YOUR NEW LUXURY HOME: A CHECKLIST
Does your architect know that you want a Smart Home? An eco-friendly home? A lifetime designed home that will adapt as you age? Tell your architect what you want in and around your new home.
Sure you want dedicated rooms to do your thing in and spaces to spend with family and friends. You can be sure that your architect will ask about those things. But will he know to ask whether you want motorized drapes, lighting controls, a sauna, a wine cellar or a billiard table? What about all those little, unseen things that make life more enjoyable or just plain easier? Like sensors that turn on the lights as you enter the house or close the lights when you leave a room. Or the sensor that closes the garage door after you drive through? Your architect can't suggest things if he has no idea that you might want them. Don't be too intimidated to raise any issue you might think of.
Yes, the architect deals mainly with space and you may think that some of these things don't take up space. But in fact, many do. And besides, you like those smart sensors to be hidden. The architect should know what you want to hide, because he has to find ways to hide them.
You should also think about how you want your home to serve you as you get older. More and more people today choose to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, postponing a move to a nursing home, maybe forever. "Aging at home" or "aging in place" is a concept being promoted, as the older we get the less inclined we are to make a major move. So think about it and mention it to your architect.
So here's a list of a few things to remind you what to mention to your architect before you meet with him or her. Read through it, check off the things you want, and add the stuff that we didn't think of. And then tell it to the architect. For the record - we didn't want to bother you with the stuff that we are sure the architect will talk about. So this list is not meant to be exhaustive.
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