Our process

From the first conversation to lifelong care.

Every 1Install project follows the same eight stages. One team designs your system, shows you exactly what you are getting before you commit, installs it properly and then looks after it for as long as you own the property.

This page walks you through the whole journey, start to finish. Each stage links to more detail if you want it.

One team from design to aftercareInteractive proposalsClient Portal for every clientUK & Ireland support
Why a process matters

Nothing left to chance

Smart home and AV projects go wrong when decisions are made late, information is scattered and nobody owns the system after handover. Our process fixes all three: decisions are made early and in the open, everything is recorded against your property, and the team that built your system is the team that supports it.

8clear stages, start to finish
1team from design to aftercare
20+years in the industry
Any timeClient Portal access
The 1Install difference

High end, done the way it should be: with the client in control

Most technology companies hand you a quote and ask you to trust them. We hand you the controls. From the first design to the last button, you and your design team shape the project with us, in real time, with no hard sell.

Power in your hands

You design it with us, not after us

Your interactive proposal is a live design tool. It counts everything in your project as you go: devices, TV sources, TV end points, music zones, keypads, touchscreens, blinds and sensors. Add a room of music or remove a screen and the counts and costs update instantly.

Keypads are designed in the proposal itself. You, your interior designer or your lighting designer decide which buttons go where, what each one is called, the finish and the backlight colour. As far as we know, no other company puts this level of control into the client's hands.

  • Live counts of devices, TV sources, TV end points and music zones
  • Keypad layouts, button names, finishes, colours and locations designed on screen
  • Rooms with TV and rooms with music chosen by you
  • Good, better and best options in every room
Keypads designed by the client or their designer, inside the proposal

Keypads designed by you or your designer
QS & PM

Live costings, always

On large residential projects the quantity surveyor and project manager have a live view of the technology costs at every stage, with no waiting for revised quotes.

DESIGN TEAM

A version without prices

Builders, architects and designers get a version with no pricing, so they can adjust keypads, button names, colours and locations, and which rooms have TV or music, without seeing the budget.

DRAWINGS

Full drawings and cable schedules

We provide full drawings and cable schedules for your electrician and design team, so first fix is right first time.

ON SITE

Project visits during the build

We visit site throughout the build to check progress, meet the trades and keep everything to the design.

For consultants, project managers and designers

One point of contact for all the technology

Consultants, project managers and designers tell us we save them a great deal of time. The client has one person managing all of the technology from concept to completion, and the whole team learns about the project together, in one place. It makes everyone's life easier.

A live investment summary for the client, QS and project manager

Live costings for the client, QS and PM
At handover, and for years after

A home you already know how to use

Because you have been part of the design from the start, by the time your system is installed and fully programmed you already know what the house does and which buttons to press. Handover and training are quicker and far less daunting.

It also means fewer changes once the project is finished. And when your needs change, the same platform lets you make changes as your home grows.

Scenes chosen by the client, so the house already makes sense on day one

You chose the scenes, so you already know them
We add value long before the installation starts: in how we consult and design, not just how we install and look after your system. We believe that is the full package.
Is this how you want your project to run?

Send this page to your designer, architect or project manager

If you are the client and this sounds right for your project, share it with your design team. We would be glad to talk to them.

Stage 1 · Enquiry

A conversation with a specialist

Call us, send a message, use the contact form or WhatsApp us. Your first conversation is with someone who understands high end residential and commercial technology, not a call centre.

Fill in the contact form and your enquiry goes straight into our CRM, the system our whole team works from; calls and WhatsApp messages are logged there too. From then on every note, email and conversation is saved against your project, so nothing gets lost or missed.

We ask about the property, the stage the build or renovation is at, who else is involved and what you want the technology to do for you. If we are the right fit, we arrange a consultation.

More about your enquiry →

Stage 2 · Consultation

Understanding how you live

We meet you, on site or with your architect or interior designer, to understand the property, the programme and how each space will be used. Lighting, shading, audio, video, cinema, networking, security and heating are discussed together, because they all depend on each other.

  • Your priorities and budget, agreed early
  • Coordination with your design team from day one
  • Honest advice on what can be phased later

More about the consultation →

Stage 3 · Survey & design

Engineered before first fix

We review the drawings, survey the property and design every system: the rack and plant room, device positions, cable schedules, network and control. Infrastructure decisions are made before first fix, when they cost least and matter most.

Your design becomes the foundation of your proposal, so what you approve is exactly what we engineer, order and install.

You receive full drawings for every system and a cable schedule for your electrician, and we visit site during the build to keep everything to the design.

See example drawings →

Full drawings for every floor, from a real 1Install design pack

Full drawings for every floor, from a real 1Install design pack
Stage 4 · Interactive proposal

A proposal you can explore, shape and approve

Instead of a PDF full of part numbers, you receive a secure, living web page built around your property. Every room, system and option is laid out clearly, and the price updates in front of you as you make choices.

Room by room, with live pricing

Add a touchscreen, change a speaker or remove a set of blinds and the total updates instantly. Optional systems can be added with one click, so nothing needs to be requoted.

  • Good, better and best choices in every room
  • Keypad finishes, backlights and engraving designed on screen
  • Questions and notes against any line
  • Accept and sign online when you are ready
The proposal cover, with the live total and Accept & sign always in view

The live total and Accept & sign, always in view

See a full interactive proposal

Stage 5 · Project delivery

Managed, and visible to you

Once you accept, your proposal becomes the project record. Equipment is ordered to the agreed specification, the deposit invoice is issued and your project appears in your own Client Portal, with its progress, documents and invoices in one place.

Any change later in the project is handled as a clearly priced change order in the same format, so there are no surprises.

More about project delivery →

Your proposals and active project, with its progress

Follow your project in the Client Portal
Stage 6 · Installation

Built properly

First and second fix are coordinated with your electrician and other trades. We build a professionally engineered rack, install and configure every device, programme the control system around the way you live, then test and commission everything before handover.

  • Our own engineers, not a chain of subcontractors
  • Neat, labelled and documented cabling and racks
  • Every system tested and commissioned together

More about installation →

Dedicated spaces, designed and installed as a complete room

Dedicated spaces, designed as a complete room
Stage 7 · Handover

Knowledge that stays with the house

Handover is more than a walkthrough. We demonstrate every system, set up the people who need access and load everything into your Client Portal, so the knowledge behind your system never walks out of the door with an engineer.

Equipment register

Every key device recorded with its location and warranty status.

Plans and backups

As built drawings, cable schedules and configuration backups kept with the property.

Credentials

Wi-Fi and system logins held securely, hidden until you choose to reveal them.

Guides and access

User guides for your systems, and access for family, a PA or a property manager.

Tour the Client Portal

Stage 8 · 1Install Care

Your technology, managed for life

Our responsibility does not end at handover. 1Install Care is a single annual plan, tailored to your installation, that keeps your system working year after year with a team that already knows it inside out.

Priority support

Your requests go to the front of the queue, by phone, online or in person, with unlimited quick support sessions.

Remote monitoring

Proactive monitoring during office hours, with remote diagnosis and recovery so many issues are fixed without a visit.

Annual health check

A scheduled visit each year with a full diagnostic report, recorded in your portal.

Preferential rates

Up to 20% off equipment and up to 15% off labour for as long as your plan is active.

Your technology has a team behind it.
When something needs attention

How support works

Most faults in a well designed system can be diagnosed, and often fixed, without anyone visiting. When an engineer is needed, they arrive already knowing what they are dealing with.

01Log the issue
02System reviewed
03Remote diagnosis
04Fixed remotely
05Or engineer attends

Everything tracked in your Client Portal

Raise a ticket, report an issue or start a live chat from your phone. Supported systems show their status in the portal, and approved quick actions such as rebooting the equipment rack or resetting the Wi-Fi can be run with one click. Every visit report is added to your service history.

Live system status and one click recovery actions

System status and one click fixes

Explore 1Install Care

Questions

Our process, explained

How early should we involve 1Install?

As early as possible, ideally at design stage before first fix. Cabling, rack space, containment and device positions are far easier and cheaper to plan before walls are closed.

Can we work with our own architect, designer and electrician?

Yes. We coordinate with your design team and trades throughout, and they can review the same interactive proposal and raise questions against any line.

What happens if we change our minds during the project?

Changes are handled as clearly priced change orders in the same interactive format, so you always know what has changed and what it costs.

Do we have to take 1Install Care?

No. Every client gets the Client Portal. 1Install Care adds priority support, remote monitoring, an annual health check and preferential rates.

Can you take over a system 1Install did not install?

Yes, subject to a survey. We review and document the system, bring it into your Client Portal and advise on anything that should be addressed first.

Start a conversation

Let's plan your space together.

Tell us a little about your project and a member of the team will be in touch.

Contact us for a meetup to discuss your needs

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