The entry point
Years before this build, we did a small job for the same family: some networking and three modest cameras at a three-bedroom house. Nothing glamorous — but it was reliable, it just worked, and they could use it themselves without calling anyone.
So when they planned a knockdown-rebuild of a multimillion-dollar family home in Melbourne’s east, they brought us in as technology consultant from day one — before a builder was even chosen. We sat at the table for builder selection, making sure whoever won the job would genuinely collaborate on the technology. The brief, in their words: take it as far as you can.
Four systems, one experience
Home automation
A KNX-based system behind designer wall switches runs lighting, heating, cooling and music throughout the house — controllable from the switches, an in-wall panel, or a phone. The automation platform was locked in early with the electrician, so it was designed into the build rather than bolted on.
The network underneath
Around three dozen wired network points and full-speed Wi-Fi with no dead zones, on a UniFi backbone with serious on-site network storage. This layer went in first — on a multi-trade smart-home build, connectivity is the dependency every other trade commissions against.
Security & access
PTZ and AI cameras with detection that distinguishes people, pets, vehicles and number plates — cameras that are functional, not just a visible deterrent — plus an AI security agent the owners can ask about their home in plain English. Access is keyless: the front door recognises your face, the intercom calls your phone and can unlock remotely, both garage doors are on the same system, and staff or visitors get time-bound entry passes.
Cinema-grade AV
A dedicated theatre with an ultra-short-throw projector and in-wall cinema speakers behind an acoustically transparent screen, plus multi-room audio across five zones — gym, outdoors, living, kitchen and rumpus — driven from the same wall switches as the lights. The doorbell rings through the ceiling speakers, so there isn’t a single dedicated chime in the house.
The bridge that ties it together
A small server running Home Assistant bridges the automation platform, the UniFi fabric and Apple Home into one coherent system. The owners’ experience: accept one invite, open one app, and everything is there — including a built-in “request IT support” button that comes straight to us.
Running a build like this
- Consult from day one. Technology designed into a home costs less and works better than technology retrofitted around one.
- Sequence ruthlessly. Network first, then exterior security, then theatre and access, then audio — each phase unblocking the trades behind it.
- Stage the money. Equipment purchased in tranches as the build progressed, labour billed as installed — keeping a six-figure, multi-year project manageable for everyone.
- Design for the decade. One platform across network, storage, security and access — a system that improves with updates instead of ageing out.
Why this story matters
Bespoke residential at this level carries enterprise-grade complexity — four systems, a dozen trades, council hurdles, multi-year timelines — with one extra constraint enterprise never has: the end user is a family, and it has to feel effortless. That’s the standard we build to. Sophisticated underneath. Mind-numbingly simple on top.
This client is anonymised by choice — we treat clients’ privacy the way we treat their data.