While the integrator certainly wants to give you the best impression and show they understand your project and the kind of system you’re looking for, they also don’t want to scare you away by presenting you with a budget that makes you feel you’re being grossly overcharged so that you just move on to the next integrator. At the same time, you might have reservations about telling the integrator what you’re planning to spend—especially if you have no idea what these systems can cost. Like a poker player, you might want to keep your pocket Aces to yourself. 

If you go looking for a car, you likely know the price range before stepping on the lot. But unlike other luxury goods, entertainment systems can involve equipment and brands you’re unfamiliar with, construction processes that can range from days to months, and a team of professionals from different trades, among other things. This can lead to misunderstandings between you and your integrator (or designer or architect or builder) about what a fair price should be. So we want to give you a way to get a realistic bead on what you should expect to spend for your project before you even contact a professional.

To understand how pricing can vary so widely, take just two of the items that make up a theater room: A projector and seating. There are 4K video projectors selling for $6,000 and for $100,000. And theater seating can range from $500 to north of $7,500 per chair. Multiply that by eight or more chairs, and you can see how projects can have a huge range of budget possibilities.

Without a doubt, establishing a budget can save time—both yours and the integrator’s. It will also help to set expectations on both sides. Even giving your integrator a broad budget range will point them in the right direction for designing your system and choosing the necessary components.

With a rough budget established, the installer will allocate resources for the best overall system performance, since they’ll know which components work best together and will distribute funds for the best overall system. Additionally, if you tell a good system designer you’d like something that’s between $75,000 and $100,000, they won’t come back with a proposal totally outside of your budget at $200,000. But you also won’t get a proposal for $25,000 that will way underperform what you’re expecting.  

The Home Technology Association (HTA) has developed a budget calculator that gives you some clarity on what you can expect a project to cost. After walking you through a few simple questions such as “How many rooms will have music?” “How many automated shades will you like?” “Will there be a dedicated theater room?” in a quick five-minute process, you’ll be presented with a Low to High estimated budget range to mull over before you even approach an integrator.

The calculated price includes labor, accessories, and design & engineering, with adjustments for labor costs in different markets. With this knowledge, you’ll be far better prepared to have a discussion with your integrator and understand the kinds of systems they will be proposing and the price range of the caliber of system you desire.

You might be familiar with the old adage, “Buy once, cry once” used to describe purchasing a high-cost item that comes with some upfront financial pain, but you won’t need to buy the item again due to its superior craftsmanship, build quality, and long life. This is often used for items like tools and watches, but it’s a philosophy that also works well for home entertainment purchases.