Home Tech: What You Shouldn’t Skimp On
Picture this: You’re driving home from work and listening to an engaging news story. As you pull into your garage, step out of your car, disarm your security system, and enter your home, you can instantly pick up right where you left off—with the touch of a button. Now you’re unloading your bag, keys, perhaps sorting through your mail on the counter—all while finishing the story you started on your drive home. One swipe on your smart tablet and your shades are drawn, or your television emerges from its hiding place, ready to provide some evening relaxation.
There are countless ways technology can take your home and lifestyle to the next level. There are also many details that won’t break the bank. But when you’re outfitting your retreat with high-tech luxury, there are a handful of features you definitely won’t want to skimp on.
Here are six things that are worth your investment.
1. THOUGHT
Trying to save time may cost you money. If you’re designing a home from the ground up, you really need to sit down and assess your lifestyle and the way you love to use your spaces—as well as what you hope to have down the road. Make sure there’s not a thermostat where you plan on putting a nice piece of art. When everything is thoughtfully wired, you can easily rewire things later to upgrade quality or make an addition.
2. INTEGRATION
Don’t skimp on how your lighting, security system, HVAC, speakers, and other technology are integrated into the ceiling of one room. When home tech is designed thoughtfully and correctly, you won’t even notice the 19 different openings in the ceiling of your $200,000 custom kitchen.
3. ELECTRICAL PLATES
After decking your kitchen with an expensive solid slab marble backsplash or your living room with exotic wood wall detail, the last thing you want to do is skimp on electrical plates. By going the cheap route, you risk seriously downgrading all the high-end materials you just worked so hard to choose and install. Do you really want a cheap electrical plate hanging below your Picasso hanging in the entryway?
4. PRESERVING YOUR VIEWS
If you live in Colorado, odds are that your home is designed around capturing dynamite views. Many times your home technology can hinder that vantage point—and most often, the culprit is a large flat-screen TV. Don’t skimp on solutions for hiding your TV so that your million-dollar view or that Venetian plaster wall isn’t interrupted.
5. THE DESIGN OF YOUR MECHANICAL ROOM
Your mechanical room can wind up with wires all over the place. An electrical chaos that looks like a spaghetti dinner will not serve you well when you need to address a problem quickly.
6. AUDIO QUALITY
Whether you’re hosting a dinner party and want to play cool jazz in the background, having friends over for the big game, or cozying up in your home theater to watch a favorite movie, the last thing you want is bad audio quality. Investing in a good sound system will always be worth it.
Daniel Stern is the president and CEO of Denver-based Aurum Home Technology, which brings elegance and uncompromising quality to state-of-the-art home technology.
Content for this article provided by Aurum Home Technology.
