There are things with code, with
system design, and product choices that you will be FAR better off in the long run if you pay the money and bring in a consultant. I've been doing this for nearly 30 years and I recently went through a new theater construction project. While I was on top of most of the project and in some ways knew more than the consultant, there were many odd little details that we really needed the consultant's expertise on. I've designed and installed small systems, but I would never take on an whole building design without a consultant.
Here are the three main reasons you should hire a consultant (although there are many more):
1) You can go on the internet and read about all the different
LED products but you are not an expert and you haven't seen them in person. A good consultant will have been to all the trade shows and gotten first
hand experience with all the fixtures. When the consultant tells you that "
fixture X" is the best product for your needs, the consultant is basing that opinion on first
hand experience with a lot of fixtures and years of experience in the industry. Furthermore, the consultant has designed a lot of other church installations and has seen the results. The consultant hasn't just read the photometric data about a
fixture, he's seen it hands on in a similar setting. He's gone back to the church after the
system is installed and gotten
feedback about how they like the product. He's learned not just what is the best product but also which products are better for different uses and locations based on hands on experience no one at your church has.
2)Barbizon is a fantastic company. I've spent a lot of money there over the years and I certainly recommend them to everyone. However that said, saying "Company X" is going to design and install the
system for us is a poor idea. Why? Two reasons. 1) "Company X" is going to design a
system for you based only on brands that they
stock and possibly (depending on how honest the sales rep is) on products they make the most money by selling. Furthermore, if you go to them and say, design and install a
system for me, where is the incentive for them to cut you the best deal? You are far better off having a consultant help you specify a complete
system then shopping it around to 3 or 4 local companies and see who will give you the best deal. Knowing it's a competitive bid, they will cut their profit margin slimmer and you will save back part of the cost you pay to hire the consultant. Again, I'm not implying anything negative about Barbizon with this, they are fantastic and I strongly encourage to
send them your
system specs for a price quote, after the
system is designed by a consultant.
3) I take it this is a new building. If yes architects are notorious for designing things for looks and not for practicality. You would not believe some of the stupid and dangerous things designed into buildings by architects who have no idea about the
practical side of technical work. They think about how things will look. You need a consultant to get in and fight with the architect for you. The consultant will make sure
safety and code is considered in the technical spaces (something architects miss). He'll make sure you have enough
power where it needs to be, make sure that you don't hate working with the
system every day forever because the space was designed to look good and
practical functionality was not considered. I can't tell you how many times I sat in a design meeting with our consultant arguing with the architect about what had to change in the plans.
Again at least
drop MuseAV a pm for a little side chat on what you are talking about in price. If you are going to spend say $100,000 on your lighting and sound systems doesn't it make sense to spend a few thousand more and make sure it's done correctly. A consultant is cheap insurance against bad tech.