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!

MrsPete, I mostly agree with your concern (especially as I work in technology and get to see "new" technology becoming obsolete every day). However I've become convinced that some level of control may be essential in homes of a certain size. e.g. in our great room we have the following loads: - led cans, kitchen area - led cans, living room area - island pendants - eating area pendant - living room area pendant - under cabinet/in-cabinet lighting - various wall-spots/etc. There are also 4 key entries into this space and so the ME plan showed several 4-gang switchplates. 4 years ago I completed a smaller remodel with similar lighting load counts and my wife never really got the banks of switches, just figured out which one turned on the brightest lights and hit that. Made me feel like all the accent lighting was a waste of money. The beauty of these systems is that they have the ability to simplify a complex scene into a single button. There are a variety of ways to future-proof yourself: - lutron/vantage I think share the same infrastructure wiring (standard high voltage and cat6 low voltage) - wireless systems rely on conventional wiring anyway and just add extra keypads to make it easier. I think the app interfaces might date themselves a bit more. I went to an open house with a (still functioning) Lutron system from the late 1980s. There was a 10" CRT touch-screen (!) built into the wall by the kitchen. It was pretty funny. But most of the house had conventional keypads that were super simple to operate. I would be most concerned about systems that only have controllers compatible with certain brands of smartphone. What if you decide that you want an Android phone next year? $2000 is tight. The HomeWorks processor alone costs close to that. I think with that budget you are probably going to limit yourself to an area where you have the most complex lighting situation. Take a look at Lutron's GrafikEye.

Thanks davidtay, we appreciate your reply. We are somewhat familiar with Lutron and we are definitely not DIY'ers when it comes to this kind of improvement. Our general impression from speaking with users and sellers is that the Vantage system is more expensive but over the long term may be more flexible in terms of changes/upgrading/etc. The installer we are working with is extremely knowledgeable and will only work with equipment that he feels will be dependable over the long haul. Since we posted our question we've had a chance to speak to some of this installer's users, each having a different background and need, and each one is very pleased and said he or she would do it again without hesitation. We think we'll go forward with Vantage. Thanks again for replying.

It's time to ditch the X10 system (and Insteon too). X10 is rather tweaky and slow - I had switches bouncing between on/ off, delayed or no responses to commands. It helped burn out a good number of CFLs. The Lutron system is not X10 on steriods. The description fits Insteon more appropriately. Both utilize signaling across electrical wiring @ the sine wave zero crossing. Insteon adds the option to broadcast over RF. However, it does not do both simultaneously. The RF based systems - Lutron, Z-Wave, Zigbee, ... all rely on mesh networking. The Lutron system is probably a better package solution than Z-wave since Leviton dimmers aren't all that great. If you're interested in IEEE standards based RF home automation, Zigbee is the answer. Take a look at Control4 solutions.