The River Mole beside Mill Road, Cobham. Photo: James Emmans, CC BY-SA 2.0Two old villages and several private estates
Cobham grew as two places. Street Cobham sat on the old London to Portsmouth road with its coaching inn, while Church Cobham grew around St Andrew's Church, which dates from the 12th century, beside the River Mole. The railway arrived in the 1880s and suburban building followed. Much of the larger housing is now on private estates: Fairmile, with its wide, established roads; Oxshott Way, where original 1930s houses stand beside contemporary ones in mature grounds; and Eaton Park, largely rebuilt in recent years. In the 2011 census, detached houses were by far the most common home in the Cobham Fairmile ward.
Big detached houses on big plots raise the same questions every time. How does the Wi-Fi reach the far end of the garden? How do the gate, cameras and heating fit with everything else? And how does a family control it all without a phone full of separate apps?
From our Cobham projectWhat a whole-home system in Cobham looks like
Our Cobham whole-home project answers those questions for one large house. We designed and installed a Control4 system that joins up audio and video, lighting, heating, gate entry and CCTV, so every part of the property runs from the same app, touchscreens and remotes. It was specified to a high standard from the start, with the wiring and equipment planned for the whole house rather than room by room.
What happened next is just as useful. The house was sold, and the new owners asked us to carry on. Since then we have added a Ruckus Wi-Fi network, four more audio zones and a cinema room. A well-designed system should grow like that: new rooms join the same control rather than arriving with another app.
From our Cobham projectBought a house with a system already in it?
In Cobham it is common to inherit a smart home with the house. The first job is finding out what is actually there: which controller, which lighting system, where the equipment rack is, and whether anyone still holds the programming. Some systems are sound and only need re-programming around how you live; others are better replaced in stages. Our takeover and maintenance service covers systems we did not install, and the network is usually the first thing to upgrade, because everything else depends on it.
From our Cobham projectMusic in every room and out into the garden
Four extra zones in one house is typical of what families ask for once they have music in a few rooms: the kitchen, the terrace, the gym, the main bedroom. Multi-room audio lets each room play its own music or join the others, with speakers built into ceilings and walls and the amplifiers out of sight in the rack. In the garden, that means weatherproof speakers pointed at the terrace rather than the neighbours, and a network strong enough to carry the stream.
Our demonstration cinema in Walton-on-ThamesChurch Cobham and the conservation areas
Not every Cobham house is on a private estate. The Cobham conservation area, designated in 1973, covers the historic core of Church Cobham along Church Street, River Hill and Mill Road. It includes the Grade I listed Church of St Andrew, the Grade II* listed Ham Manor, Cedar House and Church Stile House, and the Grade II listed Cobham Mill. Elmbridge Borough Council also manages separate conservation areas at Plough Corner, Downside Village and The Tilt. In a listed house even internal work can need consent, so speak to the council before cables are chased into old walls. Wireless lighting control often avoids the question altogether.
Our Walton-on-Thames showroom is a short drive from Cobham, and it is the easiest way to try Control4 and hear multi-room audio before you commit. Book a showroom visit or book a free design consultation.
