The developers of Pabst Farms have signed an agreement for GE Security to provide all of the structured wiring in the 2,000 residential units to be built in the sprawling Oconomowoc complex.
The upscale residences in Pabst Farms will be "smart homes," which will feature uniform connection boxes to accommodate high-speed Internet connections, home entertainment centers, security systems, audio systems, security and "nanny room" cameras and more, according to Bronson Haase, president of Pabst Farms Equity Ventures LLC.
The systems will be provided by GE Security, an Arden Hills, Minn.-based division of General Electric Co.
Pabst Farms also has selected three Wisconsin companies to integrate the systems into the homes: Advanced Communication Services, New Berlin; Built In Home Systems, Brookfield; and Audio Video Masters, West Bend.
By contract, the builders of homes in Pabst Farms must agree to hire one of the three integrators to provide the GE Security connection boxes in each of the residential units, Haase said.
The exclusive homebuilders in Pabst Farms are: Handcrafted Homes, Waukesha; Homes by Towne of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa; Joseph Douglas Homes, Brookfield; Kettle Creek Homes, Elm Grove; and Trustway Homes, Pewaukee.
The connection boxes will accommodate the fiber-optic lines being installed by SBC Communications to provide all of the voice, video and Internet connections for development in Pabst Farms.
"In structured wiring, you have no degradation of transmission," Haase said. "We’re raising the bar here. The whole concept was, we need some kind of quality control here."
The installation cost for the basic structured wiring system will be about $950 per unit, Haase said. Extra capacity and features will be available for additional fees. The costs will be incorporated into the sale prices of the homes, condominiums and townhouses in Pabst Farms.
Prospective residents of Pabst Farms will have opportunities to preview all of the technology when the staff of Pabst Farms Development LLC moves from their current Pewaukee office space to new offices in a model home along Eastlake Drive by July 1.
Feb. 20, 2004 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
