Forget what anyone says, size definitely does matter. And if we'd all just 'fess up, most of us have average. Average capes. Average colonials. Average ranches. Average contemporaries.
Whatever the style, few of us have anything larger than an average-size house. And this definitely poses a challenge to homebuilders that are trying to market bundled home technology and to builders of smaller homes who think home tech simply isn't an option. Or does it?
Not according to the architect, builders, designers, installers and product manufacturers involved with the Home by Design show house, which will be on display in the parking lot of the Stardust Hotel throughout the tecHOMExpo.
The focus of this house is "affordable connected technology," according to David Waks, cofounder of Broadband Home Central in Morris Plains, N.J. Call it home tech for the rest of us.
Along with partner Sandy Teger, Waks is responsible for broadband connectivity in the show home. You won't find a luxury home theater in this baby. There are no singing speaker rocks or talking refrigerators offered in this model. Instead, you will see strategically placed network access throughout the house; lighting controls in the main living spaces, such as living room and bedroom; and an integrated sound system, again with speakers strategically placed in main living areas.
The emphasis is on home technology that improves the lifestyle of homeowners in modest-size homes and of modest means. Home tech options on display will be well within an affordable budget and will steer away from features that many people don't really need.
The emphasis in the Home by Design is also tied in to the pending book Home by Design by Sarah Susanka. Known for her best- seller The Not So Big House, Susanka has carried her message from the earlier book into the home technology realm. Simply put, her message is to build smarter, not bigger.
"Not-So-Big doesn't mean small," Susanka says. "It means building homes about one-third smaller, but spending the savings on construction on the things that will make you more happy in the house."
Susanka stresses the need for builders to match features in a house with the lifestyle needs of its occupants. More rooms aren't the answer for many people, just better-planned rooms.
Most importantly, the messages that the show house organizers hope homebuilders will take away are:
1. Home technology truly is the next big thing that homeowners want. 2. Builders will be at a competitive disadvantage if they fail to offer home technology, especially in smaller and moderate-size homes. 3. Builders can make their homes more desirable with a small investment in home technology.
Product title sponsors for the Home By Design show house include: Broadband Home Central; Correct Building Products, makers of CorrectDeck; Diamond Cabinets; Dupont's Tyvek; Forbo Flooring, flooring supplier of Marmoleum and Engineered Hardwood Forbo; Formica Corporation.; Green Design Furniture; Insulspan; Leviton Manufacturing Company; ORG; Marvin Windows and Doors; Nevada Power; TCP; Slate and Copper Sales Company; Schneider Electric, makers of Square D brand products; USG; WindsorOne; Whirlpool Corporation.
Partner/Associate Sponsors include: AllStyle Coil Co.; American Polysteel; American Standard; Archi-Tech Residential; Arizona Stone; BBH; Benjamin Obdyke; buildingonline.com; Chief Architect; Classic Products; Corning; Cox Communications; Devine Color; EIC Corp.; Efficient; Feeney Wire Rope, makers of CableRail; Ferguson Drywall; General Cable; hometoys.com & earthtoys.com; Heritage Veneered Products, manufactures of WOODPORT interior doors; Innovative Building Products; Hull Historical; Indy Mac Bank; James Hardie Siding Products; Marvel Industries; Multilink Solutions; Nutech; Open Joist 2000; PGI; Rinnai; Rolladen Shutters; Smart HomeOwner; Protecto Wrap; Wave7 Optics; WARN Works; Windquest Co.; WireTracks and Zephyr Hoods.