Straight answers to the questions we hear most.

Honest answer: not yet. Today we operate as SAF-Integration — Lutron RA3 design and programming (we're Lutron Certified), smart-home integration, A/V, motorized shades, cameras & NVR, and structured wiring. We're not taking line-voltage electrical work yet — panels, EV chargers, dedicated circuits, fixture installs.

The bigger lane — full residential and commercial electrical contracting — launches mid-summer under the SAF-Electric brand, the moment our Michigan license issues. Same shop, same crew, one more line of work.

If your project needs line-voltage electrical work today, we'll happily coordinate with a licensed electrician you already know — or recommend one we trust.

Mid-summer 2026, the moment our Michigan electrical contractor license issues. We'll update this site the day it's official and email anyone on the early list. Want to be on it? Mention it on the contact form.

Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Bay Harbor, Walloon Lake, Charlevoix, Boyne City, East Jordan, Indian River, Cheboygan, Cross Village, and the surrounding northern Michigan area. Outside that range? Get in touch — for the right project we'll travel.

No. Site visits and walk-throughs to scope your project are free. We don't charge for showing up to look at the work.

The only exception: a paid diagnostic call to track down a difficult, intermittent system issue. If we end up doing the repair, the diagnostic fee gets credited toward the work.

Default is time and materials. The hourly rate is disclosed up front, materials are billed at clear, fair pricing, and the invoice is itemized so you can see exactly where the money went. Most skilled tradespeople price this way for a simple reason: customers usually pay less than they would with a padded fixed-price quote.

For larger, well-defined projects (a full Lutron RA3 system, a whole-home A/V package, a multi-week structured-wiring pull, a commercial controls build) a fixed-price quote may be available on request. If you'd prefer that for a specific project, just say so when you reach out.

Either way: you'll know the rate before any work starts, and the invoice never has a number on it that you didn't see coming.

Lutron RadioRA 3 is a residential lighting-and-shade control system — keypads, dimmers, motorized shades, and scenes that make a big house feel calm. It's a step up from Caséta in capability and a step below commercial-grade Athena/QS in scale, and for most northern Michigan homes it's the right choice.

The difference between a RA3 system that's a joy to live with and one that's a pain is mostly the design (where keypads live, what scenes they trigger, how the system is zoned) and the programming. We're Lutron Certified specifically for that reason — bad programming is the most common complaint we hear from clients who've had RA3 done elsewhere.

For new quotes, we usually respond the same business day and schedule a walk-through (if needed) within a few days. Service work varies by season — in a busy week we'll be honest about when we can be there, and we'd rather give you a real date than a hopeful one.

Yes. Workmanship is warranted for one year from completion on most jobs. Manufacturer warranties on Lutron equipment, A/V gear, network hardware, etc. carry their own terms — we'll make those clear in the estimate. If something we installed acts up, call us first; we'd rather come fix it than have you chase the manufacturer.

For genuine after-hours needs, call us at 231-838-0202 and leave a clear message. We do our best to respond promptly. For non-emergency work, daytime scheduling is preferred and gives you the cleanest pricing.

If it's a true electrical emergency (active fire, sparking that won't stop, smell of burning insulation), call 911 first and your utility second.

For Lutron RA3, structured wiring, and A/V — yes, and new construction is actually the cleanest time to do them. Pulling cable through finished walls always costs more than getting it right the first time.

For the line-voltage electrical side of new construction, not until SAF-Electric launches mid-summer — see the license question above.

Aria is a private AI built to run your smart home through one simple dashboard. Control the devices you already own — lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, whole-home audio, and alarm systems — all in one place. Aria learns your routines, automates daily tasks and routines with a single tap, and sends helpful alerts when something needs attention. See how Aria works.

No. Aria is an automation and convenience tool, not a UL-listed monitoring service. Your existing alarm, smoke detectors, CO detectors, and any monitored alarm contract keep doing their job exactly as they do today. Aria pays attention and tells you about it — she doesn't replace anything.

Yes, in most cases. Aria layers on top of your existing system: she reads every light, scene, thermostat, and shade Control4 or Crestron HOME manages and runs new automations across all of them. Lutron HomeWorks QS and QSX drop right in. Older systems (HomeWorks Illumination, legacy Crestron Pro) are doable but a custom job — we'll tell you straight on the site visit which path makes sense for your house. Full breakdown on the Aria page.

A one-time install fee plus a monthly service fee. Both scale with the size of your house and what you already have installed — a small condo with a Sonos and three Lutron switches is not the same job as a Bay Harbor compound with Control4 and four cameras. Either way it costs dramatically less than a new Control4 system, and the 15-minute call covers exact numbers. Cancel the service anytime; the hardware stays with you.

Yes. Texts to 231-838-0202 work fine for scheduling, follow-up questions, and quick updates. For new project quotes, we recommend the contact form on the contact page — it lets you give us the details up front so the first reply is actually useful.

We don't lowest-price-match. If you've got a written quote from another integrator or contractor, we're happy to look at the scope and tell you honestly whether our T&M approach is likely to land above, below, or at that number for the same work. The point isn't to win on price — it's to make sure you know what you're paying for.

Not at this time. We focus on what we do best: Lutron RA3 design and programming, smart-home integration, A/V, motorized shades, and structured wiring — with full electrical contracting opening mid-summer under SAF-Electric. For solar, battery, and security/alarm work we're happy to refer you to specialists we trust.