Smart home technology is available to cure the tech headaches, bring greater efficiency, provide more entertainment and heighten security in the home. It offers a scaleable solution based on budget, needs and type of property.

From our recent exhibition at Grand Designs Live, I clearly saw the increase in demand for and awareness of smart homes with both home renovators and self builders. 'Grand Designers' are often early adopters of new building techniques, from alternative energy sources to innovative insulation options. Their pioneering attitude to building has made them receptive to the concept of smart home living; they see great value and sensibility in future readying their home.

The future ready home has an extra layer of infrastructure woven into the fabric of the building. A designed cabling system is installed at first fix stage by the electrical contractor. Alongside the usual electrical cables there are wires installed for internet and TV distribution, security and CCTV, mood lighting and zonal heating controls and multi-room music. Regardless of any technology being connected to these cables the home is future ready once those extra cables are in place.

The future ready home can offer energy savings, with reduced energy bills for heating, lighting and electrical appliance energy consumption.  Home technology can bring comfort and convenience, learning your habits for heating, lighting and entertainment and using apps that give you complete control when you are home or away.  The future ready home can have increased security, with intruders captured on high definition cameras with snapshots sent to your mobile devices, alerts from your home when the kids come home from school or simulate occupancy when away on holiday with automated lighting and blinds.

I would like to highlight the need for property developers to consider a new level of wiring in their developments. At the moment the majority are letting their customers down by providing wiring straight out of the 1990's home specification guide. Back then we didn't have tablets, cloud based storage, On Demand TV or Apps. When we carry out our free home tech surveys I constantly get told that home owners frustrations are with inadequate connections for TV and Internet, dumb heating controls and the spread of wall acne with huge banks of thermostats, light switches and dimmers in kitchens and reception rooms.

I know that home builders are making their first steps at evolving their homes for the new connected way of living, I often read about it within the pages of this property supplement. It is great to see the change happening but my fear is that this evolution is not being planned or designed. At Customised we are here to help home buyers, builders and designers with the change to future ready homes.

Let Customised remove the fear factor, smart home living is fast becoming the new normal.