The construction industry hasn’t necessarily been the beacon of innovation, but new advancement in AI, automation and the internet have given the industry the boost it needs to attract new innovation to builders and incorporate these features into residential construction.  Innovative new products and features in custom homes have brought technology and construction together.  

Building materials have always lagged behind other sectors in bringing about innovation; however, new technology such as home automation and advancement of artificial intelligence are being used to build the smart homes of the future.

There’s a scene in Back to the Future Part II where the main character’s future son comes home and is inundated with technology.  Everything he needs at that moment is brought to him in the home from food, to television, to entertainment and communication.  The Internet and AI have have made this fictional account of the future a reality.

Smart Homes

The Internet of Things is making this world a possibility.  Amazon’s Alexa and the Amazon platform itself have homeowners ordering products to their doorsteps within a few days and controlling the entertainment centers within the home.  

Custom homes are incorporating audio and visual technology to control mechanical systems, entertainment centers, security systems and much more.  Central hubs and low voltage systems can interconnect these components easily making it more convenient to control them with little effort.  

Here are a few ways in which this technology is used in custom homes:

• Nest can control climate and learn user activity within the home
• Products such as Control 4 low voltage systems can play music and incorporate Amazon Alexa through voice commands
• iRobot’s can be set to automatically vacuum the entire home
• Lighting control can be set to “scenes” that are controlled by voice to turn on and off certain areas of the home upon entry and exit

Green Homes

Custom homes are equipped with insulated and low emissivity windows and doors to work in conjunction with the automated mechanical systems to achieve comfort and indoor air quality. Mechanical equipment using high SEER variable speed units and advanced thermostats are becoming standard in custom homes.  

Solar panels on rooftops have become more efficient in capturing sunlight which reduces overall energy consumption.  These systems, if incorporated properly, can pay for themselves over time.  Home insulation is a crucial part of energy efficiency.  Using foam insulation rather than standard fiberglass has been shown to accomplish this.  Many production homes use foil insulation on the exterior walls.  Although combined with the exterior walls they can achieve higher R-value.  But the use of rigid foam and injected foam into the exterior block walls has shown to achieve greater value.

With the advancement of these technologies custom home building has surpassed some of the standard features that have always been used in building homes.   This technology has been adopted to increase the energy efficiency and make our homes more convenient to live in.

For more ways you can incorporate new technology into your home contact UBACK Construction today.