Andy & Sabrina’s Smart Home Self Build – Part 1
Living the Loxone Dream
At Loxone we don’t just produce Real Smart Homes, we produce real marriages. Well, we did in this case with our very own Loxonauts Sabrina and Andreas tying the knot. Now happily married, the couple decided to take the next step in their relationship – building their very own smart home together.
We thought this would be a great opportunity to take you through the process of integrating Loxone into a new build. You can follow the couple’s journey and see what steps they took to ensure that the process was as smooth as possible. Obviously, as Loxonauts, they were in a great position to oversee this process as they know Loxone inside out. So their advice is certainly worth listening to.
Facts
Start Date: April 2018
Construction Method: Timber frame construction
Size of the property: 245m²
Country: Germany
Loxone Partner: Felektro e.U.
Start thinking early
Unfortunately, a lot of people start thinking about making their new home smart too late in the process. Ideally, you should be planning the automation of your home from the very beginning. Once construction starts on the house, you already want to know what cabling needs to be pulled for your smart home system. If you plan your automation features at the design stage, the functionality and interior can complement one another, rather than trying to make your smart home system work around what you have already built.
“In my opinion, what is often neglected is garden design. This should also be done before the start of construction – because everything that happens afterwards usually means a lot of extra work that could have been avoided. In the garden, for example, that would be the distribution of electricity. We have included a pool, garden sprinklers, outdoor kitchen, etc. in the building plan.
– Andreas.
Tip:
Sketch out your future smart home in advance, with everything you want it to do for you. Do not leave anything out. This process is crucial as you want to be fully prepared prior to an appointment with your project manager. Sabrina and Andreas had prepared the two sketches above for their first appointment with their project planner.
Tip:
Sketch out your future smart home in advance, with everything you want it to do for you. Do not leave anything out. This process is crucial as you want to be fully prepared prior to an appointment with your project manager.
Predefine what your smart home should do
Once the basics of the home have been established, it’s time to start adding your smart home functions. Always remember, a Real Smart Home should always adapt to the everyday needs of the occupants and not the other way round.
To ensure that this is the case you should plan the functions of your home to suit your everyday life. Does anyone in the house work shifts? Do you have small children? Do you have any special circumstances that would need to be considered? By taking these steps you can ensure that your smart home will work for you.
Alarm, music, shading… write down exactly what you want your home to do for you. Ensure that you’ve done this before meeting with your Loxone Partner and try your hardest to tell them everything; they can never have enough information.
We’re happy to help you realise your smart home dream. We have an extensive range of case studies on our website which you can use as inspiration for your upcoming project. You could also book a project consultation to see different features in action and experience them with one of our Partner Coaches by your side. If you just want a fundamental understanding of what a Real Smart Home should do for you, then why not download our Compendium. It’s a great resource and it will answer your questions on intelligent homes and how they should work.
Contact your Loxone Partner as soon as possible
If you have written down everything you want your new smart home to do, then it’s time to contact your Loxone Partner. Ideally, you want to contact them before the start of construction, as you want to establish what systems will be fitted where. This will give the Partner an indication of what wires they need to pull.
“As a Loxonaut, it was naturally easy for me to list what our home should do. Nevertheless, our Partner pointed out a few more features that would be good for us. For example, we didn’t have a special socket outside for Christmas lighting” – Sabrina.
A little bit of good advice can go a long way in a large project. That’s why finding the perfect Partner for your needs is important. We’ll help you with this process, simply click below and fill in a few details and one of the team will talk you through your options.
“As a Loxonaut, it was naturally easy for me to list what our home should do. Nevertheless, our Partner pointed out a few more features that would be good for us. For example, we didn’t have a special socket outside for Christmas lighting” – Sabrina
A little bit of good advice can go a long way in a large project. That’s why finding the perfect Partner for your needs is important. We’ll help you with this process, simply click below and fill in a few details and one of the team will talk you through your options.
Get everyone on the same page
Before the start of construction, all parties should be made aware that your home will be a smart home. This way everyone will be on the same page, which will make things easier for everyone involved (including you). When everyone is working together the project tends to be far smoother. For example, your Loxone Partner will be able to contact the heating engineer in advance so that he knows how Loxone will integrate with the heating. This way he can make any necessary adjustments in good time.
Andreas:
“From the beginning, we informed all parties that we were building a Loxone Smart Home. Then we handed out a list of all of the companies involved in the project and contact numbers to everyone. This way everyone knew who to contact. This relieved us of a lot of work which helped us free up time for other matters.”
Tip:
Before construction, it’s a good idea to arrange a meeting with all parties. Here you can sit down together and go through everything. This will help eliminate any uncertainties that anyone may have and ensure a smooth start to construction.
Andreas:
“From the beginning, we informed all parties that we were building a Loxone Smart Home. Then we handed out a list of all of the companies involved in the project and contact numbers to everyone. This way everyone knew who to contact. This relieved us of a lot of work which helped us free up time for other matters.”
Tip:
Before construction, it’s a good idea to arrange a meeting with all parties. Here you can sit down together and go through everything. This will help eliminate any uncertainties that anyone may have and ensure a smooth start to construction.
Something whilst you wait?
This is only the first part of Andy and Sabrina’s story. Over the coming weeks/months we’ll have another two parts of this series so you can see the process from start to finish.
In the meantime, grab your free copy of our Welcome Home magazine – the perfect source of smart home inspiration. It’s filled with tips & tricks, exquisite case studies and expert advice all presented in a visually-rich way.
Something whilst you wait?
This is only the first part of Andy and Sabrina’s story. Over the coming weeks/months we’ll have another two parts of this series so you can see the process from start to finish.
In the meantime, grab your free copy of our Welcome Home magazine – the perfect source of smart home inspiration. It’s filled with tips & tricks, exquisite case studies and expert advice all presented in a visually-rich way.