A home in today’s world is not just a place of residence, but it is that place where you want to live and that should work for you, adapt to your needs and make daily life easier. Haven’t you noticed that every company is constantly upgrading its product from time to time? For example the iPhone, look at the 2G, the old model. We’re at the iPhone 16 Pro now! Like everything else, it’s just leveling up in every industry and homes are no exception.
Since all this tech is getting smarter every day, why can’t you bring that same innovation to your home? The whole of the smart home remodeling trend is here. There’s nothing like adding some smart tech to your home. Whether you’re retrofitting an old house or building a new one, it can not only be a lot of fun but also seriously boost your home’s resale value.
What does this all mean, exactly, and how can you start making your home a little more ‘future ready’? It’s time to sink our teeth deep into some super awesome ways to upgrade your home with smart technology to make life more efficient and so much more fun!
1. Start with a Smart Hub for easy control
Before adding your individual smart devices, consider investing in a smart hub. This is your smart home brain. Simply said, with an entry point such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit, you can control the lights, locks, and thermostats, all in one place (such as with your smartphone, or voice commands).
A central hub allows for some smart device magic. It work together seamlessly without the need to juggle a dozen different apps. Plus, it’s super convenient. What if you could tell your home to “turn off the lights” or “set the temperature to 72°F” when you’re cooking dinner with no extra effort for you?
Together Design Build is really efficient in smart home remodeling. We can design a smart home layout that fits these hubs in with your current or new systems and a perfect flow that makes sense for your home.
2. Don’t Overthink It—Just Get The Wiring Right.
Wiring is important for any new building or renovation, so it’s one of the first things people ask me. Five or ten years ago, I would have suggested running a lot of cables, but things have changed since then. If you don’t need to run wires everywhere, a wireless network is very dependable.
If you are renovating and can easily access the walls, it’s a good idea to do it now. The walls are open, so it’s much cheaper to run a $2 Cat 6 wire now than it will be later! For example, the cost for a cable run after your walls are up could be upwards of $250. If you can, run a Cat 6 cable from a central location in the basement or wherever your network equipment will be.
This will make sure your Wi-Fi works seamlessly in all parts of the house—especially important for any future tech. Usually, wireless connections work well, but wired options are a good choice for security cameras, TVs, or a game area. You will be glad you did this later.
3. Upgrade Your Lighting with Smart Bulbs and Switches
One of the easiest ways to dip your toes into the world of smart home remodeling is smart lighting. Smart bulbs allow you to control the brightness and color of your lights from your smartphone or voice command. Need lights dimmed for movie night? Or maybe a warm glow for a cozy dinner? Done.
Putting smart light switches in your lighting lifecycle is a great way to modernize your home with minimal effort as long as you aren’t remodelling restaurant lighting. And the best part? As a security precaution when you are away, you can set your lights to turn on and off at specific times, and this even works for time-based motion detection too.
As a design build firm, Together Design Build can help integrate smart lighting into your remodel, and select the right fixtures and controls that will meet your needs and aesthetic.
4. Keep Your Entertainment System Simple With Apple TV
Now, let’s move on to something fun—entertainment! Don’t be fooled by the fancy features of smart device installations that big shops promote for smart TVs. The smart features on most TVs are usually not very good and can slow down as time goes on.
My advice: when looking for a TV, forget about ‘smart’ features and buy the biggest and best TV you can afford. If you can, it’s worth getting a 4K version. Make sure it’s really 4K. Don’t stress about the smart built-in features. Instead, buy an Apple TV just for each television. Such Apple TV ensures that you have the same viewing experience on every TV in your home. You only need to log into apps once, so you’ll never have to worry about Netflix passwords again.
If you have already set up the Cat 6 cable, connect your Apple TV using an Ethernet cable for the quickest and most dependable link. It works well on WiFi if not.
5. Experience Seamless Sound with Sonos Wireless
When it comes to home audio, I used to recommend running speaker wires all over the place. But honestly, wireless technology has come a long way, and now I say skip the wires. You can always adjust and move things around with wireless, while once you’ve got a wired system, you’re pretty much locked in.
High-end audio excellence comes from Sonos speakers. Their products offer reliability as well as durability even though they charge a higher price. The Sonos One acts as your starting point for wireless audio and you can easily add additional speakers to your system the way you want. Their moveability enables you to position your sound system exactly as you want it.
For your main TV, consider getting a Sonos soundbar. It’ll give you great sound while watching TV, and when it’s off, you can play music through it as well. The nice thing with Sonos is that all your streaming services are built right into the speaker, so if you start a song and leave the house, it keeps playing without skipping a beat.
If Sonos is out of your budget, don’t worry. Google Home is a solid alternative with smart assistants that can control your lights, play music, and even answer your questions.
5. Save Energy With Smart Thermostat
If your house has a basic thermostat after being built or renovated, upgrading it should be your first step to save energy. Buying a Nest or Ecobee thermostat gives homes a stylish option that can save them money on heating and cooling bills.
At Together Design Build, we prefer to chose the Ecobee smart device for our clients because its modern look fits their decor. It also learns your plan and adjusts the home temperature automatically. Google’s Nest provides a good experience, but the company is now focusing on other projects. Ecobee is still updating its thermostat because it is their main product.
Thus, this small integrated home technology greatly improves comfort and saves money.
Ready To Build Your Smart Home?
Remodeling with intelligent home systems makes places easier to use, function better, and feel more comfortable. Adding smart technology to your home renovation strengthens your area and keeps it updated for the future.
Planning ahead is key don’t try to retrofit smart tech into your home after it’s all built. It’s always easier and cheaper to integrate these things while the walls are open or the wiring is being done.
And remember, you don’t have to go overboard. Start small with Together Design Build, but make sure to lay the groundwork for future upgrades. Let’s bring your vision to life smartly!
