Purchased back in 2021, this New Jersey home retrofit project began in the shadow of Hurricane Ida, with its name ’30 Days’ being a cheeky reference by frayednot to how much time the integrator had to work with the house before other trades showed up. However, no sooner had the deal been struck, the hurricane tore through the state, upending business for frayednot and many others within the area.
For two weeks, the home retrofit was put on hold, and, according to frayednot, they almost lost the project due to the extensive delays the storm caused throughout New Jersey. However, frayednot was able to pull through, even amid the storm’s carnage.
“We thankfully managed to keep this project on the schedule,” noted Constantinos Sandoukas, founder and lead technician at frayednot.
“Once we got started, we were full steam ahead as if the flood never happened. Meanwhile, our homes were gutted and without a gas meter, no hot water, and recovering from mold with commercial dehumidifiers running 24/7 as they dried out.”
Given the nature of the project, several systems underwent extensive reworks, according to Constantinos. The New Jersey home was 100% a retrofit with the client interested in having an opportunity to live in there for a little while to finalize their aesthetic and design decisions after a “dry run.”
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
Within two months of the clients moving in, most of the work that frayednot had completed needed to be uninstalled for wallpaper—which ended up getting replaced three times. During that time, the client also decided they wanted to upgrade all lighting fixtures to Forbes & Lomax brass models, which necessitated a rework of the Lutron lighting control system as well to ensure everything still functioned properly.
At the same time, all the cabling and conduits that had been installed outside needed to be dug up once more as the client decided to install a new bluestone patio, fire pit, and cooking area/kitchen.
“This was a longer than planned project due to unforeseen circumstances causing delays, as well as the homeowner making several decisions on design and aesthetics after they had an opportunity to live in the home for a while,” Constantinos said.
“At frayednot we work accommodate all of this and pivot as needed for the customer to experience as little headache as possible when we are on a project. We always answer with ‘sure thing, if it can be done.’”
All told, the system has 16 audio zones (including outdoors), five heating/cooling zones, eight surveillance cameras, nine TV locations, and Lutron lighting control throughout, with much of the technology being covertly tucked away into the design and architecture of the home.
Frayednot opted for Origin Acoustics Director D69 speakers for most of the interior spaces, with Origin’s Bollards and Landscape system being used for the outdoor area. The sound system was further supplemented by two Sonos Subwoofers in the Great Room and Basement areas, with Sonos ARC soundbars being provided for most of the TVs.
With exception to the outdoor patio, Samsung Class QN85A Neo QLEDs were used throughout the home. Outside, a single 75-inch Samsung Terrace tied to the Origin landscape and bollard system provides all the entertainment for guests and family.
Lighting control is provided exclusively by a Lutron system, while URC handles the audio, video, and surveillance systems, with all the head end hardware being centralized in a dedicated tech room in the basement.
“When this customer closed on the home and called frayednot to have an on-site walk through, the first thing said was, ‘You have quite a reputation’” recounted Constantinos.
“This was once again another location to apply the frayednot formula to since it has been proven over the years and has now apparently built ‘quite a reputation.’
“The end result here is an amazing, simple, yet very reliable experience! Its super simple to use, clean without unsightly technology everywhere with full remote access to power & network management capability setup for our yearly remote service contract which we put in place for all of our “Whole Home” projects which customers love. Peace of mind!”
This project is part of our coverage for the 2024 CE Pro Home of the Year Awards. Presented annually at CEDIA Expo, the Home of the Year Awards represent the best of the best smart home innovations within the CEDIA channel. If you have a project you would like to submit to the Home of the Year Awards, consider following CE Pro if you aren’t already for when we announce the next submission round.
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