JE C - It obviously varies greatly depending on the scope of products you would like to control. Typically in a new build scenario, budgeting 5-10% of your build cost will give you a professionally designed and installed system including light control, security and access control, CCTV, Audio & Video solutions, networking and wi-fi solution. This would then be controlled by dedicated touchscreens and switches along with your existing smart phones and tablets, all from within one app.

First I need to say that I've been caught out by old threads too so everybody, it's an OLD THREAD and the poster has already said what she ended up doing. But FWIW I thought your blinds looked good but I can understand wanting a colour change and grey would also be lovely from outside and a nice change inside. I hope you didn't give up on the vertical blind idea only because of the negativity from 'style experts'. We 'upgraded' our front room windows and although I like the appearance of what we have there now I am frequently conscious of the fact that I can't "filter the amount of light & privacy". Vertical blinds are very functional and how cheap or expensive they look is influenced by the choice of fabric, of course as with everything people's personal tastes vary, but the negativity toward vertical blinds sounds like a case of 'Emperor's New Clothes'.

And in the storms last week, we had a 24 hour blackout!! I'm with wuff - just how simple is simple. I think there is quite a bit of difference between labour saving devices and technology now. Labour saving devices became more and more essential as our lives got busier, women were freed from the drudgery of housework and given encouragement and the freedom to grow, seek out careers and a life outside the home. In many ways, I feel technology is putting us back in our homes and not encouraging us to explore the outside world. We are letting too much technology take over our lives and we are not interacting with people like we did in the old days. The other disadvantage with technology is its continual need to be updated and upgraded which can not only be expensive but also requires constant learning. Take TVs for example - in the olden days you bought a set plugged it in and that was it, now they have to be specially installed and set up and for the average person to know how to do this and understand it is not easy. Older people are being disadvantaged by all this technology too, they were not raised with it like the young ones today so it is constant learning, even learning a whole new language, and quite frankly there comes a time in life when head space just reaches saturation point.

Thanks OKLOUISE, I think we will go down the suggested route. IKEA was not much cheaper for the desk once installed anyway. The IKEA handlefree wardrobes will come in much cheaper than the alternative but look pretty good for what we want and will leave a space of about 5 cm at either end of the room after allowing for the skirting boards, which is just enough to clean occasionally. I just need to check that IKEA's shade of white is not too dissimilar to the deck colour I want and then I should be good to go. I am hoping the floor is not too uneven as that could cause them to have gaps between? (Any ideas if that is a problem?) My only other worry is that IKEA white laminates used to turn yellow quickly, but I am hoping they have improved on that front in recent years. Thanks again, your advice is always good!