I looked into control 4 for my house, because I liked the idea of the system and that they purport it's cheaper than some of the other integrated system. For me, it didn't work that way, and my quote was around 30k for the stuff I wanted. Another thing I really didn't like about control4 was that you needed a service call from a reseller technician every time you want to change something about the system. I ended up going with a Legrand Unity system which does very similar stuff, albeit the touchscreen remote stuff isn't as cool, but I still have an LCD screen that integrates cameras, thermostat, intercom, and whole house audio. Speaker wise, I would say 2 speakers is what I would do for that size room, but speakers don't have to be expensive. I bought a variety of types, and settled on Polk 620RT, which look and sound very nice. That being said I bought some cheap Micca speakers off amazon and I think they sound really good; excellent for the price. I'm very happy with my Netgear Nighthawk AC router for $200 (or less on sale). Have them run one of those many cat 6's to two distributed places in the house and you'll be good. If you have to go w/more than 1 router and want it more integrated, I'd suggest Ubiquiti UniFi AC Enterprise WiFi System (on amazon). Cheaper than Luxul and I've heard very good things. -adam

I've got one Yoshino cherry left that has a few blooms on it, mainly due to encroaching shade. We have been below freezing for over 24 hours so far, it will probably get above freezing this PM. Low this morning was 21F, it's been in the 20's for about 15 hours. Tonight's forecast low is 20F, I suspect it will go lower. We had flurries overnight so blooms have some ice on them, not as much as DC though. In the past my cherries have endured 16F while in full bloom and suffered minor damage, not enough to notice at a distance. The difference here this year is the numerous freezing events the past 7-10 days and the duration of this current event. I have a P.s. autumnalis that's been in full bloom for almost 2 weeks and is now past peak and "shedding". Yesterday I looked at the blossoms up close and they had no freeze damage. This AM they look fine from inside, I've not ventured out yet and my dog is getting antsy LOL.

In our latest build, I concentrated on: 1. Wiring, for now and the future. Upgraded as far as we could go-CAT6 (alas, residential fiber not yet affordable, 2 years ago) and made sure that we planned for things we wanted as well as what, perhaps, a future buyer might want. We are with Google Fiber, currently, but all fiber networks can work with this wiring. We'd lived through the "intercom" stage (early 80s) and wanted nothing like that. Control panels swerve all systems, are out of the way and except for an additional alarm system panel (panic room? :) ), none is in the master, nor is any of it visible. The whole house could be run by apps, for those who have the appetite for apps. I don't... Most importantly, we did the planning before the walls went in. 2. Concentrated on not putting in anything that might become obsolete, fast. At one point, our low voltage guy recommended a built-in iPad, to run the house. Lol- NO! 3. Put 240V in the car area. Electric cars are becoming more and more something people want, and are common in my city. HAH! We decided to test the technology, soon after move-in. Got an EV. Our public utility paid for half the costs of the station/install. We're having a blast with the car, and Federal credits made it stupidly affordable. Now- the Utility told us that if we sell too soon OR go solar, they "might" ask for their money back. Understandable because... 4. Made sure that solar is a reasonable option, without tearing our house apart. Go back to #1- it all matters, works. We're have a great rating for solar (because of design) and can easily do it. Didn't do it with the initial build, because that technology is rapidly changing. 5. Nest Thermostats- we have them. Took a minute for me to understand the programming, but it works great. 6. Made sure that our HVAC system had the best, cleanest and easiest to operate technology available. Without an app, it works with our windows, even, to prevent the "fogging" that happens when it's 100 degrees outside and 72 inside. Also works to control humidity in our really humid climate. 6. Not what you'd think of as "technology", but we have a very natural possibility of a third story rooftop deck. We don't want it (I HATE holes in roofs- problems abound, even in the best of cases), but somebody else might. So while the walls were open, we took the time to have a tiny bit of engineering, a bit of steel reinforcement installed, and presto! That space is ready to go, for anybody who wants to do it. All of this was done at really affordable prices, since it was planned for, installed in the beginning. All of it wrapped up in a really nice, long-term Builder's Warranty. Not nearly as affordable if you don't do it and then discover you want "more". That, then, becomes a type of a remodel remodel- hell on earth, for me! The only thing we installed that could become obsolete are ceiling speakers. We love music, and it plays through our home a lot. Can hook to the TV, so a football game (or movie) sounds like a home theater, without all the mess. Eh- the speakers could become out-of-date, but they're there, so a quick switch out and off you go.

As for security... There are generally three types of home burglars. Impulse burglaries (opportunists) - These are generally people who decide to burglarize upon seeing a target rather than looking for a target. This are the bad neighbor burglaries when kids are walking down the street and upon seeing an open window decide to crawl through it. Convenient burglaries (scouts) - These are people who scout areas looking for easy to burglarize targets. Their intention is to burglarize someone and they look around for a target that meets their specific needs. Cased or planned burglaries (prowlers) - These are choose the target based on the likely reward and risk of getting caught and familiarize themselves with the property or family to maximize the reward and minimize the risk. The first two types account for most burglaries and are generally easier to discourage with things like thicker doors and good lighting. However, thicker doors and good lighting do nothing to discourage the third kind. It only takes a few seconds and a pipe wrench for a knowledgeable person to enter a home, if they don't just walk to the side and break a window. Only things that reduce their time in the house or increase their chances of being prosecuted are real deterrents. Since they make up a much smaller percentage of burglaries they are under-represented in studies about "the most effective" deterrent. However, they also represent the greatest losses. Also these claims have a lot of confirmation bias... most burglaries occur when thieves enter the front or rear door, and most houses have inadequate doors, therefore bigger doors would help stop them. However, there is little evidence that those thieves wouldn't have broken a window if the door was thicker. We know that alarms and cameras deter all types of burglaries. It is the only system that does deter all types, it doesn't mean you are burglary proof but that is how statistics work.