Welcome to Smart Home on the Range!
Follow us as we step through the design and construction process of our new smart home and other content.
The Latest Smart Home On The Range Blog
Smart Home Build – Week 29
Some new developments to report this week; stucco on the front of the house was completed and more work was done on the cabinetry inside. Both a little exciting in their own ways. But the most exciting development was pulling the trigger on the smart sprinkler system I've wanted and been reporting on here for quite a while. Check it out ...
Follow Our Home Build Week By Week
Week 29
Some new developments to report this week; stucco on the front of the house was completed and more work was done on the cabinetry inside. Both a little exciting in their own ways. But the most exciting development was pulling the trigger on the smart sprinkler system I've wanted and been reporting on here for quite a while.
Week 28 Part 2
A lot of thought went into the design plan for the video doorbell due to the nature of stucco installation. Just as we put conduit in in the foundation to run Cat6, we ran conduit through the wall adjacent to the front door to accommodate the thickness of the framing and stucco for the video doorbell.
Week 28 Part 1
Week 28 Part 1
Ongoing work on the interior hinges on getting the garage doors installed. So I’m excited about the garage door installation this week. With the enclosed garage, the painters will use the space to paint the interior doors.
Unfortunately, the side mount garage door openers will have to wait on electrical finish out but I want to discuss those this week.
Week 27
Week 27
Week 28 Part 1
As part of the design of our smart home project, we included smart blinds in the overall automation in our home. Wiring for them was a practical decision we included during construction as we have west-facing windows and want to control direct sunlight, especially in the summer, and windows in infrequently used rooms.
Week 26
Week 27
Week 26
This was another transformational week for our home build project. A big step forward as the cabinetry installation began. It was another evolution for the house as the cabinetry really gave the interior personality. We also walked through smart motorized blinds as there are a variety of window covering types to choose from based on need.
Week 25
Week 27
Week 26
Week 25 started with the installation of the OSB plywood to close in the walls of the garage. In North America, it is more popular than plywood for structural paneling. We also had meetings with our ISP about routing fiber from the street to the network rack and the concrete team for flatwork - driveway, porch, walkway and patio.
Week 24
Week 24
Week 24
Guest bathroom and interior door details were on this week's list of onsite things to attend to. But I also received the equipment rack and amps I ordered. Check out my walk through of unboxing and assembly of the rack and my plans on how I'll populate it with equipment. There's also some helpful 'best practices' for new home builders not to miss.
Week 23
Week 24
Week 24
The appliance package for the kitchen is finalized and the garage doors have been ordered. Our cabinets also went into production and working on tile and flooring for the bathrooms this week. I’ve also been anticipating the Prime Days Sale for smart home tech that we’ll need in the house that’s on sale that I have on my list. And Amazon did not disappoint.
Week 22
Week 24
Week 22
What we thought would be a fairly quiet week with the drywall team finishing mud and tape and applying wall texturing was anything but. Other work on the house project hasn’t slowed down as Debbie and I have been busy finalizing some interior aspects and looking ahead at future elements for planning. And we had a surprise visitor to the house ...
Week 21
Week 21
Week 22
Week 21 was another transformational week for our house build project. It’s been amazing to watch the evolution of our home. From foundation to framing, the house has evolved but this past week was a quantum change with drywall installation. We've also started the process around cabinetry and I fired up my home video security system to test that with some incredible results.
Week 20
Week 21
Week 20
Week 19 ended on a very positive note with the spray foam insulation going in on the outer walls. So there was a lot of anticipation for week 20 as drywall is next on the home build agenda. I was encouraged as I was doing some last minute cabling work before the walls would be closed up but as the week progressed and drywalling started we ran into some issues to deal with.
Week 19
Week 21
Week 20
The electricians have pretty much wrapped up other than some odds and ends that will have to wait until after the drywalling is done. But before drywall is the spray foam insulation in all of the outer walls, attic and roof. With the insulation scheduled I took full advantage of what little time I had left to get the last of the wire in the walls before they are closed up.
Smart Home Product News
Need a Robot Vacuum That'll Pick Up After You?
With the launch of Roborock's Saros Z70, the first ever robot vacuum with a mechanical arm, your next home helper may be able to pick up stuff scattered about the room instead of simply cleaning around them. It features a first-of-its-kind five-axis robotic arm that emerges from the bot when it encounters items. It lifts any items weighing less than 10.5 ounces and deposits them in a single pile or designated basket, so it can continue to clean unobstructed.
Sunseeker Robot Mowers Cover Yards (Very) Large and Small
Sunseeker is bringing its excellent onboard intelligence to three new robot mower models, including a new top-of-the-line model that’s capable of handling spreads of up to 3 acres.
The brand announced the entry-level X3, the mid-range X5, and the X7 Pro with a 3 acre due to being equipped with two 10Ah batteries.
The rear-wheel-drive X3 carries a 4Ah battery. It can handle up to 0.2-acre yards.
xBloom Studio Coffee Machine
xBloom Studio Coffee Machine
The new xBloom Studio Coffee Machine combines the grinder, brewer, and scale into one sleek design. This device caters to all levels of coffee drinkers, providing fully automated, semi-guided, and fully manual brewing experiences. You can set your brew preferences on either the xBloom app or the device's compact LED matrix display. It's the ultimate home-brewer for coffee drinkers dedicated to consistency and precision.