We bought a house around the height of the pandemic and then remodeled it. I knew I wanted to automate as much of the house as possible. Here are some learnings from that effort. Note that we went studs-out, which allowed me to make choices that leveraged accessing the walls and running cables between any two points in the house.

Layering

So that you don't have to design everything up front, it's best to layer in systems that you know have possibility to be automated later. Choose systems that are the best at what they do, and bring things together later, rather than trying to stay within any particular system across use cases. For example, Lutron is particularly excellent at lights and window shades, but as you get into other switched devices, it may not be best. After you have a solid base, you can orchestrate them from an automation controller like HomeAssistant.

Contractors

I found traditional contractors to be not very knowledgeable about home automation. It's best to find a low voltage contractor that specializes in home automation. It's also best if you can find someone that doesn't necessarily push any of the big names in home automation if your intent is to do things yourself later.

Systems

Enumerate the systems throughout the house. You will find more than you initially thought. Here are a few to consider:

• HVAC: Consider things beyond temperature like humidity and air circulation. How will you automate them?
• Security: Doors, windows, locks, cameras. Many security systems only have monitoring, but access control is on the horizon and becoming more obtainable. Garage doors included. Dovetailed with this is identity and guest access.
• Audio Distribution: You might want to distribute audio throughout the house, so choosing an appropriate amp and receiver can help automate things.
• Appliances: Some appliances are getting automation features, but sometimes are tied to web services. Carefully consider whether you want your oven to be exposed to the internet.
• Power Distribution: There are electrical panels that can be automated.
• Vehicles: Many cars now have remote command and control, and it's nice to have centralized logic for preconditioning the cabin, for example.
• Monitoring/Telemetry: All of the above require good upstream signals to provide a home automation system with appropriate triggers. Air quality, opening/closing of doors, windows, and locks, in-camera computer vision, audio status (content, progress, volume, etc.). The electrical panel I have provides detailed electrical usage information, enabling me to even make automated decisions based on both instantaneous and aggregate energy usage.