The Growing Trend in Home Automation and the drop in cost of technology today has brought some very innovative product to the market, with this growth continuing into the future and as the cost of this technology continuously becoming more affordable the time is now to make your next project stand out from the one before.
Automation has always been looked at by the industry as something that is complicated, Hard to use and something that will add considerable chunk to the construction budget. Home Automation can be as simple or as creative as your imagination.

Home automation has also been defined differently by many people. To some people its as simple as few speakers by the BBQ with a wireless remote and to others its TV screens coming down from the ceiling when you enter the bedroom and simultaneously the lights will dim as the fireplace ignites creating a romantic experience on cold and rainy day..

To the industry experts “Home Automation” is the coming together of many components in a Home, Components such Security, Audio, Lighting and Air Conditioning working together and automatically responding and adjusting to events that occur. The secret of all good Home Automation systems is the simplicity with which the technology is used. Put simply, you touch a button and something happens.

We have all watched our fair share of TV where we have seen futuristic technology being displayed and used as part of day to day living, we have all looked at this technology being used and thought to ourselves at some stage “wow one day we will have this and it will be awesome”. Although we are far away from some of these features we’ve seen on our favorite cartoon the Jetsons, The technology we currently have access to will amaze you.

Backed by years of experience designing and implementing Home Automation solutions and with many successful projects behind me I have learnt so much in how we have been doing it so wrong for many years.
A Great solution would be one that has been designed and been planned early on in the building process and an outstanding project would be one that has not only been planned early but one that has taken many factors into consideration. There are general questions that play a big part in a successful project and are often missed or taken for granted.

One reason I have found that this is the case is that the design process is not taken seriously early on. From experience I can tell you that most Home owners know that they want a bit of funky technology in their new home and their eyes light up when you tell them you can have some Rock speakers in the garden or that they can use their mobile to unlock the front door remotely. I can also see it in their eyes, that sense of freedom and pride from the thought of Total control that they have as they imagine showing their friends at the next family BBQ.

As great as this all is where this fails to be as impacting as it is imaginable is when the home owner has no idea what they want or what is possible. Home owners will generally turn to the Architect, Designer or Builder for this inspiration but 9 times out of 10 they are passed on to an electrician who is focused primarily on things like where do you want the power point and how many down lights do you want over your kitchen bench top.

It’s up to you the Architect, Designer or Builder to Inspire the customer in this technology just as you would offer inspiration with a material a color or an era. Also as you would organize a landscape designer to give you freedom in the garden or a lighting consultant to set the mood, Home automation requires a specialized consultant to give you an experience and ensure that all components are working together from the garden to the Cinema.

Well if you’re feeling overwhelmed now that you have to organize an extra consultant then you have already started to go down the 9 out of 10 path towards an ordinary project. This is where we step in to make it simple and convenient. I have developed a very simple process and framework that I refer to. This framework has been proven to be successful for my team on all our projects and is made of four Simple Steps.

The Steps which we follow consistently are “Planning – Solution – Implementation – Review”

The Planning Stage i believe is most critical and the stage that makes the biggest difference between a Stand out “wow” Project and a Project. At this stage way before the building plans are finalized the Custom integrator will sit with the customer and the Project designer and gather the requirements of the project from the customer by asking very basic questions like “how do you use your home or wish to use your new home?”, what type of lifestyle do you live are you an entertainer or do prefer the quiet life?…. Do you love to entertain by the BBQ? or Romantically by the fireplace. These are general questions that make a world of difference to the design and are always missed because the project is heavily focused on budget instead of lifestyle.

The second stage is the “Solution” this is where the consultant will offer their solution to the customer and Together they will review the features and what this solution can offer to your lifestyle.
The Third stage is “Implementation”. This where the concept is turned to a solution, at this stage reality kicks in for the owner with the thought that wow this is really going to make a difference.

The Last Stage “ Review” is also the second most important stage. This stage I like to think its completely based around comparing the requirements to the Reality that is the solution. With questions that all parties will ask each other “Does this meet our requirements and has it fit into our lifestyle”. This stage is a rolling stage which starts at the point of planning and ends at the point of Handover.

Following these simple stages in detail will make what seems impossible a reality for you. Convenience, piece of mind & more time is what I deliver to my clients,

 
“A system that promotes features like simplicity, Convenience and Peace of mind is what I call a winner.”

Elias Georgy

www.letsautomate.com.au