Highton New Build

The brief

A semi-retired couple designed this home for the next few decades: living on the second floor, lift access, and space downstairs for the grandkids. A large house should not mean more walking, so they wanted the whole property answerable from wherever they happened to be standing, a garden that tends itself, and the confidence to travel knowing home was one glance away.

What we installed

Full automation, planned from the slab up. Every light in the house, music indoors and out, blinds standing guard against the western sun. Gates, garage and doors that answer from a pocket. Cameras, alarm and doorbell keeping watch. Climate across the whole house, a garden that reads the forecast, towel rails on the schedule, and scenes for the daily rhythms. All of it runs from the phone, the wall-mounted iPad, or a word said out loud.

Tags:  Lighting, Multi-room audio, Automated blinds, Garage and gate, Smart locks, Sensors, Alarm, CCTV, Video doorbell, Climate control, Irrigation, Ceiling fans, Heated towel rails, Scene automation

What changed

The size of the house stopped mattering. Gates, lights, locks and cameras all answer from wherever the couple happens to be, including three states away. The word they use is “couldn't live without”, and they built the house to grow old in.

“We have quickly become accustomed to having an automated home. Being able to see and control everything from our phones or via voice, including garage doors, gates, lighting, door locks, or checking the cameras while we are away, is something we couldn't live without.”

FAQs

When should automation be planned in a new build?

Before construction starts. On this project the systems were designed alongside the house, so everything from lighting circuits to irrigation zones was built in rather than bolted on. It is cheaper, cleaner and more capable that way.

Is voice control practical day to day, or a gimmick?

Here it is the default, used as often as the app. And on the days the room is noisy or the command comes out wrong, nothing is lost: the wall iPad, the phone and the switches all do the same job. Voice is a convenience on top of a system that works regardless, which is why it stays fun instead of becoming a test.

Pathways: New builds (What We Do)  ·  Apple Home (Platforms)  ·  Geelong (Locations)