When you’re building a new home, filling it with all the latest technology is one of the best parts. We’re able to create homes that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie thanks to modern technology.

There’s one thing to keep in mind while designing your new home. What’s coming down the pipeline when it comes to new tech? Designing your home with the future in mind makes it easy to add new features later on.

Here’s how you can future-proof your next custom home.

Installing AV Conduits

One of the biggest differences between modern homes and old ones is the amount of cabling and wires. In a modern home, you’ve got literally tons of data passing through it all the time. Wireless technology has made it easy to update an old home.

If you’re building a new home, make sure it’s hardwired. Hardwiring is capable of much higher throughput, which means you can stream data on more devices without experiencing any lag.

In contrast, hardwiring an old home is actually pretty difficult. You’d have to tear down all the walls to install the wires. It’s much easier to place wires in their desired position when the walls haven’t been put up yet, which is possible with a custom home builder.

Install audio-visual cables throughout your home, even if you don’t have plans for them yet. You never know when something new is going to catch your eye in the technology sector. Putting up the cables ahead of time will make it easier to add these potential features to your home.

Planning for New Automation

As homes have become increasingly full of devices and wires, there’s also been a rise in automation. Today’s homes have more automation than ever before, with more developments to come.

Automation comes with many advantages, including making life feel just a little simpler. By automating the lights, you’ll never have to worry about accidentally leaving the lights on when you’re out of town. They’ll also turn on whenever they detect movement, so you won’t have to struggle to reach the switch when your
hands are full.

You can even automate your blinds so that they’ll open as the sun rises. Automated garages provide a feeling of safety. You won’t forget to close them before going to bed because they can be programmed to automatically shut at the same time each night.

Considering Solar Panels

When you’re building a new home, it’s crucial to think about its power source. Typically, that means you’ll be plugging into the local electric grid. However, installing solar panels is another solution.

If you plan on going this route, you’ll need a sturdy roof to support the panels. If you’re building a new home, the panels and their wiring should be incorporated into the construction plans.

A full-sized solar system can produce enough energy to keep your home off-grid. In places like Colorado where sunshine is abundant, you may even be able to sell excess electricity back to the utility companies.

Creating an Energy-Efficient Home

Energy-efficiency is another area where it pays to be forward thinking. Make sure you’ve got plenty of insulation in the walls and attic. Also, look into windows with argon filling to help prevent most of your home’s heat loss.

As you can see, there’s a lot of things you can add to your home to make it ready for future tech. Reach out to us at Colarelli Custom Homes for help with your future-proof home.

Wireless Home Security

Security has always been high on a homeowners list however technology is changing the accessibility and ease of installation. Wireless home security systems can use a secure cellular connection that is faster and more reliable than traditional systems. This enables real-time monitoring and alerts from your home on your smart phone and other devices.

Cellular connection allows for a much easier installation process. If you need to add new sensors, there is no need to run wires through your home. In addition, because the security system is wireless, troubleshooting can be made simpler with customer support from your service provider’s customer support center.

Because there is little to no wiring throughout the home, these types of security systems are very flexible and versatile. You are able to move and add sensors throughout your home to keep track of and protect all areas and unique additions to your home, with real time alerts that help you keep track of what is happening when you are away. Door and window sensors are manufactured small enough to keep tabs on medicine cabinets, pool gates, or even to make sure a safe is not accessed without your immediate knowledge. This increases awareness of what goes on inside your home, not just the perimeter.

Wireless home security is portable, flexible and adapts to you. As your family grows and changes, your home security needs may change too. You may want to add extra sensors to the kitchen cabinets as your children become more mobile, or add a sensor to the nursery door of a new nursery. You can also add smart locks to your system that can allow your pet sitter to come and go while you are on vacation. No matter how your needs change, the technology will be right there with you to help keep your home and those in it safe.

Security Cameras

Pairing perfectly with wireless home security, security cameras are another hot ticket item for home owners. They give you to ability to monitor the interior and/or exterior of your home; the biggest pro of these types of systems. Monitoring the outside of your home gives you an opportunity to track package deliveries, possible theft, and any potential threats that may present themselves. Young or elderly family members that are home alone or with a caretaker, naughty pets, or valuable personal possessions are great motivators to monitor the interior of your home.

With such a wide variety of venders and options, security cameras are becoming easier to obtain for a variety of home owners. Their ease of install keeps prices down by not requiring professionals to come to your home to set up the system. Add ons such as wireless, remote monitoring straight to a smart phone, or a higher definition camera can increase the price, but are options to some systems rather than requirements.

Visible home security cameras can act as a deterrent to potential burglars. Burglars are less likely to choose a home with a monitoring system that could identify them to the police. For this reason, many insurance companies offer a discount to your policy if your home is equipped with a security camera system.

The unexpected unfortunately can happen. Even if you are living in a low crime area, your home has valuable items and irreplaceable people residing in it. Having a home security camera is a great way to gain peace of mind and to help ensure if something does happen, you will be prepared.

Still to come:

Wireless Home Audio System
Home Theater
Outdoor Speakers and Audio Control

Technology is often a driver for customers looking to make their home as efficient, user friendly, and upscale as possible. Over the next few blogs we will cover some of the more popular technology additions that consumers look to add to their custom homes.

Multi-Zone HVAC

In a multi-zone heating system, each room can have a separate heating zone. This brings an end to the arguments with those you share your home with to agree on a temperature. It gives you more control over the temperature of your home and makes comfort not only an achievable goal, but a priority. Splitting your home into separate heating zones can allow for the living room to be cooler than the bedroom or vice versa for example. Depending on how your home is divided, this type of system allows more people to enjoy their perfect temperature inside the home.

While these types of systems increase the complexity and make it seem as though they will be less energy efficient that is not the case when using the system properly. With a multi-zone system, you can set the temperature of less often used rooms cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer while focusing the energy on those more common areas in the home. The less often used rooms do not need to be as comfortable as the rest of the home and can work to help you save money every month, year round.

Many modern conveniences accompany the multi-zone systems. Remote controls offer an easy way to adjust temperatures within the room without having to reach the thermometer. Such remote controls can also include features that control the fan speed or even the humidity level.

It is important to note the drawback of this particular type of heating/cooling system. It is a more complex system and thus requires more duct work and equipment. This will drive up the initial cost of install.

Programmable Thermostat

There are four different types of programmable thermostats available to you, each having a distinct scheduling style. Each will have the same basic set up but they target a different type of schedule. Programming options are based on a wake time, leave time, return time, and sleep time. This allows you to conserve the cool/heat for the times you are home while saving you money during the times you are away.  The first is a 7-day programming. This type of thermostat lets you schedule each day individually. This is ideal for families with more erratic schedules as it is the most flexible. The second option is a 5-1-1 programming. This system allows for one heating/cooling schedule for every day of the week, plus individual schedules for Saturday and Sunday. Similarly, we have the 5-2 programming which is almost identical to 5-1-1, however Saturday and Sunday will have the same heating/cooling plan. The last option is a 1-week programming. In this system, you can set only one heating/cooling plan and it cycles every day of the week.

Energy Management System 

Energy management systems make it easier for you to track your energy usage and manually control it in areas that can decrease your overall all cost and usage. It is a technology platform that includes both hardware and software allowing users to monitor energy usage and production and to manually control and or automate the usage in a household. The hardware acts as a “hub” that allows the goings on in the house to be relayed to the user and in some cases the local utility or electricity retailer. The software is what monitors the ingoing and outgoing data and communications. Usually taking the form of an app or web portal, the software is what allows the user to control functions of the system and allows access to the monitoring data. Some of the monitoring you will be able to do is:

• Device and appliance data: Which devices are on and off? How much energy is each one using?
• Granularity of time data: What is the smallest time increment that the system is keeping track of – or that it displays to the viewer?
• Insights delivered: Does the system send notifications to tip off the user to trends and issues they may not pick up on without parsing through the data themselves?
• Energy management systems also give users control to do a range of things. For example:
• Turn devices on and off remotel
• Set devices to operate on schedules
• Set up conditional rules for devices operation
• Manage the flow of energy from solar panels (and other generators) through the home or in and out of batteries
• Allow “machine learning” to take over and run the system semi-automatically
• Energy management systems can monitor and manage electricity, solar pv, battery storage and solar thermal.

Still to Come:

Wireless Home Security
Security Cameras
Central Vacuum System
Wireless Home Audio System
Home Theater
Outdoor Speakers and Audio Control
Lighting Control System