$2M House Install (est. 1925)

CastleSurveillance

CastleSurveillance

Getting the hang of it
Aug 11, 2019
313
83
Detroit, MI
Hi Guys,

I own my own camera company - and have been doing great - I have some experienced guys on the team and there hasn't been any job we haven't been able to tackle yet...

However, this one threw me for a loop today.

House was made in 1925 - it's essentially a fortress, it's made of solid limestone. Interior is all plaster walls. To my knowledge - there are no hollow cavities for me to go down. Has a very weird, old, roof/gutter set up - So, where I would usually mount cameras on soffits - the soffits don't really exist, they are made of gutter, so I can't drill/mount there.

I thought of Parapet mounts... but this is a beautiful house, and lets be honest - they'd look terrible hanging off the roof like that.

Anyone tackled a house like this before? Where did you mount the cameras?

Home owner wants them to be as minimally noticeable as possible - so running an elaborate run of Conduit is out of the question.

Once I get the wire into the attic - there's plenty of runs to chase into the basement and go from there. It's more so getting the cameras mounted that is the issue.
 

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Hi @CastleSurveillance

How did the electricians run the new electrical lines? ( houses from 1925 certainly needed to have their electrical upgraded )

I do not see how to meet the requirement "minimally noticeable" unless you find some nice stone gargoyles to insert the cameras into.
 
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Indeed, nothing worse than creating "scars" into such a beautiful house! Maybe you can try to use the "environment" to monitor the house - I see potential spots around the poles of that pergola/veranda at the pool, but also from "above" the wall on "quote 4" picture which has great view on the 3 windows and door - you might be leverage a hidden cam in the pot (filming the door) on "quote 1".
Think outside the box. It will be easier to wire the cabling around the house than throught these walls.

Keep us posted on your outcome!
CC
 
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mat200 said:
Hi @CastleSurveillance

How did the electricians run the new electrical lines? ( houses from 1925 certainly needed to have their electrical upgraded )

I do not see how to meet the requirement "minimally noticeable" unless you find some nice stone gargoyles to insert the cameras into.
Click to expand...

Thats the crazy thing - once I get into the attic - there’s plenty of runs to chase. The house wasn’t originally made with cable, electric, internet, phone lines - so in the basement and attic - there’s a plethora of runs to piggy back off. But most of it comes in underground through the walls of the basement.
 
catcamstar said:
Indeed, nothing worse than creating "scars" into such a beautiful house! Maybe you can try to use the "environment" to monitor the house - I see potential spots around the poles of that pergola/veranda at the pool, but also from "above" the wall on "quote 4" picture which has great view on the 3 windows and door - you might be leverage a hidden cam in the pot (filming the door) on "quote 1".
Think outside the box. It will be easier to wire the cabling around the house than throught these walls.

Keep us posted on your outcome!
CC
Click to expand...

Hmmm he’s not trying to be that sneaky. By “minimally noticeable” he just wants them to blend into the house as much as possible. For instance, he asked if I could put a black camera on the black window ledge.

My idea here, however, was white mini domes onto the soffit line. Buttttt... as discussed - there is no true soffit line lol
 
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Hi @CastleSurveillance

Wow, that's a super nice place... the place will outlast any tech we can put into it - so I really hate to mess anything up too much.

That noted:
1) I would NOT use mini-domes. I would go for varifocals to give me the proper amount of pixels I need as I will have to zoom the FOV in due to the potential higher mounting points.

2) To blend in, I think the idea of window "ledges" and black cameras will work out the best.
If possible - I would route the cable to the windows and drill the smallest hole in the frame and run the wire out to a junction box and mount a varifocal turret there. ( painted to match the window trim, which appears to be black in the pictures. )

3) I like the idea catcamstar has and would look for secondary structures to mount cameras to. ( again painting the cameras to match the home )

I've attached a picture of where I would consider placements of cameras.

LOL I still want to put up some gargoyles with PTZ heads! Maybe a joker thrown in.

maybethis.jpg


man... I need to learn how some of these folks make their $...

seriously nice place - definitely keep us informed on how you managed to run the lines.
( I am imaging some very nice and expensive wood on the interior walls... )
 
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bp2008 said:
Well you can always paint cameras to make them blend better.
Click to expand...

Let’s discuss that for a minute. What type of paint are you guys using for this type of project? Never had to paint any before. I doubt I can go to the store and buy an “aged limestone” flavor lol
 
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CastleSurveillance said:
Let’s discuss that for a minute. What type of paint are you guys using for this type of project? Never had to paint any before. I doubt I can go to the store and buy an “aged limestone” flavor lol
Click to expand...

HI @CastleSurveillance

I used spray primer + exterior paint which the hardware store matched to a paint sample, they can also match to photos - or you can take the photo and take it to the store and they'll have some printed sample colors you can take to the site to see how close they match.
 
mat200 said:
Hi @CastleSurveillance

That noted:
1) I would NOT use mini-domes. I would go for varifocals to give me the proper amount of pixels I need as I will have to zoom the FOV in due to the potential higher mounting points.

2) To blend in, I think the idea of window "ledges" and black cameras will work out the best.
If possible - I would route the cable to the windows and drill the smallest hole in the frame and run the wire out to a junction box and mount a varifocal turret there. ( painted to match the window trim, which appears to be black in the pictures. )

man... I need to learn how some of these folks make their $...

seriously nice place - definitely keep us informed on how you managed to run the lines.
( I am imaging some very nice and expensive wood on the interior walls... )
Click to expand...

How would you go about running wires to window sill? Through conduit painted to match house? The channel between limestone blocks is so minimal I don’t even think I could run cat5 or 6 in it.

And yes - prior to me stepping foot in this house - the nicest house I’ve ever been in previously is basically a dumpster fire compared to this house.

Just to try to describe this house - when you walk in the front doors - there is a giant marble entry way with huge spiral staircase going up. Combined with a completely custom wood ceiling.

It was originally made for a member of the ford motor company family. It’s incredible.
 
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mat200 said:
HI @CastleSurveillance

I used spray primer + exterior paint which the hardware store matched to a paint sample, they can also match to photos - or you can take the photo and take it to the store and they'll have some printed sample colors you can take to the site to see how close they match.
Click to expand...

Just tape off the lens and go to town?
 
running cables.. a lot depends on the interior construction. this will be an interesting job, most newer houses have a stone facade not solid, so there is a air space you can use.

did they plaster the inside walls? if so was it plaster on the stones or is it plaster on lath? perhaps removing a electrical switch wall plate will help you determine that.

CastleSurveillance said:
Just tape off the lens and go to town?
Click to expand...

yes, basically.. you can do some prep on the case.. it needs to be clean of dirt and oils
 
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CastleSurveillance said:
Yeah, right - like the guy that owns a $2M house is going to be climbing on a ladder changing batteries. lol he made it very clear he does not like wireless anything.
Click to expand...

lol indeed... in parts of the USA currently the most affordable houses are 1/2 Million... just insanely crazy in some markets right now.
 
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