The Challenge: Help Aspect Homes, an up-and-coming residential development company with current projects in Nevada, monitor new builds and prevent the theft of costly materials.
The Results: Despite ongoing reports of theft on neighboring construction sites, Aspect Homes has not experienced any theft since working with LiveView Technologies.
With decades of experience in the construction industry, Aspect Homes Founders Mickey Stratton and Matthew Smith know that security is a must, especially at a time when the cost of building materials continues to rise. Construction site theft not only means the loss of expensive goods but valuable time.
Still, despite the thousands he has paid in security costs for development projects, Stratton never expected human guards to be foolproof.
“I’ve dealt with security over the years, and I probably still lost as much money as I paid for security because of theft, whether it’s because the guards fell asleep or were not adequately patrolling the property,” he said.
But, last year as the partners prepared to break ground on a new wave of affordable homes in the Las Vegas area, Stratton started to wonder if there was a better, more reliable, solution that fit his price range.
Quick to respond and deploy
“I’d driven by some commercial projects and noticed a lot of them had cameras,” he said. Inspired by what he saw, Stratton searched online for options and reached out to a few local camera security companies, but none replied. When a friend suggested LiveView Technologies (LVT), he made a call and received a response right away.
“They answered my questions, got me pricing info, and explained how the system operates,” he said. “I didn’t want to spend a thousand hours researching—and I didn’t have to.”
LVT quickly prepared a solution that matched Aspect Homes' timeline and budgets. This included identifying the right mix of video equipment to customizing remote surveillance staffing and alert protocols, as well as figuring out the best location for the camera mount.
Continuous surveillance, alerts, and access
For past projects, Stratton typically hired a security company who provided guards to monitor the sites in 8 to 12-hour shifts. But with the LVT surveillance system, two cameras watch over the site and ensure 24/7 coverage of the premises. Not only do the cameras capture video, they are equipped with thermal analytics, blinking lights, and speakers.
Overnight, from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. while construction is mostly inactive, the cameras are monitored remotely by a facility in North Carolina. Whenever the cameras detect activity, the system sends an alert to Stratton, who can access live feeds of the site any time. When the monitors in North Carolina spot uninvited guests, they can use the speakers to warn trespassers to leave before they call the police.
Reliable theft prevention
In a recent incident, Stratton said three people wandered onto his site at night and refused to leave even after the warning. But the LVT monitors called the police and the situation was quickly resolved.
“It was very effective,” said Stratton. “I’ve had no theft and I know that most buildings in the area are experiencing theft.”
In the past year as the price of lumber has surged to all-time highs, construction sites have been tempting targets for thieves. “We have trusses out there and nobody has messed with them and we’re in an area where that could happen,” Stratton said.
That reliable security comes at a more affordable price. On average, companies spend $153,000 on 24/7 human intelligence, while 24/7 LVT surveillance comes to roughly $32,000, resulting in an annual savings of $121,000. By partnering with LVT, Stratton saved more than $10,000 per month.
High resolution imagery
As the project evolved, Stratton said the LVT team responded quickly and attentively. For example, while he started the project with one camera, he decided to add another so he could have full coverage of the site as it expanded.
“I called about the second camera during the Christmas holiday, and said I needed it the first week of January. And it was all set up by the end of the year. There wasn’t any delay,” he said. “They’ve been very responsive. They met my needs and continue to meet the needs I have.”
Furthermore, Stratton said the system came with an unexpected bonus: high-resolution images so sharp they’ve been able to support marketing efforts.
“The cameras are so good, I’ve actually used them to take photos of my models and send them out to people,” he said.
As Aspect Homes plans future projects, Stratton expects the partnership with LVT to continue and he said that he’s recommending the platform to colleagues in the industry. “I’m passing the word along,” he said. “That’s just standard in our industry. If we find something that works, we tell our friends ‘you might want to try this.’”
Read a case study on Aspect Homes here.
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