It sounds like a dream come true — a smart home with solutions to every inconvenience that owners of conventional homes are all too familiar with. A fully automated home sounds cutting edge and innovative; all those features and technological gadgets may seem like a really good idea. They could be fantastic, without a doubt. But, there’s a lot to consider before setting out to design a home around technological conveniences. It’s important to be realistic about both the advantages and disadvantages that smart home solutions could bring to your dream home.
Let’s talk about some of the advantages.
Smart Home Solutions — Wireless Technology Provides Endless Possibilities
There are all sorts of available gadgets and smart functions available on the market to make your home “smart,” to increase convenience and control of your home’s features, by automating the functions partially or entirely.
Here are some examples of popular smart home solutions:
Security Features
Cameras and motion sensors can monitor your home’s exterior 24/7, and they could alert you to any disturbances on your property. Some are even “smart” enough to distinguish humans from animals.
Thermostat Control
The climate could be adjusted inside your home from work, while stuck in traffic, or anywhere your wireless devices have service.
Convenient Functions
Lights, garage doors, and all kinds of appliances could be programmed to switch on at specific times, or they could be activated when you enter a specific perimeter.
Appliance Control
You could make sure you turned the coffee maker off and set the sprinklers even though you’ve already arrived at the airport for your two-week vacation.
Feeding Pets
A fixed amount of food could be dispensed for your pets at a particular time, ideal for longer stays away or an evening where you might be staying out late.
It isn’t hard to see why people sometimes get caught up in the technology when designing their new home — Who wouldn’t like to have the lights come on to a soothing level and soft music start the moment you get home, allowing you to walk directly into comfort after a long day at work?
Or, how about having the bath or shower start as you walk into the bathroom in the morning or evening?
All of this sounds appealing, doesn’t it?
It’s supposed to. These are just a few of the more popular features of many smart homes, and the features available just grow more elaborate, depending on how much you’re willing to spend.
But, it’s really important to remember that all these automated comforts come with a cost.
Smart Home Solutions — Are They Really the Wave of the Future?
Yes and no.
The feeling that these luxuries are important components of a modern home is being heavily pushed through all sorts of media and advertising.
You see it in movies, commercials on TV, ads for phone apps and for internet service providers — they’re telling you that you’re “not smart” if you don’t have certain products in your home.
Best Buy has invested heavily in a business plan to push these smart appliances and devices in their retail stores.
Even the Amazon Alexa’s voice activated technology is proof that the possibilities for smart homes are exploding.
However, smart solutions are rarely cost effective, and sometimes, the old tried-and-true methods really are the “smart” way to go.
The Smart Home Solutions — Things Get Tricky
The sticker price of these features can get pretty steep. It’s been estimated that many people are spending between $10,000 and $25,000 on smart features for their homes.
The cost can add up quickly as features, wiring, and necessary set up drastically increase the cost per square foot of your new home — three bulbs and a light bridge for a “smart” setup can easily run $200.
Here’s something else to consider — what are you going to do if your internet connection fails?
Smart home features are usually dependant upon either a LAN connection or WiFi — that means they are susceptible to interference.
They only work as long as your home internet is up and running, and that means there is a degree of unreliability in even high-end smart appliances.
Another problem is the need to be fairly tech savvy to set up and keep the systems running. There are often device apps to be installed, connected, and programmed in order for all these “smart” functions to work.
Finally, some existing solutions really are better! Not much has to be done with a light switch to improve it, but nevertheless, smart light switches have grown in popularity. Now imagine stumbling in the dark on an early morning before work, trying to fiddle with the light switch, forgetting how they work, giving up, and making coffee in the dark, only to find out it wasn’t working because of a WiFi issue — wouldn’t a simple light switch just be easier?
All this can leave you feeling rather foolish if you go overboard on a “smart home.”
Being Smart With Your Smart Home
Who wants to be left feeling they drastically overspent and are now dependent on poorly performing internet service? Who wants to struggle with devices that are frustrating to use?
That feeling of dissatisfaction is something we truly want to help you avoid.
It’s really important to ask how much fulfillment you’ll get out of an expensive smart home feature. Will it just turn into a potentially frustrating toy you’ll regret spending money on down the line?
In our experience, too “smart” can turn out to be a mistake — certain features can certainly improve the look and feel of your home, but others are simply more trouble than they’re worth.
Instead, the most reliable and durable building materials combined with well-designed features that work best for your needs can often be a much smarter use of your money when having your dream home designed and built.
We’d Like to Help You Choose the Best Smart Home Solutions
Smart home features have already flooded the market, and there will be no slowdown in the growth of technology available for new home designs.
At Edge Crew, we don’t stick to tradition and fixed ideas if there is something truly better out there.
But, we’d like to help you be “smart” about your new home design by choosing both smart and traditional solutions that will best meet your needs while staying within your budget.
Together, let’s be sure your new home has what you need and want without leaving you feeling disappointed in the features you’ve invested in.
Click the button below — let’s start talking about a truly “smart” home with solutions that work for you, not against you.