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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
Smarter Homes, Smaller Energy Bills
Smart home technology is often associated with comfort and convenience - automated lights, voice-activated assistants, and connected appliances. But beyond the novelty lies a practical and financially savvy benefit: significant energy savings. By optimizing how and when energy is used, smart devices can reduce waste, improve efficiency, and make homes cheaper to run.
Follow Our Home Build Week By Week
Week 20
Week 20
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 20
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.
Week 18
Week 20
Week 18
The smart home infrastructure installation on our home build project continued this week. The network, speaker and HDMI cabling team completed their work last week leaving a lot of Cat6 left over. So, I figured I’d jump in and run a little cable as I’ve done in other homes Debbie and I have owned. Only this time, the walls were still open prior to drywall, making it much easier.
Week 17
Week 17
Week 18
I’ve been planning the network and audio for our home for what feels like forever. The proper infrastructure to support the technology we’ll use is essential to the successful integration and operation of our smart home. We’ve finally gotten to the point in the project that I’ve been waiting on for literally years. The smart home work begins!
Week 16
Week 17
Week 16
Week 16 was another week packed with a variety of activities. The brick masons continued their work around the outside of the house as our water well also was drilled. I got the opportunity to work with the brick masons on some smart home related stuff as well as installed 'Smurf Tubes' inside the house. What?!
Week 15
Week 17
Week 16
The weather in the Texas panhandle has cleared and it’s actually started to get hot. Maybe not the best scenario for local ranchers and farmers but ideal for roofing a new house.
Lots of activity this week as the roofers got busy on top of the house and I did some work on prepping the electronics rack area in the office.
Week 14
Week 14
Week 14
Our house build project has been progressing at quite a pace - until this week. Nature had other plans as we got almost 5 inches of rain Monday and Tuesday. It caused some minor flooding around town but also turned our lot into a muddy mess.
And there were big plans in place for our house build this week …
Week 13
Week 14
Week 14
An HVAC system in a new home build is one of the most important steps in creating a comfortable, energy-efficient, and reliable living space. Smart decisions early in the process will save time, money, and potential future issues. The electricians also started this week and I did some work as well!
Week 12
Week 14
Week 12
I’ve been waiting a long time for Week 12. Not specifically Week 12, but instead the day I get to the do the walk through with my network and audio cabling installer. A lot of work has gone into this part of our smart home plan as it will enable everything that will make our home ‘smart.’
Week 11
Week 11
Week 12
Lots going on this week as the plumbers are wrapping up rough-in for water and gas and painters are prepping some exterior areas for paint. We also did an extensive walk through with our electrician and Debbie and I marked up studs for blocking!
Week 10
Week 11
Week 10
After posting on our electrical installation last week, we ended up calling an audible and started the plumbing. Our electrical contractor got called out of town and our electrical work went on hold. So, to help maintain our timeline, we shifted to plumbing.
Week 9
Week 11
Week 10
The next step is electrical wiring to support lighting, switches, outlets and systems like HVAC and water heater. Placement of electricity for specific needs, smart or not, has been a particular area of focus. This stage has consumed a lot of time due to all of the integration points.
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.