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Builders
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We believe the next major shift
in the building industry will be "technology in the home".
Our
vision of the future of Custom Home Building
In 1987,
you could go to a custom home and it had no special
cabinetry, Formica countertops, linoleum floors, and a
hole in the kitchen for the refrigerator that you had to
buy at a store. If a pool was big, it was expensive; if
a pool was little it was cheap. Landscaping was usually
grass or grass with a few bushes.
Then in 1991, there was a building crash; it was
associated with the recession. If you were around back
then, you'll remember that it was the first "white
collar" recession in this country. In other words
upper-middle class people were hurt and it completely
changed the building industry. The most progressive
builders looked at a category that had been calling on
them for the last five to seven years: custom cabinetry.
The largest custom cabinet company in the country,
Wood-Mode, was a $40 million company in 1987. Today
they're a $700 million firm. Could you go to a high-end
custom home today and not find custom cabinetry?
No, it's a standard. What else happened? Companies
called Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Viking, industrial stainless
steel companies, came out of left field in the mid 90's
standardizing their appliances. Then came Corian,
granite, marble, faux painting, and pools with
waterfalls and sand beaches. Landscaping now seems as
if they're drawing a beautiful picture in the dirt.
Today the standards of the building industry are
completely different than they were in 1987, 20 years
ago. This is why we believe the next paradigm shift in
the building industry will be technology in the home,
and I'm not talking about a “pre-wire” install. I'm
talking about adding real value and peace of mind to
your home.
Honestly, we feel that the Builders, Real Estate
Investors and Architects that work with us now on
technology products, will be "in," in 2027, 20 years
from now.
JT
SMARTHOMES
Creating
Ambient Intelligence...
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