Homeowners are spending more than ever to increase the appeal of their homes by installing high spec technologies as part of their refurbishment projects.
Qualitas, the design-led residential building and construction firm, has seen technology budgets increase from 5% to 15% of overall refurbishment spend.
The new ‘Tech Spec’ trend comes as state-of-the-art technology is being installed throughout the home to improve efficiency, the day-to-day living experience and, ultimately the value of the property.
According to Qualitas, key tech areas include:
Smart technology: from thermostats that automatically adjust each room’s temperature to wireless speakers that can play cloud-based music, devices which connect to the internet are a key requirement in many of today’s refurbishments. Smart thermostats help cut heating bills and smart lighting systems automatically shut lights off when sensors tell the centralised hub there’s no one in the room.
Other systems now being installed also include integrated security systems which patch live feed from security cameras directly to your smartphone, and alert you when phone when motion sensors around the home are set off.
In addition, smart carbon monoxide sensors and smoke detectors with live alerts are also being installed. These notify the homeowner when they sense smoke or CO, sending alert to the owner’s phone so they know immediately there is an issue.
Finger-print technology: although far from mainstream, finger-print technology is becoming a feature in certain rooms of the house such as home offices where confidential information is kept and even to protect wine in cellars!
Nick Woodworth, Director and Founder of Qualitas, commented: “Technology in the home has become increasingly important over the past few years. It is no longer about having a decent AV system and lighting, but it is about increasing the intelligence of the home, making it easier to live in and more cost-effective to run.
“However, technology shouldn’t be an after-thought as this will increase the cost and inconvenience of the refurb project. It needs to be part of the DNA of the project to complement the architectural design and the way the home will be used.”