Premise Good-Bye...and hello!

[chucklyons]

I started working with Premise in the 2002 time frame...I met and learned from Dan Quigley, Jim Hunter, Damon, Jim Springfield, and many others...And I met all of you fine folks! Wow.

Well, today, my counter-offer for the purchase of my house was accepted. The house I lived in since 1990 is now, or soon will be, someone else's. And the fate of Premise in THAT house is in someone else's hands.

So now, I get a fresh slate. We're still negotiating the Premise aspect of my current house, but I get a fresh start on an new house. And it will be a Premise house!

Learned a lot. I plan to learn from my mistakes. If you've seen my code, you know what that means!

I get to start from zero, like ETC! (interested in doing some cabinet work????)

I'll update as I progress....if I can ever unpack!

 

[samgreco]

Congrats Chuck! Getting a house sold in this market is nothing short of amazing And you get to start all over. Excellent!

 

[etc6849]

Well, you're starting from ground zero with lots of experience (unlike ETC) Things take me 2-3 times longer than they should as I've never done them before, but someday I might be as fast as professional?!? In the mean time, I'm not quiting my day job.

Now is a great time to refinance or even upsize. Most people still say the housing market will stay low and not to buy or upsize, but it doesn't make sense not to when interest rates are ~2.5% lower than in 2005-2006 and the houses are much cheaper?!?

Lowering a home's interest rate just 2.5% on a $250k home means a savings of over ~$390/month! To me this makes housing much more affordable, especially since as the cost of the home increases so do the savings (e.g. savings on a $500k home is ~$780 going from 6.75% to 4.25%). Given that the cost of housing has dropped an average of 15-20%, it's clear to me the housing crisis will recover in most areas within the next year and half.

...
I get to start from zero, like ETC! (interested in doing some cabinet work????)

I'll update as I progress....if I can ever unpack!

 

[chucklyons]

Well, last night was the LAST night. Did the walk thru with the new owner, gave the demo of Premise - the lights, the music, the thermostat, and the schedule. Oddly, just yesterday morning, I finally figured out how to make groups work in the mini-browser! So I gave it a try with the new owner, and I'll be darned...it did work! (So I didn't have to use any IE enabled devices for the demo)

Interesting comment from the real estate agent...'I asked around if anybody had ever had a home where all the lights could be turned on from a phone. None have ever heard of such a thing!'

So, still looking for a new house - in the meantime, I'll build the next Premise server, and continue to look for a situation where I can do an ETC style installation!

And maybe I'll get the remote control for devices to work in the mini-browser...

 

[etc6849]

Check out markh's post on this tiny PC he uses: http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18626

Link to PC:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16859324015

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Chuck;

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm curious as this subject has come up a lot in past years about what one would do (with their custom HA system) if they sold their house...

You sold your house and included your automation system run by software that has long been off the market and supported by nobody in the industry even if they would have a local contractor dealing in automation? I find this truly amazing that the new homeowners went for this! Also, how did you come to the decision to include your automation package in the sale? I thought that would have scared people away. I'm sure this thread will get people to rethink options when selling a home.

Good luck in your new home and I wish you the best of success!

Kindest regards,

BSR

 

[chucklyons]

I have the house automated for a number of things, but the house isn't broken if the automation isn't there. The Lutron lights will continue to work without Premise; The Aprilaire thermostat will continue to heat the house; The Xantech ZPR68-10 and 12 channel amp can be controlled via the Xantech keypads. Remote controls work the TV, receiver, and cable box...The weatherstation can use Ambient SW for display; Even the Insteon outlets can be controlled via an Insteon controller. Or they can work as normal outlets.

Premise just integrates them into a common interface. Use it, or not. The house works just fine, either way.

As far as out of support - we could go thru a number of names that used to be 'the greatest thing since sliced bread', but also aren't around - (and it applies across a number of industries). There isn't anything to safeguard against that. You can't even rely on your local contractor to be around.


And BTW, the new homeowners asked that I leave the system in place...

 

[etc6849]

Hopefully I'm as lucky as you when I move.

I was thinking when I move in 6 years or so that I would offer my system too, but in a subsystem pricing model. $X for the Elk system, $Y for the z-wave lights and thermostats and $Z for Premise. If the buyer wants everything tied together that's fine, but they'd pay $X+$Y+$Z. If they want only the Elk system, I'd remove everything else and take it with me. I'd also put into the contract that the system may/may not be supported by anyone and has no warranty (although several places locally probably support Elk and Z-Wave, just not Premise).

 

[tmbrown97]

This is why I keep my home automation self-contained. My plan when I sell this house is to offer the lighting system for a price; otherwise take it out. The M1 will likely be swapped with an EZ8 and all accessories taken (that's where the real money is) but they'd have a basic security system left so I don't have to patch holes from the keypads.

Of course, if someone wants to keep all that stuff, I've also met someone who is a contractor that installs Elk and UPB and I could refer them to for future maintenance.

 

[chucklyons]

This is why I keep my home automation self-contained. My plan when I sell this house is to offer the lighting system for a price; otherwise take it out. The M1 will likely be swapped with an EZ8 and all accessories taken (that's where the real money is) but they'd have a basic security system left so I don't have to patch holes from the keypads.

Of course, if someone wants to keep all that stuff, I've also met someone who is a contractor that installs Elk and UPB and I could refer them to for future maintenance.

 

[chucklyons]

I'm not sure if that approach would work, at least in Ca...I would think it would be cost prohibitive to do that..not to mention a tough contract item..Real estate in Ca is sold 'as-is'..I would think the lighting system is part of that.
Again, I go to the point of Premise ..imo- an integrated web enabled view into home systems. Use it or unplug it. The house works either way...as it should

 

[pete_c]

Congratulations on your sale!

When I moved to my current home about 6-7 years ago I left the TTS alarm panel with X10 lighting in the old house. I did give them a quick run thru and left the manual for the panel with the home.

Its been a few years now but do drive by the old home. I will stop by one day in the next few months and ask if they are still using the panel.

From the outside it appears that they are taking good care of the home that I lived in for 30 years.

ETC,

I think you live in Naperville / Bolingbrook eh?

One of the other new CT users has asked to look at my setup here. I live in Lockport, IL. I was wondering if maybe you would also be interested in showing your current HA setup? Kind of doing a small tour of local HA implementations in the area?

The new CT person hasn't yet decided what he will be implementing for HA.

Pete

 

[etc6849]

I'd love to except I now live near Columbia, SC! I moved south for work, but I actually like it a lot better. The houses are much cheaper and the weather is nicer. I had to take a $1k pay cut (for a promotion), but the low property taxes alone make up for it.

I too would be interested in looking at your setup as I'm still somewhat of a newbie and you've been doing this stuff for many years. I'll try to remember to drop you a line if I'm ever out in your neck of the woods; feel free to do likewise.

 

[pete_c]

Good news there ETC!

But didn't you just recently purchase a house up this way not too long ago?

I thought I met you at one of the HA meetings last year or the year before?

Yeah, let me know the next time you are up here. The taxes here are ridiculous and no let down with the current economy so far.

I'm over 10k and my neighbor is close to 17k; crazy numbers. The real estate tax multipliers here don't make any sense what so every.

 

[pete_c]

Yes politics is a touchy subject.

I don't know why but I thought you purchased a bank owned home at a "deal". Maybe you were looking for one?

I live in a very small subdivision of only 100 houses and the values in this subdivision have dropped something like 30-40%; but the taxes are still the same as their were 3-4 years ago.

Things will be changing though...hopefully soon.

Welcome to your new home. I've only been to SC once in the 1990's for the first BMW build out there. My wife though has been there a few times on "wine" tours with her girlfriends. She likes it better than FL.