Networking, AV & Smart Lighting on Mercer Island, WA

Mercer Island projects tend to be whole-home: networking, audio and video, lighting control and surveillance designed together rather than bolted on piecemeal. We handle the full low-voltage scope alongside remodels or as standalone upgrades.

Mid-century homes on the island reward careful retrofit work — cable routed through crawl spaces and closets, wall plates that match the finish work, and equipment racks that stay out of sight.

A lot of Mercer Island's housing dates from the 1950s and 60s — ramblers and daylight-basement homes — alongside larger newer homes and rebuilds, many on sloped or waterfront lots. The mid-century houses usually have a crawlspace or basement that makes a good cable path; the challenge is keeping every run hidden and every wall plate in the right place.

Waterfront and view homes are often long and multi-level, with the living spaces facing the water and the internet coming in on the street side. That layout is hard on a single router. Wired access points on each level solve it, with an outdoor access point for decks if you want coverage there. Our comparison of mesh and wired access points explains the difference.

Whole-home projects go best when the low-voltage work is planned with the remodel: speaker locations, TV and projector positions, lighting keypads and the equipment rack decided before drywall. We work with GCs and designers on that timing, doing rough-in at the right stage and returning for trim-out.

Low-voltage wiring for networks, speakers and cameras inside a home doesn't need a permit in Washington. Electrical work — new circuits for a rack or theater, lighting changes, panel upgrades — is permitted and inspected through the city or Washington L&I, whichever has jurisdiction, and we fit it into the rest of the remodel schedule. Mercer Island is served by Puget Sound Energy.