So we are building. Still in blueprint phase. The house is a 1 story ranch about 2,900 sq ft on a slab.
If you could start over from scratch, and start at this early of a phase, what would you do? Money is not an issue (within reason, just mean we will have a few thousand leftover from the sale I can spend on this stuff). I can go really crazy with this but my creativity is what is limiting me.
From things as minor as outlets all the way to built in hidden hub/control niche I could do whatever I can dream of but my mind is drawing a blank so I would love some great and creative ideas!
A lot of the “grunt work” of spending is already in place from my current house. My skill level is average. I am definitely not a programmer or someone that can like build RaspberryPI control modules or whatever. But I am not a complete noob either.
Some things we already have …
- SmartThings Hub V2 (considering that new one, should I get it?)
- Philips Hue Hub
- Asus RT-AX88U router
- Google Nest doorbell (wired)
- Google Hub Max
- Numerous Google home (pucks and the big speaker, man these things have become real bad over the years, rarely gets anything right now)
- Smart TVs
- Google TV on some of the TVs that are not smart
- About 34 Philips hue bulbs or LED strips (some are for outdoor)
- Google Nest floodlight camera (wired)
- Smart garage door openers
Upgrade your insulation and airsealing package and pair it with a proper ERV/HRV. The cost of upgrading will be somewhat dampened by energy savings, and your comfort, health, and control of the house will all be improved.