Barwon Heads Beach House

The brief

A holiday house spends most of its life empty, and that was the problem. Between visits, the owners had no way of knowing whether the house was secure, whether something had been left running, or who had knocked. They wanted to see the house from Melbourne, shut it down completely on departure, and pull into the driveway on a Friday night with the place already warm and lit.

What we installed

A full retrofit on Apple Home, worked around the existing finishes. Every light, an alarm, cameras and a doorbell the family can answer from a couch a hundred kilometres away. Locks that let the cleaner in without a key under the mat. Climate that warms the house while they're still on the highway. Audio for when the house is full, and one touch to put it all to sleep when it isn't.

Tags:  Lighting, Smart locks, Sensors, Alarm, CCTV, Video doorbell, Climate control, Multi-room audio, Garage and gate, Scene automation

What changed

The house is never really unattended now. A ten-second glance at the app answers the question that used to nag on the drive home: yes, the doors are locked, the alarm is on, and nothing is quietly burning power between visits.

FAQs

Can an existing holiday house be retrofitted?

Yes. This entire installation was a retrofit, completed around the existing finishes with no rewiring of the house. Wireless-first systems make holiday homes one of the most straightforward retrofit projects we do.

How do I know the house is actually secure when I'm not there?

You check, any time you like. The app shows every lock, the alarm state and the cameras live, from anywhere. That is the real difference from a conventional holiday house: not that you have to trust it is locked, but that you can see it is.

Pathways: Security (What We Do)  ·  Smart home retrofit (What We Do)  ·  Geelong and the Bellarine (Locations)