You are correct, pulling the plate re-engages the FASS contacts.

What about HWQS WPMs? They help by having 6 outputs in a 4 gang opening, and they have a nice blank cover. Of course, if there are a lot of interfaces required this goes out the window.

The electrician saying 10-15k to relocate switch legs is basically him telling you he doesn't want to do it. This is obviously the correct way to handle the situation. Even with all the wiring coming up through the floor, low junction boxes could be installed, with 1 gang mud rings for receptacles with new conduit heading up to the roof. From there it's a piece of cake.

Modifying a device in anyway will negate the UL approval, and I don't understand why you would want to put yourself in that situation.

Thanks for checking.  I got a bunch of RA2 stuff in yesterday for another job and was able to verify the same.

That would be a good solution, but I'm not a Homeworks dealer.  It's the same concept of what I'm trying to do with the RA2 keypads.

The electrician's price was just a ballpark estimate, but his crew has been working on the property for almost 2 months now and I think they understand what would be involved.  The electrical rough-in tab is already around $70k.

Paul,
What did you decide to do on this project?

The solution was a combination of a bunch of things and still a little bit in the works.

One bank of 8 switches is being relocated to one of the closets in the Master Bedroom.  This is going to require conduit up through and across the roof.  In this area this can be done with moderate expense.

One bank has been shrunk by removing two dimmers for half-hots and using lamp dimmer modules at the lamps and then by removing three dimmers that are controlling MLV lighting.  The transformers for these lights are going in a weatherproof enclosure on the roof. so the dimmers will be located up there too.  The electrician is working to find a Nema style enclosure that is PVC so RA2 can get signal and also provide some ventilation for the transformers and dimmers.  This was a 7 gang box and by using a hybrid dimmer and the changes above has been shrunk to 2 gang.

The main entry also had a 7 gang box that had some 3,4,& 5-way switching for hall lights, exterior lights, pool lights, landscape lights and lights at the garage and cabana.  The electrician found a junction in the garage that fed the lights for pool, landscape, garage and cabana which where just extended up to the house.  We'll move the dimmer & relay switches for these loads down to the garage allowing us to shrink this bank of switches down to 3 gang.

There were a few other locations with 3-4 gang switches that we fine tuned by using hybrid keypads and removing remote switches for 3&4-way switching that will just be controlled by keypad.  This let us shrink some of these boxes by 1-2 gang to help clean things up.

In the end it looks like we don't have to fool around with switches at outlet height and I feel pretty good about the solutions except for the 3 dimmer switches that will be up on the roof... still not sure how that will play out.

Wow, thats awesome.
Should work out fine. I have a similar install that has MLV Transformers and switches located in weather proof enclosures out in the environment.
All on the same project there is one on the side of a guest house, 4 out in a garden area and 3 on the side of a barn. This was a takeover project that is still growing and the switches in question have been installed for a couple of years now without problems.

TRUFIG lowered it's pricing by about 50% recently... Works out to about $200 an outlet or single gang sized device...