Whether you are building your home from the ground up or remodeling, there are a lot of categories to budget for, including technology. However, most homeowners get overwhelmed thinking about what they want or even need. Here is a guide on how to get started!

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“Typically, in a major remodel or new home build, the budgets for technology systems range from 4 - 8% of your home's value. This excludes lighting control, motorized shades, and Home Theater systems. For a lighting control system, figure between $4 - $7 per square foot if you are controlling most of the home’s interior and exterior. The ladder range is for a hardwired system, which provide the highest reliability. The lower range of the price scale includes wireless lighting solutions. For Home Theater systems, your budget can be anywhere between $10K and $1M (or more) depending on your desired level of performance.”

Source: Home Technology Association 

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Solid Foundation

Similar to the construction of a house, a smart home system needs a good foundation, which consists of a solid network solution and pre-wire (for new builds). Even if a homeowner is not planning on buying all the bells and whistles at once, it is important to initially lay the groundwork to have the ability to add any additional technologies at a later time, and as timeline and budget allow, without running into barriers.

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Don’t Settle

The convenience of the off-the-shelf “smart home solutions” that can be purchased from any technology store sounds like a deal to the average consumer…that is, however, until problems start arising. Technology should create an ease of use, but when the “simple solutions” start to have issues, it become anything but simple. According to the vast majority of homeowners that settled for cheaply priced systems, they got exactly what they paid for, and later regret it. Though some systems might seem more expensive up front, they could be saving a homeowner from service call fees, replacements, and constant frustrations in the long run.

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Prioritize Your Needs

Express what is high priority when meeting with a smart home team. Additionally, mention any pain points experienced with a pre-existing system that way your technology specialist can create a solution perfectly tailored to your needs.