Building Smarter from the Ground Up: Why Technology Belongs in the Blueprint Stage

Ensuring the Ultimate Smart Home Experience

Smart homes are no longer a rare commodity in luxury living. Today, they are in demand, driven by the desire for smarter security, breathtaking lighting, and an ease that’s hard to define until experienced. 

Unfortunately, the demand has not kept pace with the knowledge that integrators—those who design, install, and program smart home solutions—should be called in during the blueprint stage, long before the foundation is laid. 

Instead, many homeowners treat it as an afterthought. “Hey, wouldn’t it be nice to have a whole-home audio system and effortless control of our lights and shades?” Had that thought arisen during the design phase, homeowners would not be faced with integrators cutting into drywall and the increased costs associated with change orders. 

Seamless integrations turn into missed opportunities with home automation that doesn’t always line up with the aesthetics. 

At Prodigy, we collaborate with architects, builders, and designers to ensure that lighting, shading, sound, and control systems integrate cleanly with design intent. To achieve this requires tech planning from the start. 

Here, we’ll explore the difference it makes when smart home solutions become part of the conversation during the blueprint stage. 

SEE ALSO: Am I Designing for Today’s Needs or Tomorrow’s Possibilities?

The Consequences of Delayed Tech Planning

The consequences are many, but the ones with the greatest impact diminish a home’s beauty, reduce efficiency, and increase costs. When integrators are not brought in at the earliest stages, design and functional incompatibilities are common. 

The essential low-voltage wiring infrastructure, including networking cables and conduits, becomes labor-intensive when cutting into and repairing drywall is required. The result is over-budget projects, delays, and automated systems that don’t provide the ultimate user experience. 

Technology and Nashville’s Luxury Real Estate Market

Some of the hot ticket items in Nashville's real estate market include voice-controlled home automation, keyless access control, smart security systems, motorized shades, automated lighting, smart thermostats, immersive entertainment systems, and home automation platforms. 

Many of these systems require pre-wiring and selecting controls that align with the interior design. When not integrated early, these controls can appear tacked on rather than integral to the design. Opportunities for optimal placement are lost due to existing structures, and functional issues arise. 

Motorized Shades 

While battery-powered shades are an option, hardwiring is the best choice for a new build or renovation. Hardwiring automated shades provides the highest performance, ensuring the required power and reliability for the custom shades covering today’s architectural and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lighting By Design

The latest LED lighting systems offer exceptional beauty and refinement, changing the mood or ambiance with a single touch or voice command. These solutions require the strategic placement of fixtures, controls, pre-wiring, and dedicated closets for centralized systems. 

Early coordination with designers, builders, and architects is essential to unlock the full potential of today’s lighting design. 

Whole-Home Audio

Among the many immersive home entertainment experiences available, whole-home audio ranks among the most in-demand. When integrated early, in-wall and in-ceiling speakers blend seamlessly into the architecture, delivering high-fidelity music and sound to every room. The audio sources are tucked away in a dedicated closet, hiding bulky AV equipment that can easily disrupt a home’s design. 

Home Security

Intelligent security systems are one of the most sought-after smart systems. For optimal performance, cameras, motion sensors, automated door locks, and integrated security lighting require strategic placement. Creating a built-in, rather than bolted-on, security system enables interoperability between devices. 

For instance, when the smart camera detects a stranger entering the property at night, the doors automatically lock, the security lights turn on, and the integrated audio announces their presence.

Future-Proofing

An essential component of smart homes is laying a foundation for not only current preferences and needs but also future possibilities. Planning for a centralized control system and a robust wiring foundation ensures homeowners can take advantage of the latest technology and upgrades without major renovations later. 

When smart home automation and home entertainment are part of the conversation at the blueprint stage, builders, architects, designers, and integrators can work together to deliver a luxury, uncompromising experience for their clients. At Prodigy, we take pride in providing these experiences and in redefining what’s possible in home automation. To learn more about working with our Nashville-based team, contact Prodigy.