Avoid Common Regrets and Future-Proof Your Home with Strategic Early Planning.
Building or remodeling a home in Rogers, AR, is an exercise in vision. You carefully select the furnishings, wall finishes, and landscaping, but there is one invisible element that often gets sidelined until it’s too late: the technology. Many homeowners make the mistake of waiting until the drywall is up to begin their smart home planning.
At HomeTroniX, we believe smart home technology shouldn’t be an afterthought or a collection of disparate gadgets. It should be woven into the very architecture of your living space. By involving a professional integrator during the design phase, we make technology a natural part of your space. In this guide, we’ll explore the critical windows for smart home integration and the common pitfalls early planning can help you avoid.
SEE ALSO: Want to Bring the Cinema Home?
When Is the Best Time to Do Your Smart Home Technology
If possible, your smart home planning should happen during the golden window: design and pre-construction. That allows integrators like HomeTronix to coordinate with your architects, builders, and interior designers to integrate our systems into your overall infrastructure.
The biggest reason is that a professionally installed smart home relies on a backbone of low-voltage wiring and dedicated conduits that must be installed when studs are exposed. It’s much more cost-effective than retrofitting after the walls are closed.
Early planning also helps us with hidden technology solutions. We’ll need to coordinate with architects and builders for wall and ceiling space to install discreet speakers. We’ll need properly ventilated closets to keep all equipment racks hidden away from view. We’ll work with your interior designer to find touch panels and keypads that complement your home’s decor.
What If You’re Remodeling or Buying a New Home?
Even if you aren’t building from scratch, it’s important to bring us in early when starting a new remodel or starting fresh in a new home. For remodels, any projects that involve opening up walls should include us before that happens. When buying a new home, we come in and do a consultation to let you know which existing wiring can be used by our team.
In both cases, there are still retrofit smart home solutions we can integrate. When needed, we can leverage wireless lighting, shading, and AV systems that are less intrusive. We’ll advise you on what needs to be wired and what doesn’t to best align with your budget and timeline.
In these cases, it’s also possible to do any updates in phases. Maybe add smart lighting to the kitchen when you remodel that area, but wait until a better time to expand to the rest of the house. We aim to be partners for life and are available every time you’re ready to go further.
What Is the Cost of Waiting Too Long?
Homeowners who wait until after move-in often face higher labor costs and a limited ‘canvas’ for their technology. To handle space and budget limitations, we may have to settle for more intrusive technology or less reliable wireless-only options.
Users who don’t approach their upgrades with a cohesive plan when remodeling often end up with a chaotic system of different apps, each corresponding to a different tech upgrade. That will lead to greater clutter and frustration.
The less planning and wiring that goes into your smart home, the more you rely on wireless infrastructure. While we admit wireless is best sometimes, it shouldn’t be the standard for your entire home. If it is, you’ll end up with traffic logjams that cause buffering streaming and delayed response to your commands.
The difference between smart devices and a smart home is in the intentionality of the latter’s design. Don’t wait until the finishing touches are applied to realize your home's infrastructure can't support your lifestyle.
Ready to start your smart home journey on the right foot? Contact the experts at HomeTroniX today to schedule your initial planning consultation. We look forward to speaking with you!