nterior designers Edward Lobrano of San Francisco and Paul Wiseman of the Wiseman Group took great pains to integrate the overall harmony. They conceived the interior design of this house to blend the home's advanced modern features with a classic feel. "To me, a 'smart' house is one in which the modern functions are readily accessible, intuitively understood, and complementary to a grander scheme," explains Lobrano. "I wanted this house to have enduring beauty. There are just so many more possibilities than stereo equipment and control panels can convey. Even the finest electronics are just a small part of a sophisticated lifestyle."

Unfortunately, the contracting firm that preceded Dowling on the project had not been up to the task at hand. Having toiled for over two years, they had lost control of the process. "We did everything we thought we reasonably could to make our project succeed," explain the owners. The departed contractor had no projected completion date, nor projected costs for completion, leaving behind instead a Byzantine web of partially completed work.

Successful turnaround stories, however, aren't limited to Wall Street and America's booming stock market. "Dan had to sort through a lot of complex issues when he came on," recall the owners. "But we knew he'd been through this sort of thing for other people. He organized the issues, worked extremely well with our design professionals, put together a plan with a critical path schedule and just executed. His company is a powerhouse. They're the ultimate homeowner's contractor."

"This was a challenging project to sort through," remembers interior designer Lobrano. "The details needed to come together." With the departure of the previous contractor, many of the interior components that were installed had to be modified. "It's not so easy to coordinate stone and woodwork with modern systems in the first place," asserts Lobrano. "It takes a certain grace."