systems for larger custom homes. The system features 3 CO or phone lines, 8 stations or extensions, can grow to 6 CO by 24 stations in the same phone system cabinet, includes call forward (busy, no answer, follow me, forward to outside), caller ID*, DISA (direct inward system access), message waiting, voice mail integration, door phones /openers*, compatible with 7000 series phones and single line devices, including up to (4) door phones. System phones are available in white or black, with or without LCD 16 character display, and cordless.

* Require optional cards and/or equipment.