I see value in somebody like Mark vetting CI firms for a client like this. It just seems like thats where it should end.

on some jobs it does.
I just set up a CI with a big Crestron project in Montana.  Sometimes all I do is make a call, every job is different.

Alan,

I didn't hear a response, did you have something else to say?

Mark

What was your fee for this?

Mark,

what happened your CI firm? A company with 25 employess is quite big in our industry and doing these big projects should had been very interesting and also profitable.

P.S. I am asking out of curiosity and not becasue I want to judge

Wow interesting talk! LOL

Ive been following Mark and his exploits on this project since the beginning.

I agree that the 20 Million Dollar install was a bit misleading, I wanted to see a behemoth of an installation and got Control4. But I digress, I think a few things, I doubt CE Pro would choose anyone to do an article like this that was half retarded like a lot of people are making him out to be. Also it really does sound like his client is making him make sacrifices where he would rather not.

Thanks for the background Mark it does help after you have 4 pages of "Mark bashing", but I do agree with some of the posters that if you are going to do an article like this then you at least need to explain what you are doing with Control4 and not Crestron. It really sounds like budget if it is then call it that, it sounds like the political thing is being done where your hyping the 2nd choice to mask the fact you cant do your first choice. I have also worked on some very high end homes and they have all been Crestron, it just seems like the shoe always fits.

I understand not giving a 100% blueprint to the house online, though you kind of did. But you should give us a half-ass detail on how all this is going to work because I also took your "using the Vantage panel because its bigger" as you were going to use it as a whole house control and not something just for the lighting. Things like that mish-mashing of parts together really does do the "red-flag" thing to me as well, but I also think that your client is putting restrictions on this. I mean who wouldnt just go Crestron and be done with it? So if that is the case then lets call it what it is, the 20 Million Dollar house with a five hundred thousand dollar house budget. Then show us how you get around that, you obviously know what your doing so please show us!

And if you think your client will get offended by you calling a spade a spade tell him not to be one.

I would normally take a flat fee for a project like this, it was well over 100k but a friend needed the work so I just passed it through at no charge.  Partly because I didn't want to take on on more work load, enough on my plate.

Just because you have a lot of employees doesn't mean your making more money.  When we would sit down and do the numbers we realized it was better to scale back and let people go.  I found myself doing more human resources management than selling or managing.  Plus, I enjoyed learning about so many things, but it wasn't my passion and I would never reach the level of success without plowing a lot more money and time into it.
I had come up with some inventions and other ideas that I wanted to bring to market.  I didn't miss having employees for years as we contracted everything from our warehouse to staffing needs.  Running a service based business has a lot of responsibility not always appreciated by the staff or clients until it's gone. 
Every year we used to have big company retreats with our staff and their families all expenses paid.  Great times. 
Now I like the dabbling in the business to stay current but I really like bringing new products to market, being given patents and helping companies do a better job with better tools.
Plus, how many CIs are going to retire rich?  Some make a good living and most have just bought themselves a job that they work at 24/7.  A good life, but it wasn't going to be mine, do what you love and I love creating things.
I see this project as a creation, putting things together in a different way instead of just following the pack and doing what is expected.
I could have chosen any system I wanted, but rather than spending the budget on big expensive screens and programming I put together some very powerful stand alone products to act as one.  Before Crestron had a box for almost everything that's what everyone did, this isn't something new.

I think CEpro is equally responsible for the deception.....not an organization I would care to be associated with

I like that phrase.

Gman,

Exactly what deception is being perpetrated on you?  CEPro prints the news of our industry, not always what you want but still the news.  I think we would be hurt without it.

Rick,

I like it too, but can't take credit for it.

Mark

The fact that you and CEpro are calling your project a 20 million dollar install in the headliner speaks volumes to your character and the integrity of the so called news that is being delivered by CEpro.

Gman,

I didn't name the story and this has been addressed multiple times.  So far as questioning my character over what someone else named an article is a cheap shot, what are you so angry about that you are lashing out like this, is your life so bad you want to bring everyone around you down too?  Has the level of communication here dropped to this kind of attack, what are you a politician?
Show a little character and respect, you're out of line, you know it and so does everyone else.
BTW, CEPro changed the name a while ago at my and many others' request, joe just made a mistake and used the old name.  Maybe you should take this up with Joe. 
So much for raising the level of discourse between professionals.

I'm not angry at all, Mark. You asked a question and I answered. But I do have a question? Were you given the opportunity by CEpro to review the article before it went live?

No they did not. [Link: cepro.com]

Even the link mentions 20m project.