WHEN TO BRING US IN
DURING New Construction

The Spectrum of Timing

Every new construction project is different, but when it comes to golf simulator planning, customers tend to fall into one of two categories: they reach out the moment their architect files the plans, or they wait until the drywall's painted and the flooring is done and they've got an empty room they want to fill.

Both extremes create problems. The right time to engage us is somewhere in the middle — specifically, when the foundation has been poured, the walls are up, and the project is moving into electrical and wiring. At that point, you're probably 5–6 months from move-in. Anywhere from 5–9 months out is workable; the 5–6 month window is where we have the most leverage with the least redesign risk.

Why that window specifically? Because it's the last point in the build process where you have meaningful flexibility without tearing things apart or pushing back the construction timeline. The electrician is still spec'ing circuits. The conduit hasn't been run. The HVAC routes aren't locked. We can give your trades team a set of requirements they can build to the first time, instead of going back and redoing work after the fact.

The Two Extremes — And Why They Both Hurt

Engaging Too Early

Some customers come to us before the foundation has even been poured — nine months or more before completion. We can start the design process, but a long lead time between design and execution introduces a real risk: the space changes on you.

The contractor tells you he needs to add a sump pump in the room, and now you lose 18 square feet. The sprinkler layout gets revised. A window moves. Any one of those changes can mean we need to go back to the design team, remodel the space, and adjust the tech spec. That's time and cost on top of a project that was already coordinated. The longer the gap between design and build, the more likely you hit one of these surprises.

Engaging Too Late

The opposite extreme is just as expensive, in a different way. When a customer brings us in after the room is fully finished — painted walls, installed flooring, lighting and speakers already in place — we're working around a finished product instead of contributing to its design.

The problems pile up fast: electrical outlets are in the wrong places. Conduit wasn't run. There's an HVAC vent right where the projector needs to be. The lighting circuit doesn't support what the sim requires. Each one of those issues means finding and coordinating a separate trade — an electrician, a plumber, an HVAC tech, a GC to patch the drywall after — and each one adds cost, extends the timeline, and degrades the finished result.

The less flexibility we have in the space, the more constraints we're working around, and the more likely it is that compromises show up in the final product.

What We Can Influence at Each Stage

Our level of influence varies significantly depending on where you are in the build. Here's how we think about it:

What We Actually Do During the Build Process

Our physical installation happens after the drywall is done, the room is painted, and the flooring is in. We're the final touch on a finished space. But that's the last phase of our involvement — not the whole picture.

Long before we show up with install crews, here's what we're doing:

• 3D modeling and design of the space — exact screen size, projector placement, clearances, technology layout, aesthetic plan. You see what you're building before anything is spec'd for construction.
• Contractor coordination. We talk directly to your GC, your electrician, your plumber. We hand them a spec sheet of what we need: where the circuits go, where the conduit runs, what the HVAC vent locations need to avoid. They don't have to guess. We don't have to redo their work. It's one shot.
• Ongoing design support. As the space evolves during construction, we adjust the design as needed so the install plan stays accurate.
• Project management. We're the single point of contact between all the trades that touch your simulator room. You're not playing phone tag between your electrician, your GC, and us. We handle that communication so the project moves as a unit.

For a full breakdown of the process from first call to first swing, read about how we work.

Coordinating with Your Trades Team

This is the part customers often underestimate. A golf simulator isn't just an appliance you plug in — it has specific electrical requirements, specific ceiling height requirements, projector throw geometry, screen tension, lighting color temperature constraints, and more. Every one of those requirements intersects with a trade that's already in the home doing something else.

If we're involved early, we can get all of those requirements in front of the right people before they finalize their work. Your electrician runs the right circuits to the right places. Your HVAC contractor knows where the duct can't go. Your GC knows what blocking we need in the walls before they drywall. Each trade does their job once, correctly, instead of having us show up and ask them to undo work that was already done.

The key trades we coordinate with on a typical new construction golf simulator project:

• General Contractor — structural blocking, wall materials, framing considerations, timeline coordination for our install
• Electrician — circuit placement, amperage requirements, conduit routing, outlet locations
• HVAC — vent placement relative to screen and projector positions
• Plumber — drain locations, sprinkler positioning in rooms with fire suppression
• Flooring — surface material compatibility, transition planning

If you're working with an architect or interior designer, add them to that list too — we'll align with their vision while holding the line on what a simulator space actually requires functionally.

Working With Interior Designers

Many new construction clients in the $500k+ range are working with interior designers who have a strong aesthetic vision for every room in the home. We can work with that. We've done it many times. But there are a few things to set expectations on upfront.

Interior designers are great at aesthetics. They're not golf simulator builders. That means they sometimes specify materials, finishes, or configurations that look stunning on a mood board but don't hold up in a simulator environment — or that conflict with the functional requirements of the space.

Where this comes up most often:

• Material choices. We have a specific set of turf colors, pad materials, and wall finishes that we're confident using — not because we're limited in imagination, but because we've watched other materials deteriorate at the six-month mark in real simulator spaces under real use conditions. We build for longevity, not just for the reveal.
• Lighting. Simulators require specific lighting color temperatures and brightness levels to track properly. Decorative lighting that looks beautiful in a magazine shoot might wash out a ball flight in actual play. We'll flag this early.
• Custom millwork and trim. Some millwork approaches interfere with screen installation, projector positioning, or swing clearance. We'll tell you what works and why.

Our recommendation: share the designer's mood boards and aesthetic direction with us early. Give us the look and feel they're going for. We'll build around that vision wherever we can — but we'll also tell you when something won't work the way it's spec'd, and offer an alternative that achieves the same effect without the functional tradeoff.

If You're Starting with a Finished Space

Sometimes a client has already moved into a home with an unfinished room they want to convert into a simulator. That's fine — we do it all the time. But the honest version of that conversation includes the incremental costs that retrofitting adds:

None of these are show-stoppers. They're just additional coordination and cost that wouldn't have been necessary if we'd been involved earlier. On a finished-space project, plan for these conversations and budget accordingly. We'll help you scope it accurately upfront so you're not surprised halfway through the project.

For room dimension requirements, ceiling heights, and the core space planning questions, read our golf simulator room dimensions guide.

How the Design and Payment Process Works

For new construction projects, the engagement typically follows this sequence:

1. Initial consultation. We look at your plans, understand your timeline, and get a sense of the space. No money changes hands here.
2. Design deposit. Once we're engaged and starting to design the space, model it in 3D, and coordinate with your contractor team, a design deposit is required. This covers our design team's time and the coordination work we do throughout the pre-install phase.
3. Project deposit. When we move to contract — signing the install agreement and ordering materials — the project deposit is collected. This is separate from the design deposit and applies to the install itself.

The earlier in the construction process you engage us, the more design work we'll do before the project deposit stage — which is why we structure it this way. Design work and install work are genuinely separate scopes.

Common Questions

Do I need to have my GC introduce you, or can you reach out directly?

Either works. Ideally, you introduce us to your GC so there's a clear relationship and they know you've authorized the coordination. From there, we communicate directly with your GC (and other trades) without needing you to be in the loop on every conversation. That's the point — we take that coordination off your plate.

What if my architect has already drawn the room and the dimensions are wrong for a simulator?

That happens. Architects who haven't built simulator spaces often don't know what the actual requirements are — ceiling height, depth, screen size relative to throw distance. If the plans are drawn but ground hasn't broken, there's usually still time to make changes. Get us the plans, we'll tell you what needs to move and what doesn't. If you're further along, we may be able to work within the constraints, though we'll be honest about what that costs in terms of screen size or launch monitor options. See our room dimensions guide for the baseline requirements.

Can Launch House be at the construction site during the build?

We're not an on-site presence during the construction phase — we're primarily doing design work, 3D modeling, and coordinating with your trades team remotely. We do a site visit at appropriate milestones (typically at rough electrical and then at near-completion) to verify the space matches the design. Our physical install crew comes in once the room is finished.

What if there's an HVAC duct exactly where the projector needs to be?

We'd involve your HVAC contractor to reroute it. This is exactly the kind of thing that's a ten-minute conversation during construction and a $3,000 job after the drywall's up. Catching it early is the whole point of engaging us during construction.