Vol. I · Edition 2026

A Homeowner's Guide

The technology of the house.

A short guide for the homeowner planning a custom build on Vancouver Island. The eight technical scopes that make up the technology of the house, the decisions to settle before the architect signs the schematic, and how a Wenner engagement begins.

Prepared for The homeowner planning a custom build, and the design team they will work with

From Wenner Group — Nanaimo & Victoria, BC

WENNER — A HOMEOWNER'S GUIDE

Contents

— The guide

A homeowner's brief, in five short pieces.

Written to be read in a single sitting and shared with the design team. None of these sections are technical — they're lifestyle questions with technical consequences. Take this document to your architect; we'll back it up in conversation.

i.

Why earlyThere’s a reason we love being at the table early.

PG. 03
ii.

The eight scopesWhat a Wenner engagement actually covers.

PG. 04
iii.

Six decisions to make firstBring these to the conversation with your architect.

PG. 05
iv.

How a project startsDiscovery Call, Centre visit, Design Package, build.

PG. 06
v.

An introductionWhat to bring, and how to begin.

PG. 07

Wenner Group — Since 1945

i. WHY EARLY

Page 03 / 07

— Why early

There’s a reason we love being at the table early.

When we’re in the conversation at sketch stage, every option is still on the table. The architect’s pencil is still soft. Decisions about where the technology lives can shape the architecture, rather than be shaped by it. The home gets better — and the project, when it gets there, runs calmer for everyone involved.

At sketch stage

Every option is still possible. No walls have been built. No conduit has been run. Whatever you can imagine — a hidden theatre, doors that open onto a wine cellar, panel finishes that match the millwork, drapery that disappears into the ceiling — is still very much on the table. Our job, in those early conversations, is to help you decide which of those things are worth doing for the way you’ll actually live in the house.

Architectural shading, ordered with the windows

When we’re brought in alongside the window order, the motors hide in the header, fabric drapery rides motorised tracks, and side channels recede into the architecture. The room reads as a room, not as a system. Bringing the conversation in later doesn’t mean it can’t happen — it just means the choices narrow.

Networking, drawn to the floorplan

A house’s network gets quieter the earlier it’s drawn. Rack rooms placed where the architecture wants them. Wireless access points coordinated with the finished ceilings. Cable runs that follow the structure rather than retrofit through it. The result is a network that lives in the house without announcing itself.

"They were in the room at the first sketch and still in the room at handover. The technology of the house feels like part of the architecture — because that’s when we drew it."

Homeowner · A Vancouver Island residence

Wenner Group — Since 1945

ii. THE EIGHT SCOPES

Page 04 / 07

— What we cover

One sub-trade. Eight conversations.

Wenner holds the entire technical scope of the home under one roof — drawn, coordinated, scheduled, and present at the trades meeting. You'll have one Project Manager and one number to call. Here's what's covered, in plain language.

i. Lighting design & control

Layered scenes, fixture specification, dim curves tuned to the finishes. The light is part of the architecture, not an afterthought.

ii. Shading & drapery

Motorised shades and fabric drapery, integrated with the lighting. The kind that close on the western sun on their own.

iii. Audio & video

Distributed audio, theatre rooms, and TVs that disappear into the millwork. Reference-grade where it matters; invisible everywhere else.

iv. Networking & Wi-Fi

The infrastructure everything else rides on. Built to the home's footprint, hidden where it needs to be, fast in the rooms you use.

v. Security & cameras

Alarm, surveillance, and access control through SmartSecure — designed in alongside the rest of the technology, not bolted on after.

vi. Climate integration

Heating, cooling, air quality, humidity — integrated into the same control surface as the lighting and shades. The house responds; you don't manage it.

vii. Generators & energy

Standby power, battery storage, energy management. Sized to the home and drawn into the electrical set, not a separate scope of work.

viii. Theatre & golf simulator

Foresight Sports and TruGolf bays, dedicated theatres, lifestyle rooms. Designed for the room they're going into, not a generic specification.

Wenner Group — Since 1945

iii. DECISIONS TO MAKE FIRST

Page 05 / 07

— What to bring

Six lifestyle questions, with technical consequences.

None of these questions are technical, but each has technical consequences that are easier to honour the earlier we know the answer. Bring this list to your architect. Or to a Discovery Call with us first, so you walk into that meeting with the language you need.

01 · How is the house used through the day?

Where the family gathers, where the principals work from, where guests stay, where music plays. Drives lighting layout, audio zones, and where the network has to be perfect.

02 · Which rooms disappear behind the architecture?

Theatre rooms, golf simulators, gyms, principal bedrooms. These rooms have specific structural and acoustic requirements that need to be on the architectural drawings, not added later.

03 · How private is the property?

Drives camera placement, perimeter monitoring, gate integration, and how the security system relates to the rest of the home. A waterfront acreage and a gated estate ask different things.

04 · How long do you want to live here?

A 30-year decision asks for a different infrastructure spec than a 7-year decision. Standby power, battery storage, and the depth of the network design all flex against this answer.

05 · Who manages the technology day-to-day?

You? A house manager? Nobody — and you want it just to work? The answer changes the control system, the user-interface choices, and the WennerCare tier you'll likely choose at handover.

06 · What's the budget envelope for the technology scope?

As a rough guide: technology on a $5M build runs 3–6% of construction cost; on a $20M build, often 1.5–3%. We can work to most envelopes — but the conversation is much shorter when we know it.

Wenner Group — Since 1945

iv. HOW A PROJECT STARTS

Page 06 / 07

— How we begin

A four-step beginning, before the work begins.

None of the first three steps are paid. We don't begin a Design Package until you've seen the work in person, met the team, and decided we're the right partners for the project.

01 · Discovery Call

Thirty minutes, virtual or in person. We talk about the project, the architect, the timeline, and the questions on page 05. We will tell you, on this call, whether we think we're a fit. Both directions.

02 · Experience Centre visit

An hour at one of our centres in Nanaimo or Victoria, walking through working rooms — Crestron and Lutron platforms side-by-side, theatre, distributed audio, lighting scenes. The fastest way to feel the difference between platforms in your hands.

03 · Project review

We sit with your architect's drawings, walk you through the technology scope at a high level, and recommend the right Design Package tier — Foundation, Premier, or Estate. The proposal is itemised; nothing is hidden.

04 · Design Package

The first paid engagement — drawings, specifications, and the infrastructure plan that go into your architect's set. Once it's signed off, we move to procurement, install, commissioning, handover — and then to WennerCare, for the years that follow.

Wenner Group — Since 1945

v. AN INTRODUCTION

Page 07 / 07

— An introduction

If a home you're planning would benefit from this work.

A few notes on what we welcome, and how to begin a conversation. Whether you're at sketch stage with an architect, well into Schematic Design, or simply thinking through the project on the back of a paper napkin.

Send a short note. An architect's set, a programme paragraph, or a sketch. We respond in writing within two business days.
Initial Discovery Calls and Centre tours. Part of how we work — no charge to you or your design team. We confirm the right Design Package tier on the call before paid work begins.
You don't need an architect or builder yet. Many of our clients come to us first, get clear on the technology scope, then take what they've learned to their architect or builder conversations.
References on request. Drawings, specifications, and homeowner introductions shared in good faith once a project is well-defined and the design team is in place.

Speak with us, directly.

Initial conversations are held by the senior team — never via a business-development hand-off. Adam handles new project enquiries; Ryan oversees the practice.

Direct line

250.758.2231

Or in writing

adam@wenner.ca

Wenner Group — Since 1945