I asked a friend how he liked his newly purchased new car. He replied: ” I didn’t purchase a new car. I bought a computer system with a car attached.”

Much of such is beginning to be true for new houses and is a movement that is ever expanding, becoming more technical, and will continue well into the future.

A central control computerized system is now a sought and desirable feature for many new home buyers. Some home builders are meeting this situation with information, options, and demonstrations. Such is considered a distinguishing feature for an aware, progressive, proactive home builder orientating itself to every day life in the 21st century. Other non-such home building contractors may well be left behind.

Currently, such technology is more advanced and readily available for light control, entertainment, heating, cooling, air circulation, appliances, security, and window treatments. More options will become available and standard as improvements, new inventions, and discoveries are made.  Houses with such ” brains ” will become a day-to-day familiarity as computers and cell phones are now used.

Such is all will and good and making progress. What we need to think about is how much do we want our residential environment to be controlled by a computer, Do we want to have to change these computer network systems for different schedules, moods, and activities? How much control over our personal behavior and environment do we as human beings want a non-human thing to have?  How much such control is fun, practical, effective, economical, and comfortable?

And how much control is too much?

I recently watched a video of an owner showing off his newly purchased smart mansion and how everything was programed to operate on a set schedule. Once, his visiting brother was taking a shower when it was time for  the bathroom windows to be uncovered and opened which was done leaving his brother in a natural state being exposed to all of the people on the terrace and surrounding garden. Alas,  the unexpected joys of a smart house.

Food for thought.