Smart home automation took the US by storm just a few years ago when the Amazon Echo and Google Home were first released. Today, they’re everywhere. Building a custom home gives you the perfect opportunity to integrate a complete smart system within your new house. When you start planning for smart technology and home automation before you build, you’re able to create a perfectly designed system that works in tandem with your new home, rather than against it. If you’re interested in integrating smart technology into your new custom home, here are a few of the most popular smart home devices you’ll want to consider:
Smart Speakers — Amazon Echo and Google Home
Perhaps the most obvious smart tech device, smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo are a necessary hub if you’re hoping to automate your home to respond to voice commands. With one of these smart speakers, you can sync the rest of your technology to be voice activated. Have Alexa turn off your lights, turn on the television, and lock the doors, or tell Google to play your favorite song, add something to your grocery list, or start your coffee in the morning. While most smart technology will work without a voice-activated smart speaker, it’s nice not to have to lift a finger to get your home working for you.
Smart Light Bulbs
We’ve mentioned in previous posts the health benefits that quality indoor lighting can offer. Upgrade your new custom home with smart lights that truly work in your favor. Smart lights not only connect to your smart speakers for voice activation, but can set your home to display a number of colors, dim to whatever setting you prefer, and are LED, which means they’ll last for years.
If you’re building a custom home, it’s good to consider lighting now, rather than later. It’s best to implement smart lights as your home is built, rather than after. That way, you can ensure your entire home features smart lights and can be controlled by an app on your phone or by your smart speaker.
Wireless Speakers
Always dreamed of an epic sound system? Smart technology has made that dream easier than ever. If you build your custom home with the sound system in mind, you can even integrate wireless speakers within your home. These speakers can then sync to your phone and your Google Home or Amazon Echo for a seamless experience anywhere in your new custom home.
Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are another great home automation tool to implement in a new custom home. Quality smart thermostats actively learn your living patterns and give you regular reports on the amount of time spent heating and cooling your home. Within six days, a smart thermostat can adjust to your lifestyle, turning on your heating or cooling when you’re home and active, and going into eco mode while you’re away. You can also set and adjust temperature remotely from an app on your phone.
For a custom home with all the home automation bells and whistles, you can’t go without a smart thermostat. They’re convenient, and they boost your home’s energy efficiency, reducing your carbon footprint and saving on those utility bills.
Smart Security
You’re putting a lot of time and money into a brand new custom home that you’ll live in for many years to come. You can’t put a price on feeling safe and secure in that beautiful new place. Smart security is an amazingly accessible way to protect your home and family. There are all types of smart security devices, from doorbells that send video of visitors to your phone, to smart locks that engage as you walk away from the door, to smart motion-sensor security cameras.
All of these devices offer different benefits and are easily implemented in your new custom home, especially if you’re just starting to think about building. When you plan to install smart security while you’re building your custom home, you can ensure each device is installed at the best possible location and has the wifi and power necessary to keep them running perfectly.
Robotic Vacuum
The rise of robotic vacuums has us all feeling a little like the Jetsons. Never worry about pet hair or dirty floors again with a robotic vacuum that you can set to run when you’re not at home. Every robotic vacuum option is a little different, but they all work to clean your floors so you don’t have to. Best of all, you get status updates sent to your phone about things like how long the vacuum worked each day, and where it left off in your home.
Pro Tip: You can now set robotic vacuums up to avoid dangers like stairs and balconies, as well as precious rugs that require special care.
Smart Refrigerators
An up and coming smart appliance is the smart refrigerator. There aren’t a ton of models on the market yet, but the ones that do exist are pretty cool. You’ll find standard versions of smart refrigerators at the local appliance store; these feature a screen on the door of the refrigerator that’s interactive. Next-level smart refrigerators (like this super-powered fridge from Samsung) offer all the functionality of a smartphone, and can even order your groceries automatically from delivery services like Amazon Fresh.
Smart technology is improving and advancing every day. If you’re hoping to build a custom home that integrates the latest and greatest tech out there, Konkol Custom Homes & Remodeling can help. We’ll sit down with you to discuss your goals and your vision, and we’ll work to put that dream on paper. For more information on building the custom home of your dreams, give our office a call at 407-539-2938 or leave us a message online today.
