Get the Architecture Right
Before You Build
Most technology problems in a home or commercial space aren't installation problems — they're planning problems. Rivas Technology Group offers consulting engagements for homeowners, builders, and contractors who want a system designed correctly from the first conversation.
Two Audiences. One Standard.
Whether you're a homeowner trying to make sense of your options or a builder who needs clean specs before a slab is poured, the conversation starts the same way — with your project, not a product catalog.
Homeowners & Buyers
You're planning a new build, a remodel, or inheriting a system someone else installed. You want to understand your options, avoid expensive mistakes, and know what to ask your contractor — before the walls close.
Builders & Contractors
You're building homes for clients who expect smart home infrastructure but your team doesn't have the AV and low-voltage background to specify it correctly. We provide the technical layer your project needs without a full integration contract.
What a Consulting Engagement Covers
Engagements are scoped to your project — not packaged into tiers. Every session starts with your specific situation.
System Design & Architecture Planning
We map out every system in the home or space — audio, video, networking, lighting, security, and automation — as one integrated architecture. You get a clear picture of what goes where, why, and how it all connects before a single cable is pulled.
Vendor & Equipment Selection
There are hundreds of devices that will technically work in your home. Most aren't worth the investment. We help you evaluate options based on your actual use case, your budget, and the long-term serviceability of the platform — not spec sheets or sales pitches.
Existing System Audits & Troubleshooting
You moved into a home with a system someone else designed. Or your integrator is gone and nothing works right. We audit what's there, identify what's salvageable, and give you an honest assessment of the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Pre-Construction & Builder Consulting
The most expensive AV and smart home mistakes happen before framing. Conduit in the wrong place, panels on the wrong wall, ceilings that can't accept the speaker the client wants. We get involved during design and rough-in so your build doesn't have regrets.
Owner-Supplied Equipment Integration
You bought your own gear. You need someone who can tell you whether it will actually work together — and if so, what the integration path looks like. We review your equipment list and give you a realistic assessment before the boxes are opened.
DIY Guidance & Remote Support
Some clients want to handle installation themselves and need a technical resource who can answer the hard questions — not a forum thread. We offer remote consulting sessions for DIY projects where you need professional-grade guidance without a full install contract.
Transparent Pricing. No Surprises.
Two ways to engage — a working session to get your questions answered, or a full Technology Design Package you can take anywhere.
Project Estimates & Discovery Calls
You have a specific project — a new build, a remodel, a room you want automated — and you want to know if we're the right fit and what it'll cost. We gather scope, answer basic questions, and produce a proposal. No charge, no commitment.
Use our instant estimator for a ballpark in under 5 minutes, or call us and we'll scope it together.
Get an Instant Estimate →Paid Consulting Sessions
You want expert guidance — independent of whether you hire us to install anything. Platform advice, a second opinion on a competitor's bid, a system audit, a DIY roadmap. The value flows to you regardless of outcome. That's a professional service.
The defining question: are we building toward a proposal for your project, or delivering expertise with no install contract guaranteed? The latter is consulting.
Fees listed below →A focused working session — site visit or video call — where we review your project, answer your specific questions, and give you a clear direction. Contact us to get started — our team will confirm the scope and send you a booking link once we've connected.
A complete written system specification — equipment list, system architecture, and room-by-room scope — that you can hand to any integrator for a competitive bid, or use as a step-by-step DIY roadmap.
From First Call to Finished Plan
A consulting engagement is not a sales call. It's a working session with a specific deliverable at the end.
Intake Conversation
We start with a 20-minute call to understand your project, timeline, and the specific questions you need answered. No charge for this call.
Scoped Engagement
We define what the consulting engagement covers — site visit, remote session, documentation review, or a combination — and agree on the deliverable before we start.
Working Session
The session itself — on-site walkthrough, video review, blueprint markup, or system audit — with your assigned team member leading and answering in real time.
Written Summary
You receive a written summary of recommendations, priorities, and next steps — something you can hand to a contractor, use in your planning, or share with a builder.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Most technology regrets in new construction and remodels aren't the result of bad products — they're the result of decisions made too late or without the right information.
Conduit that doesn't go where you need it
Running wire after drywall is expensive and messy. The right conduit layout costs almost nothing to do during rough-in and everything to fix afterward.
Platforms that don't talk to each other
Three separate apps to control a home that was sold as "smart." It happens when lighting, audio, and security are each spec'd by a different vendor with no one thinking about integration.
Equipment that's already obsolete
Consumer platforms that looked good at purchase and are now unsupported, discontinued, or orphaned from their cloud service. A consulting session that covers platform longevity pays for itself once.
Bids you can't evaluate
Two proposals with different equipment lists and no way to compare them. We can review integrator bids and tell you what you're actually getting — and what's missing.
Cost to add a conduit run during rough-in vs. $800–$2,500 to fish wire through finished walls later
App to control your entire home when the architecture is planned correctly from the start
Years of reliable service from a professional platform vs. 2–4 years before a consumer platform is discontinued
Smart Home Consulting FAQ
A free estimate is scoped around a specific project — you're thinking about hiring us to install something and you want to know what it costs. We gather scope, answer basic questions, and produce a proposal at no charge. A paid consultation is about expertise, not a price. You want guidance that has value regardless of whether you hire us: which platform to invest in, whether a competitor's bid makes sense, what's wrong with your existing system, or how to DIY a project correctly. The defining question is whether the conversation is building toward a proposal for your project, or delivering professional knowledge with no install contract on the other end. If you're unsure which applies to your situation, call us — we'll tell you honestly which path fits.
Consulting fees are published and fixed. A remote session (45 minutes) is $350. An on-site session (90 minutes) is $650. Both are non-refundable and cover your time with your Rivas Technology Group team member — they do not credit toward the Technology Design Package or installation. The Technology Design Package starts at $1,500 depending on project scope and credits 100% toward installation with Rivas Technology Group if you choose to move forward with us.
Yes. Some clients want independent advice and will use another integrator for the install, or want to DIY. We provide consulting engagements regardless of who does the eventual installation. We give the same quality of advice either way — our reputation is built on the quality of the recommendation, not on getting the install contract.
We review your plans and provide a low-voltage specification package that includes infrastructure planning, panel and equipment room sizing, wire type and quantity per system, and rough-in notes for your electrician. We can also do a site visit during framing to verify layout before drywall. Builders working on multiple projects can establish an ongoing consulting relationship with per-project pricing.
Yes, and this is one of the most common requests we receive. We do on-site audits of existing Control4, Crestron, Savant, and custom-programmed systems — documenting what's there, identifying what's not working and why, and providing a written remediation plan. We're direct about what's salvageable and what's not worth keeping.
Yes. Send us your equipment list and we'll review compatibility, integration requirements, and any gaps before you start the installation. This is a remote consulting session and can save significant time and expense versus discovering incompatibilities after the fact.
Both. One-time sessions are available for specific questions or project reviews. Ongoing consulting relationships are available for builders, developers, and homeowners in active construction who need a consistent technical resource throughout the project. We structure these on a retainer or per-session basis depending on the engagement.
Consulting Across the South Sound
On-site consulting is available throughout King and Pierce County. Remote consulting is available statewide.
Start With a Conversation. Not a Sales Call.
Tell us about your project. We'll tell you what we think — honestly — and scope an engagement from there. No pressure, no proposal on the first call.