simpleHome's flexible solutions are a great fit for both small projects and property-wide home automation. After experiencing the benefits of a simpleHome installation in his home, our client approached us to expand his existing system and automate a new addition to their home, a custom pool building.
Taking over two years to complete, the $1.6 million building was designed to meet the homeowners’ needs from the ground up. simpleHome integrated the pool house’s multiple devices and systems into the existing control system. Through the in-wall touchscreen, the homeowners can manage the two plasma TVs, music (including an iPod dock installed at the bar), 20 lighting zones, the HVAC system, and pool/spa controls.
A perfect in-home getaway for cold New England winter, the 19' x 37' pool stays at a comfortable 86 degrees. Anyone requiring more heat can easily slide into the adjacent Jacuzzi. For added fun, the builders created a slide on one end, a great feature that kids and adults alike enjoy. The pool house also features laminated wood arches and Venetian plaster walls, architectural details that look great and make sense for a water-exposed space.
To combat slipping on wet floors, the builder used textured, porcelain tiles. simpleHome also programmed the control system to manage other features of the new indoor pool and spa like the spa jets and blower, laminar-jet water fountains, waterfalls, water-slide and fiber-optic pool lighting features. Beyond the pool, the simpleHome system is also configured to manage the outdoor music, and landscape lighting in the adjacent courtyard.
Wanting to move outdoors when the weather permits (a quick check of the touchscreen or plasma TVs can show the weather forecast), the pool building’s courtyard includes a fully functional outdoor kitchen. With simpleHome, the homeowners can still enjoy their audio system even when they step outside. Beyond the pool house, simpleHome expanded the system into the family room to manage the TV and surround sound system. The final touch was adding a whole-house video system with DVD changers for both parents and kids, allowing the family to watch their favorite movies on just about any TV in the house.
Electronic House Magazine awarded simpleHome a 2010 Home of the Year (HOTY) Award for this project in the "Fun Spaces" category.
Photography by Evelyn Images