Most AV companies show up after drywall. We prefer to show up at framing. One team, one proposal, one phone number — for pre-wire, trim, programming, and every callback after. Twenty-two years running a crew that protects your reputation as much as ours.
Every GC we work with has a story about the AV company that specced a six-figure system for a house that needed a quarter of it. We aren't that company. Our job is to give the homeowner the smallest, cleanest, most honest system that does exactly what they want — and to give you the easiest low-voltage subcontractor you'll deal with this year.
If a $400 receiver does the job, we don't sell them a $4,000 one. Our reputation is twenty-two years old. We're not burning it for one markup, and we're not burning yours either.
Dealer accounts with virtually every major manufacturer — Savant, Lutron, Josh.ai, Sonos, Denon, Marantz, Sony, JBL Synthesis, Paradigm. We spec what fits the room, not what fits our margin.
Rick picks up. Bear runs the warehouse. The install crew has been with us for years. When the homeowner calls eight years from now, the same family answers — and that callback doesn't land on your desk.
The deliverable you get before a single wire is pulled. Low-voltage runs, rack location, device types, and conduit drops — drawn against your floorplan, not our catalog. Below is a representative single-story pre-wire overlay.
Representative overlay. The real deliverable is drawn against your architect's CAD, coordinated with the electrical and plumbing subs, and includes a numbered cable schedule, rack elevation, and a fixed-price scope by phase.
Where we plug in, what we deliver, and what it takes off your plate. Adjustable to your schedule — these are the defaults.
Walk the plans with you and the homeowner. We mark up the architect's drawings for low-voltage: rack location, conduit paths, speaker rings, TV back-boxes, camera angles, Lutron load map. You get a fixed-price proposal and a numbered cable schedule before permits pull.
In right behind the electrician. Back-boxes set, Cat6/6a and speaker wire pulled, conduit for future HDMI runs, pre-wire for motorized shades, rack location framed out. Every run labeled at both ends. Photos to you and the homeowner the same day.
Post-drywall. Speakers, keypads, thermostats, cameras, TVs mounted. Rack built and dressed. Every cable terminated and tested on a certifier. Before we leave, every run on the schedule gets a pass/fail print-out in the project binder.
Programming, network commissioning, app logins, voice control, scenes tested. We sit with the homeowner for a real walkthrough — not a 20-minute handoff. The system gets turned over working, with documentation you can attach to your close-out package.
Every system leaves with 24/7 OVRC monitoring included — free — for the life of the install. If a router reboots at 2 a.m. or a TV loses its HDMI handshake, we see it before the homeowner does. Your phone does not ring. Ours does.
Every SWAT builder scope includes the following by default. Anything you don't need, we strike. No surprise line items at trim.
Two Cat6a drops per living space plus one per TV, rack termination, cable schedule with unique ID at both ends. Separate VLAN-ready for IoT and cameras.
1" smurf tube from rack to every TV. Flexible conduit for projector runs. Pull strings in every conduit. We pull the wire we can spec today; we leave a path for the wire we can't.
16-gauge, in-wall rated. Back-boxes where code requires. Every room owner-selectable later as single-source or multi-zone.
Ceiling APs wired, not bridged. One AP per 1,500 sq ft plus patio coverage. PoE from rack. Certifier test results with every drop.
RadioRA3 or HomeWorks. Scene engraving standardized. We coordinate with your electrician on load calcs, dimmer compatibility, and bonded neutrals.
As-built drawings, rack elevation, cable-test results, app logins, manufacturer warranty cards, service contact card — printed and digital, handed to the homeowner at final walkthrough.
Public reviews selected for the work that matters most on a build site — rough-in cleanliness, callback behavior, and post-punchlist follow-through.
"The crew was punctual, polite, worked diligently, and left the place spotless after each visit. They are a local family-owned business that has been around for 20 years and are easy to reach if there are any issues."
"These guys are honestly the best and my heroes. Another contractor ruined my walls in my brand new house. SWAT came in the same day, totally transformed the mess, mounted my TV above the fireplace, and fixed my wall like new."
"SWAT is the best in the business. Very knowledgeable, white glove service, came out on multiple occasions to ensure everything was top notch, answered all of my questions, and left my place after installation as if they were never there."
The best low-voltage sub is the one who makes the rest of your trades look good. That's the whole job. Twenty-two years of trying not to be noticed on site, and being easy to reach the day after handoff.— Rick · SWAT A/V · North Potomac, MD
Either. On a spec build or a full custom, we typically contract directly to the builder and carry the low-voltage scope as a named sub on the schedule. On owner-directed jobs, we'll contract with the homeowner and coordinate with the GC's super. Whichever side holds the paper, we work the same way.
Yes — Maryland low-voltage, DC business license, Virginia. $2M general liability plus workers comp. Certs of insurance naming the GC as additional insured issued before we mobilize.
Usually within a week. The pre-con walkthrough is free — we'd rather spend an hour on your kitchen table in schematic design than try to retro-fit conduit at rough inspection.
Low-voltage permits where required, yes. Structured wiring, alarm, camera — we carry the permits and the inspector contact. We coordinate electrical load letters and bonded neutrals with your electrician; we don't touch line voltage.
That's a Tuesday. Our rough-in assumes flex — conduit, back-boxes sized one model up, generic mounting points. Trim-phase swaps are priced from our catalog, not by scope re-open.
One year full labor from commissioning. Manufacturer warranties pass through at the homeowner's name. The part people forget: every system gets free OVRC monitoring for life — so when something drops at 2am, we see it first. That warranty math works in your favor more than it works in ours.
PDFs, CAD, a cocktail-napkin sketch — whatever you have. We'll come back inside a week with a marked-up overlay, a cable schedule, and a fixed-price phase plan. No deposit. No pitch deck.