Some observations !

["Robert Campbell" <ssv554@usa@isp01.net>]

I am currently staying in a rented home in Panama City Beach, Florida and
being as it is early in my vacation, I have not yet "decompressed". As such,
I can't resist making some observations about the difference between the
house construction here as compared to back home in Ontario ( I know, I
shouldn't be thinking about business.....:))

First and most obvious, there are no basements and as such, standard
installation practices would have to be quite different here. As near as I
can see, the panel would have to be hidden in a ground floor closet, with
all wiring going up into the attic (and I can only guess how hot that would
be in the summer in Florida !!!!!!) If not, one would have to be very
creative about hiding wiring behind baseboards. Wireless would seem to be an
attractive option given the normal difficulty of wiring up through walls
into the attic. Many homes have two or three stories with doors going out
into balcanies, which would necessitate wireless components unless labour
time is of little consequence (yeah, right !!)

I don't get the impression that break and enter is a big problem, at least
in the fairly ritzy area I am in. People seem to leave valuables such as
bicycles out in their yards over night with little fear of theft. The only
homes with alarms are those privately owned, where the home owner is away
from the premises for long periods of time. I see no small alarm companies
present, with most alarms installed by ADT, and one other larger dealer here
in town.

Construction is SO different that it makes me think how different
installation practices must be from area to area in North America. It also
makes me realize we should all be a bit more careful criticizing someone in
a different area who has to deal with installation problems virtually
unknown in other areas. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I would want to do
many installations in homes of the type of construction I am living in.
Wireless looks like a VERY attractive option!!

With that, I'll sign off and wish you all well.......75 degrees, warm
deserted beaches, sunny weather here compared to zero degrees, two feet of
snow at home, and 40 car pileups on the major snow covered highways.

Not too hard to take !!

RHC