7 Ways to Make Technology Part Of Your Home Remodel

At Mosaik Design & Remodeling, we work with homeowners to improve their homes. With smart home technology and other modern technological features, it’s never been a better time to do just that.

Read on to learn some of our favorite ways to introduce technology to your home remodel.

One smart speaker to rule them all

Let’s face it — despite being in a revolutionary technological age, finding a good way to manage all of the technology in your life can still be a chore. Without a centralized “control center,” operation can be more of a hassle than a benefit.

Fortunately, many of today’s biggest tech companies have created technology hubs to manage the operation of all the devices in your home. A virtual assistant provides either voice or app control so you can have a single place to direct commands and operate your home’s technology wherever you are.

Some options for smart speakers include:

• Apple Homepod
• Amazon Alexa
• Google Home

Which one you choose will depend largely on personal preference, budget, and the type of phones and devices you and your family prefer.

Smart kitchen appliances

Kitchen appliances have always pushed the home forward when it came to technology. Whether it was more efficient ovens, better insulated refrigerators, or quieter dishwashers, your kitchen is the Silicon Valley of your home.

Smart technology is revolutionizing the way we use our kitchens:

• Refrigerators: Modern refrigerators can now tell you when food has gone bad, give you recipe recommendations, and provide you with a view of what you have available any time you need it. Trust me, being able to see if you still have half-and-half when you’re at the store and can’t remember is a lifesaver!
• Ovens: Never worry about if you left the oven on after leaving the house again. With smart ovens, you can turn on (for preheating) and off ovens (just in case) from your smartphone, use voice commands to start preheating from your couch, and set timers remotely.
• Dishwashers: Modern dishwashers are extremely quiet and efficient. They do a great job of cleaning and give you digital alerts when maintenance is needed or they sense a leak.

Whole-home audio system

While virtual assistants have speakers built in, for audiophiles and those looking to have a louder and more centralized solution, a home audio system will be a much better fit.

Home audio systems generally combine multiple speakers in multiple rooms to provide a cohesive audio experience. There are even systems that integrate waterproof speakers for use outside! Even better, we can install speakers right into your walls. These are high-quality systems that sound amazing and give you the same sound as a large traditional speaker.

No matter the system, you’ll be able to link the speakers and listen to your own personal digital collection, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, or even link the system to a record player. Further, you’ll be able to connect the system to your television and play the big game or the hottest new film. Once you’ve heard one of these systems, you’ll never be able to go back!

Smart window coverings

For your money, smart window coverings are one of the most useful smart home integrations out there.

Going far beyond just opening and closing your window coverings with an app, you can set your blinds and curtains to open and close based on the time of day and temperature readings from inside your home. In conjunction with your virtual assistant, you’ll even be able to ask them to close with your own voice.

One of our favorite features is the ability to close your shades remotely. This is particularly useful when on vacation and you want to double-check that you really did close the shades before leaving.

Lighting control

In a similar vein, smart light control allows you to schedule when certain lights in your home turn on and off. Much like the window coverings control, you can also control the lights with your voice (makes those “clap on, clap off” lights look like old technology, huh?).

Our favorite way to use these is to set the lights we use the most on a schedule. Mostly this consists of turning the lights on in the morning moments before we get up and off when we normally go to bed.

Do you still want the ability to flip on and off the switches? No worries! These lights still operate like old-fashioned switches, just with the added functionality of scheduling.

They’ll save on your energy bill, too, and are great for security. You can set the light on a schedule and make it look like you’re home while on vacation.

Google Nest or another efficient thermostat solution

The Google Nest smart thermostat was one of the first smart home technologies.

These extremely useful and efficient thermostats can be scheduled and adjust themselves based on your behavior. When you leave the house, the thermostat will know and turn itself down. It also learns when you walk in the home and turns the heat up. Within about a week, the system learns your trends and will behave in the same way you would program it if you were doing it manually. It’s as if it’s reading your mind!

You’re also able to change the temperature manually or control it from your app. Additionally, there are other product integrations that we find extremely useful, such as the ability to adjust your hot water heater with Nest Heat Link.

The result of all of these integrations is a more energy-efficient and comfortable home.

USB outlets

One of the simplest smart home integrations is the addition of USB outlets as part of your remodel.

Given the amount of devices we all use on a day-to-day basis, these outlets are truly a life saver. They come in multi-input options, as well as ones that include 2 traditional outlets along with 2 USB inputs. These are our favorites as they afford you the same capacity of traditional outlets, with the additional benefit of USB outlets that will allow you to charge your phone and other devices.

When planning your kitchen remodel, develop a home that not only looks and functions the way you want it, but includes the features and technology that will help you live life to the fullest.

Erin Davis is owner of Mosaik Design & Remodeling in Portland Oregon. For more information and tips visit http://mosaikdesign.com/ or contact her at erin@mosaikdesign.com.