In August 2020, Tianna Krause and her husband, Keoni, owners of King’s Painting LLC, bought a six-acre property in Maui, Hawaii, that they intended to use to build their dream home. While plans got underway, they first built a few smaller structures, including a 976-square-foot cottage for them to live in during construction, a barn for Keoni’s many projects, including automobile restoration, a she-shed with one bedroom and bathroom for when their children visited, and a large garage for the family’s collection of cars.
Construction on the main home was set to begin when the Maui wildfires struck on August 8, 2023.
Fortunately, while there was also a fire near the Maui Tropical Plantation — just a few streets away — that posed a potential threat, it did not reach the property. Had it been necessary, Keoni was prepared to dig a firebreak using their heavy equipment. Once the immediate danger passed, the Krauses quickly mobilized, opening their home to those who had lost everything and assisting with the transport of supplies into Lahaina, which had been devastated.
Their existing spaces quickly filled with friends and relatives who had lost their homes, taking shelter in the garage and she-shed. A close family friend, who had already been living on the property in his RV, generously offered it to one of the Krauses’ best friends’ family to sleep in, while he spent the night of August 8 in his car.
The Krause property naturally became a gathering point for those in need. “The fires made us want to build our home faster because we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” says Tianna. So, they got down to work, bringing on Derek Pace and the team at Certified Sounds to handle the technology from the very start.
From Cars to Homes
Most of Pace’s business was in autosound, but a few years ago, he rediscovered his love of home audio and began working to turn his company in that direction. “Audio is my passion,” he says. “We do smart homes and shades and everything for the home, but 2-channel audio is my forté. So, in 2018, I bought a new building and started constructing the showroom to show what we can do.
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“I started getting momentum, and everything was going well. At the beginning of August 2023, I thought, ‘Hey — it’s finally going to be a profitable year.’ Then the wildfires hit, and it was a setback because the whole island just stopped. It affected everybody. So, it’s been challenging.”
Pace put his bid out for the new 8000-square-foot Krause home, knowing that, if he landed it, it would be the biggest home project Certified Sound had ever done.
“Keoni has known Derek for around 18 years,” says Tianna. “Derek did the sound system in my car, my son’s car, and my husband’s car. We knew he was looking to change the direction of his business, and we liked his view of the house. This was going to be our forever home, and Keoni wanted it to be modern and up to date. Derek made sure that happened.”
Building Up
With Keoni as the contractor and Tianna as the interior designer, Pace was in with the design and build teams from the very start, which helped create the modern home the Krauses were looking for.
That early access paid off quickly, as for the home’s many windows, Pace was able to install PowerShades motorized shades in pockets so that, when raised, they are completely invisible. “They’re hidden so you don’t even know that they’re there until they start coming down,” says Tianna. “It’s funny because our grown kids have seen a lot — we’ve traveled quite a bit with them — but when we’re making the house dark by lowering all the blinds, they just think that it’s the coolest thing!”
Whole-home audio was a priority for the homeowners, and Pace made sure the system could do all that they wanted it to do. “The house was really well thought out for audio,” he says. “It doesn’t overlap — you can still watch a movie in the living room and listen to music in the kitchen, even though it’s an open space.”
“I wanted to be sure that we can play the music we want wherever we are in the house,” says Tianna. “My son can play rap downstairs, and I can listen to my music in the kitchen. Derek knew that was important to me.”
The installation features seven zones of distributed audio powered by the URC HDA-8100 and pumped through Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series in-ceiling speakers. The system processing includes an integration with Autonomic and the Krause’s preferred streaming source to provide easy access to music anywhere in the home.
A URC system controls the house, with a Lutron RA-3 system providing lighting control throughout.
“I had a few questions for URC tech support,” says Pace. “That’s one of the best things about being in Hawaii — I send an email when they’re closed, and the next morning I’ll either have an answer in the portal or someone will be calling me. It’s just awesome.”
With so many people visiting and staying on the premises, URC’s easy-to-learn interfaces would seem to be the main selling point, but that wasn’t of much interest to Tianna. “Derek had put URC control inside my cottage, as well, so I already knew how to use the system,” she says. “It is easy to use, but I don’t let anybody else touch it — I control it, and everything is pretty much set. If we are having a party, I can play music and I can put it in the outside patio, my great room, and the dining room, and I can change the music downstairs in the family room where we have our pool table. So, it just works. You can change the vibe for wherever you are in the house, which is amazing.”
Entertainment for All
On the main floor, there is a living room with a 98-inch Sony TV and the Bowers & Wilkins in-ceiling speakers, which can all be controlled along with the lighting and shades via wall-mounted, 9-inch URC TKP-9600 touchpanels. Downstairs, which despite being where a traditional basement would be, still harbors the same amazing views as the main floor, and holds the family room and the home theater.
The family room has a pool table and two TVs — one on the far-left wall and one on the right, which also includes a karaoke setup. That space also features the Bowers & Wilkins in-ceiling speakers.
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Off the side of the family room is the 7.2.4 home theater, which features a Sony 98-inch TV (identical to the one in the living room) and a Marantz Cinema 30 AV receiver that Pace says will be upgraded shortly to the latest Marantz AV20 and AMP20 separates “for more power and an enhanced experience.” For speakers, the room uses Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series in-wall and in-ceiling models, with JL Audio SYS208 in-wall subwoofers. Playback is provided by Kaleidescape and a Sony UBP-X1100ES Blu-ray player.
Though the theater can pump out plenty of volume and bass, it doesn’t leave the room. “The way they built it, there’s no way for the sound to travel,” says Pace. “It’s a separate, closed room, and he used special flooring that keeps the sound upstairs from bleeding down and downstairs from bleeding up. Keoni went over the top, so you don’t hear anything between the top and bottom floors. We also did back boxes for all the speakers, so they don’t vibrate the ceiling.”
With the TV upstairs and the three downstairs in the family room, there are enough entertainment options for visitors that the home theater can be prioritized as an oasis for the core family. “It’s our prized possession,” says Tianna.
Moving Forward
The Krauses moved into the main house about a year ago, with family members immediately moving into their cottage. Each of the structures on the property still hosts family and friends, some of whom have decided to stay there permanently.
Next steps for the home include the addition of a pool, which Pace has already pre-wired for. But until then, there is still plenty of home for them to enjoy.
To help with the rebuilding of Lahaina, Keoni and his business partner, Rey Cotto, have started a contracting business to give their neighbors a local choice and to avoid those contractors looking to take advantage of the situation. Tianna runs the family’s painting business, now armed with the knowledge of building several structures from the ground up over a very short period of time. And the couple continues to bring everyone together for dinners and parties — including Pace.
“They truly enjoy hosting and frequently have people over,” says Pace. “They love giving back and creating a space where others can unwind. They’re enjoying the home — it’s exactly what they envisioned, and they’re eager to share it. It’s really something special.”
“If we didn’t acquire the property, I don’t know what we would have done,” says Tianna. “We’re super-blessed to have what we have.”
