How to Plan Home Automation, Lighting, and Audio During New Construction or a Major Remodel

Building or remodeling a luxury home presents the perfect opportunity to create a smart home system that’s beautifully integrated from the start — not added as an afterthought. When technology, lighting, and audio are planned early in the design process, the results are smoother, more reliable, and visually seamless.

At Oasis Smart Homes, we collaborate with homeowners, builders, and architects to design intelligent environments that blend advanced technology with timeless aesthetics. Whether you’re building a new residence or reimagining an existing space, thoughtful planning ensures your home is ready for effortless control, energy efficiency, and future innovation.

Why Early Planning Matters

The best time to plan your home automation, lighting, and audio systems is during the architectural or electrical design phase. By mapping out infrastructure early, you ensure every wire, fixture, and control point is placed with intention.

When technology is planned alongside design, you get:

• Cleaner installations with minimal visible hardware or wall clutter
• Proper wiring and network pathways for stronger performance and flexibility
• Aligned fixture placement with your lighting and interior design
• Integration-ready infrastructure for lighting, shading, audio, and security
• Lower long-term costs by avoiding rework and late-stage retrofits

With foresight, you’re not just wiring for today’s needs — you’re future-proofing your home for tomorrow’s innovations.

Step 1: Establish Your Smart Home Goals

Before diving into technical details, start by defining how you want to live in your home. Do you want lighting that adjusts automatically to natural daylight? Multi-room music for entertaining? Advanced climate control or voice-activated convenience?

By identifying your goals early, your design team and smart home integrator can engineer a solution that complements your lifestyle — not complicates it.

Common priorities for new builds and remodels include:

• Whole-home lighting control and automation
• Motorized shades and drapery
• High-performance Wi-Fi and networking
• Distributed audio and video systems
• Smart security and surveillance
• Climate and comfort control
• Centralized control through Savant, Control4, or Crestron

Step 2: Plan Infrastructure and Wiring Early

Even in wireless homes, structured wiring remains essential for reliability and performance. Oasis Smart Homes works hand-in-hand with your builder or electrician to ensure your infrastructure supports all present and future systems.

Key infrastructure elements:

• Dedicated low-voltage cabling for lighting control, shades, and audio distribution
• Centralized equipment racks for organized power and network management
• High-capacity conduit for easy upgrades or new devices
• Strategic speaker and fixture placement coordinated with your interior design
• Enterprise-grade networking for consistent Wi-Fi coverage indoors and out

This foundation ensures every room performs flawlessly — from the theater to the outdoor living spaces.

Step 3: Coordinate Lighting and Shading Design

Lighting and shading are two of the most visually transformative elements in a luxury home, and they’re most effective when planned together. Oasis designs and programs Lutron, Savant, and Crestron lighting and shading systems to enhance architecture, mood, and efficiency.

Benefits of early coordination include:

• Proper placement of recessed and accent lighting for aesthetics and performance
• Pre-wired motorized shade pockets for clean installations
• Unified keypad layouts for intuitive, minimal wall controls
• Optimized energy management through automated dimming and daylight response

When lighting and shading are integrated with your automation system, you can adjust the ambience of your home with a single touch or voice command.

Step 4: Design Your Audio and Entertainment System

Home audio deserves the same attention as architecture. Oasis designs whole-home audio and dedicated media systems that deliver studio-quality sound without clutter or compromise.

Our process includes:

• Architectural in-ceiling or in-wall speakers for discrete elegance
• Outdoor and landscape audio for seamless indoor-outdoor living
• Dedicated home theater and media room design
• Integration with smart platforms for effortless scene-based control

By wiring for multi-room audio and video during construction, you ensure every space — from the kitchen to the backyard — is ready for premium sound and entertainment.

Step 5: Partner With the Right Integration Team

The difference between a home filled with technology and a true smart home is in the integration. At Oasis, our licensed electrical, lighting, and automation teams work together under one roof — ensuring that every system functions in harmony.

We collaborate closely with your builder, interior designer, and architect to align aesthetic details, functionality, and infrastructure from day one. The result is a home that’s cohesive, elegant, and effortless to live in.

Step 6: Build for the Future

Technology evolves — and your home should be ready for it. Oasis designs scalable systems with modular infrastructure, allowing easy upgrades as new devices, streaming services, or automation features emerge.

From wiring and rack design to software updates and 24/7 support, our systems grow with you — ensuring your investment stands the test of time.

Why Homeowners and Builders Choose Oasis Smart Homes

• Over 30 years of experience in lighting, electrical, and automation design
• Certified partnerships with Lutron, Savant, Control4, Crestron, and Josh.ai
• In-house design, engineering, and installation teams for turnkey service
• Local Scottsdale studio and 24/7 private client care for lasting support
• A collaborative, detail-driven process with builders and design professionals

Our mission is to make luxury technology feel simple, intuitive, and beautifully integrated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When should I bring a smart home designer into my project?
Ideally, at the same time you hire your architect or interior designer. Early collaboration allows Oasis to coordinate wiring, fixtures, and control systems efficiently and discreetly.

Q: Can I upgrade an existing home during a remodel?
Absolutely. Remodels are excellent opportunities to retrofit smart lighting, shades, and audio systems with minimal disruption. Oasis offers both wired and wireless options tailored to your home’s layout.

Q: What’s the typical timeline for automation planning?
Planning typically begins during the design and rough-in phase, with wiring and system layout finalized before drywall. Final programming and commissioning happen near project completion.

Build Smart From the Start

A truly modern home is more than beautiful — it’s intelligent. By planning your home automation, lighting, and audio systems early in construction or remodeling, you ensure that every moment of life in your home feels calm, comfortable, and connected.

With Oasis Smart Homes, every detail — from wiring to programming — is handled with care, precision, and expertise.

Call our Scottsdale studio at (480) 907-7095 or our Orange County studio at (949) 210-9440 to schedule your private smart home consultation!