Hi, I am building a 4K sqft home and have done all the automation in my last house (by myself). During that time I worked for a company that owned a division that sold home and industrial automation and I could get anything for 50% below cost. Having said that we just broke ground on our second home and I am doing all the design install and automation for this home and here is what I am putting in from what I have learned in the past. #1 - Lighting System. It was my favorite thing in the last house (a Leviton system). This time I am using Insteon for many reasons but it can be programed by a small box you instruct - plug into an outlet and let it do it's thing. Custom printed buttons, complex scenes - timers whatever. It is the most flexible system out there and goes from standard configuration to super complex and everything in between. It is also cost effective. #2. You can get Insteon Thermostats that do a lot of goofy stuff - but I am going with 2 Nest units for each zone. Easy Simple. #3. A Cat6 Camera system from Samsung (16 cameras - only putting in 8 to start). I really like the fact that I can see the house and the sump pump etc. when I am out of state. #4. An ELK alarm system. This is the "brain" of the house and it talks to the lighting system and Insteon thermostats. You can hit the "Vacation" button and it will set the HVAC and even turn on and off random lights at night if you want. #5. I am wiring for Somfy drapes and shades. Simply putting in the 16/2 DC wires in locations for now. The bedroom will be all blackout shades. Roll over and hit a switch and you are in a 1000 a night hotel. I am not putting in any music systems. Never used them. I had a fancy Russsound AV distribution system as well and won't be doing that either. Simply doing Cat 6 everywhere, DirecTv, and will use wireless Apple products for music at patries. You will NEVER use a computer to control these devices. You will never get up and use a wall touch screen. That being said this is a hobby and should be treated as such. You won't get your money out of it. Your friends won't understand it. Friends at parties won't understand it. But if it is something you like then go for it. It takes 10,000 times more effort, time, frustration, and money to do these things with an automation system than it is to get up and hit the light switch or pull the drape cord. But to me it is something I can't seem to live without. Wife hates it - can't seem to understand how it all works - or the need for any of it. Even with custom labeled buttons that say "party" or "clean up" on the lights she still uses the switch instead of the scene button. It is nice to turn off every light in the house from your bedside - and then to have the alarm to arm automatically at 11:00 at night with no need to do anything. To have the lights come on and light the house when it detects motion etc. That being said it is a very slippery slope. Don't listen to the salesmen - they want to sell you what they want to sell. Best advice is to do as much as you can and bring in a pro for the things you don't understand (alarm for me)... Good luck!

I have two Visa accounts with the same major national institution. This is two separate accounts. One is only used on the Internet and telephone ordering, and has never been out of the house. The other I carry. About five years ago both were hijacked within a week, and a year later the Internet card was hijacked again. I was fortunate as all three instances were detected in a very short time. The last time by the institution itself. To this day I believe the institution was hacked in all cases as they were overly cooperative, mailed my new cards in overnight mailers, and didn't even require any affidavits. From my experience, and if the available tools are still the same, I recommend: Trust no one. Contact any one of the three credit reporting agencies and advise them of the occurrence. They will place a watch on your account, and notify the other two agencies. If your credit card purveyor has alerts, enroll. In my case anytime a charge of over $50.00 is made I get an automated telephone notice, and an e-mail. If your credit card purveyor has a website, enroll and monitor your card. Go to the institution you use for general banking, and check to see what safeguards they have available for your account(s). I placed a password for all in-person withdrawals, and any type of inquiries. If you have never made a purchase through a particular website before, research the site then make the purchase by telephone the first time. From then on as you wish. Do not embed credit car numbers in any site when shopping. NEVER respond to solicitations by e-mail or telephone regarding personal information or account information. Finally, trust no one. DA

And if the Mac users think Macs are so wonderful, then why would you feel the need to purchase a software program that puts Windows on a Mac??? Directed at my post? Please read where I said, "I often bring work home..." My workplace is 100% PC and I cannot work from home without Excel/Powerpoint/Word, because of my job. If I did not need MS Office for work, I would not have bought the software at all, I find the MAC programs more than adequate. As to the "robustness" of the MS Office/MAC programs, I disagree. I can perform exactly the same tasks on the MAC that I do in my office, (although to be fair, I have only been doing this for a few weeks now, so I may not have run into the issues you are referring to).

Hi All! I have learned sooooo much on this site. Thank you Mr. Corlett. I have had Corian countertops since 1998 with a granite composite under mount sink. Love the Corian, not the sink so much because it seems yellowed since installed. But I do a lot of canning so the sink has put up with a lot of beet juice and boiling hot water with minimal distress, no cracks. Just clean with Soft Scrub and bleach sometimes. We are now building a house. I am again using Corian for the countertops. I am considering either a Corian integrated sink 850 or an LG-HiMacs integrated sink 3118. I do not like the sink drain in the center of the sink as in the 3118 but that sink is an inch and a half longer than the Corian so better for skillet handles to fit in sink. Do you have an opinion as to the staining or cracking or other issue of either product I might consider before making my final decision? Thank you. Cynthia