Today’s smart homes have come a long way. They aren’t just a way to impress your friends anymore—they can help keep your home safe while you’re away, manage your home’s energy and water usage, make entertaining easier, and enhance the way you live and work in your home. In the next few blog posts, we’ll take a look at how smart home automation can enhance the lives of Orange County homeowners.
Gary and Pam Reynolds are empty nesters living in Orange County. Pam is retired from her job as an elementary school teacher, while Gary works from home as an independent business consultant. Their two grown kids have (so far) given them four grandkids that they adore.
They had their Newport Beach home custom built a couple of years ago after Pam retired. It’s the home in which they hope to spend the rest of their lives. It was designed and built to accommodate their specific lifestyle, and includes a home office for Gary, plenty of space for entertaining, and a pool in the backyard for when their kids and grandkids come to visit. It’s also set up as a smart home.
As Baby Boomers, Gary and Pam didn’t grow up with the type of technology that later generations did, so the smart home system in their house needed to be intuitive. Since they were both familiar with Apple products, the smart home system was set up to be controlled by an Apple iPad and their iPhones. The system is extremely easy to use, while still being highly functional.
Integration
Gary and Pam knew they wanted smart home technology in their home, but they didn’t want several different systems that they would have to learn how to operate. That’s why they loved the idea of integrating all of their home’s systems.
With their setup, they are able to control everything in their home from the same device! From their iPad, they can adjust and monitor their home’s lighting, HVAC, audio, video, pool and spa, security system, and more. Not only has this made managing their home’s systems simple, it has eliminated the need for things like remote controls, wall-mounted controls (like thermostats, security system control panels, pool and spa controls, etc.). The Reynolds prefer a more uncluttered look in their home, so this was a great feature for them.
Integrating their home’s systems also meant that they could have one-touch control over multiple systems at the same time. For example, Pam set up a “wake up” mode for the master bedroom and bathroom. With the touch of one button on her iPad, Pam can begin her day by raising the shades in her bedroom, playing her favorite music, and turning on the radiant floor heating in her bathroom.
Home Office
A couple of years ago, Gary retired from his job at a business consulting firm and decided to start his own independent consulting business. This allowed him to work from home and have a more flexible schedule. He now works fewer hours and has more time to travel and do the things he loves.
His dedicated home office gives him the space and privacy he needs to work, and it also allows him to conduct video conference calls with his clients around the country from the comfort of his home. Gary’s office is set up with an easy-to-use video conferencing system. He can start a call with the touch of a button using popular video conferencing software. Both the audio and video on his calls are crystal clear, due to the high-quality speakers and wall-mounted display that he had installed in the office. His video conferencing system also allows him to easily share documents with clients while on a call. Those on the other end of the call have a good experience as well, due to the high-quality microphone and webcam in Gary’s office. He is also able to adjust the lighting in the room to optimum levels for conference calls.
The same high-quality speakers that aid Gary in his conference calls can also play his favorite talk radio station or music when he wants some background noise while he works. He can easily adjust the volume from his desk when a call comes in or change the audio source with the touch of a button.
Technology That Enhances Your Everyday Lifestyle
During a casual day at home, Gary likes to listen to talk radio, while Pam enjoys listening to classical music as they go about their day. The whole-home audio system provides quality sound no matter where they are in their home, including on their back patio.
When Gary and Pam are home together in the evenings, just the two of them, they love to watch movies. They have a small, dedicated home theater that allows them to create the perfect atmosphere for movie watching. With the touch of a button, they can lower the shades, dim the lights, and turn on the AV system to play their favorite movies. The surround sound system in their home theater helps them feel immersed in whatever movie is playing.
Monitoring Energy and Water Usage
Gary and Pam both care about the environment and want to do their part to limit their energy and water usage. They can monitor their use of energy and are alerted of any potential water leaks on their property through their integrated smart home system. They also have a daylight harvesting system installed that automatically adjusts the lighting in their home based on the amount of available natural light, which helps them save a good amount of energy. Their HVAC system is able to be easily adjusted, even remotely, to keep their heating and cooling costs down.
Home Automation Customized to Your Lifestyle
Your lifestyle may not be exactly like Gary and Pam’s, and that’s okay. At Good Sounds, we specialize in custom smart home automation designed to enhance the way you live and work in your home.
At your initial consultation, we’ll first take the time to understand your lifestyle and come up with a custom smart home design that’s perfect for you and your family. No two Orange County smart home systems designed by Good Sounds are alike. Whether you are building a brand new custom home, or remodeling the one you already own, we can help!
Contact us to learn more or to set up your initial consultation.
In the next blog post in this series, titled “Entertaining at Home,” we will continue to follow Gary and Pam to see how smart home automation helps them entertain their friends and family more easily, and how it adds some “wow factor” to their parties.
