Home Design

Home Design for the Smart Home

Home design for the Smart Home starts right at the planning stage, however it can be installed after the home is built if necessary. The main thing is to have the wiring in place so that all the latest technology can be installed as the home is built – or even added afterwards. Once the wiring is in place, adding components after the building stage is easy.

Having what is called a Smart Home is not only about entertainment and convenience; it is also about safety. For instance, you can have an alarm for the other end of your driveway that will alert you when any car or person enters the drive. This is good for those homes with long driveways that may not all be visible from the house. Your house alarm can be automatically de-activated as you drive in yourself and reactivated when you leave. The same goes for lights, heating and cooling which can all be automatically switched on or off as you enter and leave.

Smart Lighting and Sound

In fact, Electrician Perth Experts advise that lights can not only be turned on and off remotely, they can be dimmed for an evening or even change colour at the flick of a switch. LED lights can now integrate with this kind of technology.

Smart home design also encompasses things like being able to turn sound on and off and also adjust it and being able to monitor the baby visually and with audio from any room in the house. If you work from home, and are designing your home office, you can have a screen to monitor who is knocking on the door and speak to them without opening it. And of course, you can unlock the door remotely as well.

5 Ways Your Home Design Can Save You Money

Most people are interested in ways to save money. If you are planning a new home, now is the time to start thinking along these lines as the design is an important factor in the costs of running the home.

If you intend to stay in your home for many years you really don’t want to choose design elements that are going to always be expensive. It is simpler than you may think to ensure you include cost-saving elements at the design stage, but many of the simpler ones can also be added after the home is built, so don’t feel dismayed if you are already in your home.

Here are 5 ways to save money with your home design.

Consider the climate. In a warm climate, large windows installed on opposite side of the home will enable cooling breezes to flow through. This means the air conditioner will not be needed so often. Find out which direction the prevailing breeze usually comes from and go from there. In cooler/cold climates, smaller windows may be better- or you could have double glazing. Larger windows on the sunny side of the home can often bring in natural warmth. They also increase natural light so you will not need to have lights on during the day.
Room placement. This is not always possible, but if you can have the living rooms on the sunny side of the home you will find life more pleasant and the need for heating/lighting reduced. Some floor plans can be reversed to facilitate this.