Hi Beth, There are a lot of possible variations to the 'smart home'. On a basic level you can just work with connected bulbs from CREE or in the Philips Hue system. They would be controlled via your smartphone. Up a notch, and able to control existing lighting without replacing bulbs, is replacing standard switch by using a smart switch / dimmer (some allow for multiple 'scenes' to be set for different time of day or different function) like Lutron Caseta system. More versatility, and a bit more complex to use, is possible with a programmable system like Radio RA. Good luck!

Next time try Lutron Caseta. You can install a wall mounted Pico remote that acts like a companion switch to the main switch/dimmer. You don't have to figure out the 3-way wiring as the Pico runs on battery power and can mount inside and electrical box. They are also handy for creating multi-way switches where you have no wiring at all and fit neatly inside a Lutron Claro wallplate.

Thank you so much for the comments! Yes, I researched the lutron Caseta Wireless and it is fantastic! Steve I understand where you are coming from, but in my situation where I wasn't around much for our build (I have a demanding seasonal job in Nebraska) i wasn't able to specify some things. Although, as my wife put it, a lot of it seemed to be common sense (like only having one location to turn on our great room lights and its in a corner, along with two other situations that are similar. In this situation, the areas where wire would need to be run would require ruining a lot of freshly painted drywall. The lutron caseta doesn't require a smart hub it can work stand alone with the provided pico remote, but if you want bells and whistles and want to control it with the lutron smart app or apple home kit (yes i tell siri to dim the lights for me) than you can with the purchase of lutrons smart bridge for 79.99 more. The in wall dimmer switch with remote is $60, smart bridge $80, or bundles together for $100. https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-Wireless-Lighting-Starter-P-BDG-PKG2W/dp/B01M3XJUAD/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1516080745&sr=1-3&keywords=lutron+smart+bridge

Come on, Stax. Can we please stick to a more polite tone. Ad hominem attacks are really unwarranted. As ridiculous as it might sound, this situation isn't really that uncommon with modern open floor plans. For instance, on our main floor, we have a good dozen different light fixtures (and that's after combining some fixtures onto the same switched circuit). And since this is an open floor with almost no walls, you can see these lights from almost everywhere. That can make it challenging to find good placement for light switches. In practice, we find, there are two different needs that have to be addressed: individual lights need to be turned on/off or dimmed. This usually happens in close physical proximity to the light fixture. So, as long as there is available wall space, that dictates the placement of the switch(es). it is frequently necessary to switch a combination of lights all at the same time. A noteworthy special case is at the end of the day, when all lights on the same floor need to be turned off. The solution is readily available with modern home automation systems. Instead of having dozens of individual light switches next to each other, you end up with one or in rare cases two keypads each in a handful of convenient locations throughout the floor. These keypads usually have six switch positions, and they also allow for dimming. You can program each of the buttons to either operate an individual fixture, or to activate a pre-programmed "scene". And that includes a "turn everything off" scene. You can also program automated timers, including timers that depend on sunset/sunrise times. Physically, when you are running wires, the keypad doesn't actually control all of these lights. Instead, in most scenarios, you install actual conventional light switches for all your fixtures; and these light switches are remote controlled from the keypad. In practice, some of these light switches might function as just that: a normal wall switch. But sometimes your physical light switches would now get mounted in some inaccessible and unobtrusive location. They could even be in a wiring closet in the garage. They are there to facilitate wiring, but they never get operated other than through the remote keypads. There are a few more technical details and variations (e.g. some lights come with built-in drivers that require low-voltage control signals instead of traditional dimmer switches), but your electrician would be able to sort that out for you. Things have progressed a lot from a time when people had small individual rooms with one or two fixtures only. These days, you often find large rooms with different fixtures in different areas, with changing lighting needs during the day, and with customized lighting fixtures that no longer have just a single light bulb at the center of it. LEDs give a lot more flexibility, but also complicate the work of the architected, interior designer and/or electrician.