Technology touches nearly every aspect of our daily lives from meeting notifications to emails to scheduling appointments.
In the modern day, it can be hard to be completely removed from technology – especially with the advent of smart TVs, phones and watches. Home building by and large is a physical, built-by-hand experience, but in what ways has technology impacted home building?
Before Construction Begins
Virtual Home Tours
There are only so many hours in a day when you can physically tour homes between work schedules, family commitments and everyday life. Whether you’re looking at starting a new build or buying an existing home, accessing virtual home tours can be essential to your experience. In the past, looking at photos of a home online or in the newspaper may have been enough to get you to step in the door of an open house. With the creation of 360 virtual home tours, you are able to tour every inch of a home without ever leaving yours! This will save you time in determining whether the style, size and flow of the home works for you without having to see it in person.
Video Appointments
With remote and distance work continuing to gain traction; it may not be possible to be on-site to walk at a lot in your selected community. That’s why, thanks to video conferencing software, our construction managers are able to conduct a virtual lot walk with homeowners. This makes it possible to design and build from states away without hassling through airlines or rearranging schedules. They will be able to show you the lot conditions and restrictions real time, while you’re able to envision your new home.
Collaborative Workspaces
During the design process, it’s important for homeowners to have a general design style in mind. Today, it’s easier than ever to create collaborative content references during the design process thanks to resources like Houzz or Pinterest. In both of these platforms, you are able to create a project board – posting images of home inspiration, color palettes, overall imagery that can help convey what you want your home to look and feel like.
During Home Construction
Cloud-Based Project Management Systems
As technology has progressed, so has cloud-based systems. At Old Town, we utilize a project management system known as Buildertrend to connect with our clients throughout the build process. Buildertrend allows homeowners to receive real time updates, photos and messages from construction managers and vendors. They’re able to virtually track the progress of their home without having to visit the site in-person every day.
Smart Selections
More often than not, clients are no long able to sit through hours long meetings to decide selections in person. Thanks to cutting edge company’s like Sherwin Williams or Houzz, you can virtually place paint colors or furniture into your space via your smart phone. This allows homeowners freedom to explore endless possibilities without spending money up front for something that may not work in their space.
‘Smart Home’ Essentials
While we’re all familiar with the Echo Dot or Amazon Alexa, having a smart home means so much more than that. Connectivity is the crux of a smart home – which means that it’s imperative to design a smart ‘hub’ for your new home. From your smart phone, you are now able to control exterior door locks, lights, thermostat, garage doors, security cameras and so much more. As home designs become smarter, homeowners can be connected to their homes like we never have before.
At Old Town Design Group, we strive to provide leading technology services to our homeowners, even before the build process. Download our technology package below to learn more. Ready to set up your first video chat with one of our New Home Consultants? Scheduled yours now!